Rochester hospitals, employers, insurance companies and patients are feeling the pains of recession

Monday 05 January 2009 at 5:11 pm Recession ups health care costs in Rochester
By Chris Swingle and Justina Wang - Democrat and Chronicle.com

Amid President-elect Barack Obama's promises to expand health care, years of rising medical costs, heightened by the recession, are stinging Rochester.

Area hospitals, employers, insurance companies and patients are all feeling the pain. The recession has stripped away health insurance for many of the jobless, while those who still are working are left to shoulder more of the costs. That leaves many people just one injury, one high-priced prescription or one emergency appendectomy away from a medical and financial catastrophe. (more)

Florida's Medicaid fraud investigator unit is faced with reduced budget because of the weakened economy

Monday 05 January 2009 at 2:17 pm Medicaid fraud increasing throughout state, but economy forcing cutbacks in investigations
By LIZ FREEMAN

The state’s Medicaid fraud investigators have collected nearly $57 million this year in court judgments, fines and civil penalties as a result of probes to unravel wrongful billing and other fraudulent practices against the government insurance program, according to the Florida Attorney General’s Office.

A breakdown shows $51 million came from civil recoveries, including settlements to resolve whistleblower cases under Florida’s False Claims Act. Another $5.6 million was recovered from criminal cases. (more)

Universal Health Coverage is a reachable goal per some West Virginia policy makers

Friday 02 January 2009 at 1:03 pm Changes could be in store for WVa health care
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) -- Health care coverage for all West Virginians has long been the Holy Grail of health policy in the state, and if the optimism of advocates and policymakers is any guide, 2009 could see them advance closer to that goal.

With a governor pledging to find coverage for all working residents and a legislative effort to devise a "road map'' for a restructured health care system kicking off in January, the battered national economy and an uncertain future have not intimidated planners.

"This really is our time to get it done,'' said Perry Bryant, executive director of West Virginians For Affordable Health Care. (more)

Obama's health care reform team is collecting data from health care meetings

Wednesday 31 December 2008 at 12:45 pm Transition hosts health care meetings
By CHRIS FRATES - Politico

President-elect Barack Obama’s transition team is starting to collect political intelligence it could use to sway lawmakers and special interest groups in the upcoming health care reform debate.

With more than 8,500 health care meetings scheduled across the country, the transition is collecting insights into the major concerns nagging Americans and hints on how to successfully frame the debate and on the broad results they expect. (more)

San Francisco is challenging the state law allowing gender rating

Wednesday 31 December 2008 at 12:33 pm S.F. to fight bias in health insurance costs
Erin Allday, Chronicle Staff Writer

The city of San Francisco is challenging state legislation that allows insurance companies to charge women more than men for health coverage.

In a practice known as gender rating, women in California pay up to 39 percent more than men for coverage in the individual insurance market, which is where people who aren't covered by employer plans or state health programs get their insurance. Nationwide, about 7 percent of women buy their health coverage directly from insurance companies. (more)

Some expoerts expect more federal bureaucracy in the health care system to be imposed by the Obama health care reform team

Tuesday 30 December 2008 at 2:56 pm Obama Will Ration Your Health Care
Think of his health plan as a federal HMO

By SALLY C. PIPES
People are policy. And now that President-elect Barack Obama has fielded his team of Tom Daschle as secretary of Health and Human Services and Melody Barnes as director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, we can predict both the strategy and substance of the new administration's health-care reform.

The prognosis is not good for patients, physicians or taxpayers. If Mr. Daschle meant what he wrote in his book "Critical: What We Can Do About the Health-Care Crisis," Americans can expect a quick, hard push to build more federal bureaucracy, impose price controls, restrict medicines and technology, boost taxes, mandate the purchase of health insurance, and expand government health care. (more)

President Elect Obama's health care team engages in Grass-Roots Forums

Tuesday 30 December 2008 at 2:37 pm Obama Team Engages Public on Health Care
Daschle Visits Indiana for Grass-Roots Forum
By Ceci Connolly
Washington Post Staff Writer

DUBLIN, Ind., Dec. 29 -- Dolly Sweet, 77, has battled cancer more than once. She's a fighter. But when her doctor recently prescribed a medication that cost $35,000 a year, she felt she had no choice.

"I canceled the medicine," she said matter-of-factly to former senator Thomas A. Daschle, President-elect Barack Obama's top health adviser, who had come to the fire station here on a quest for "fresh ideas" on improving U.S. medical care. (more)

States Medicaid programs are getting further cuts

Monday 29 December 2008 at 8:37 pm States Cut Medicaid Coverage Further
Region Is Among Areas Where Poor Are Affected

By Amy Goldstein
Washington Post Staff Writer

States from Rhode Island to California are being forced to curtail Medicaid, the government health insurance program for the poor, as they struggle to cope with the deteriorating economy. (more)

New York governor proposes health insurance coverage expansion for poor

Monday 29 December 2008 at 8:28 pm New York gov wants Medicaid expanded for more poor
By VALERIE BAUMAN

More New Yorkers who are too poor for private insurance and not poor enough for Medicaid could get health coverage under Gov. David Paterson's budget proposal, despite the state's sprawling economic woes.

Despite leaving hospital and health providers reeling at suggested cuts and decreased Medicaid reimbursements, Paterson is also pushing two ways to expand coverage for adults. (more)

Health care reform demand increases as unemployment rate rises

Wednesday 24 December 2008 at 12:14 pm The recession and health care politics
Posted by Lisa Wangsness - The Boston Globe

A CNN poll released today shows 75 percent of Americans think the economy is the most important issue facing the country. Healthcare came in second -- at a very distant 7 percent.

Many health policy specialists and political strategists, though, say the two issues are inseparable in people's minds -- views of the economy are closely aligned with people's personal economic situations, which are in turn strongly influenced by the cost of healthcare premiums, deductibles and out-of-pocket costs. (more)