Daily Health Care News Clips - 8/1/08
08/01/08 | Comment (0)
Today, we begin the first of a daily series of news clips on health care from around the web. The idea is hopefully to provide a place for folks to get a quick overview of what's going on in the larger health care world each day. If you have suggestions for stories I've missed, feel free to leave them in the comments!
NEWS
Cigna Profit Soars 37% as Acquisitions Add Members (Update2) - Bloomberg
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aAZ3a4ricoXA&refer=us
Cigna Corp., the U.S. insurer that specializes in employer-sponsored health benefits, said profit rose 37 percent as acquisitions added to membership.
Strange Bedfellows Form Advocacy Group to Push Health Care Reforms - FOX News
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,395279,00.html
The AARP, along with the Business Roundtable, the Service Employees International Union and the National Federation of Independent Businesses, have formed Divided We Fail, which aims to see Social Security strengthened; make affordable, quality health care available to anyone who wants it; make prescription drugs more affordable; create incentives to get people to save for retirement and expand job opportunities so people can keep working as they get older.
Mass. House proposes $89M in health fees - Boston Globe
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2008/07/29/mass_house_proposes_89m_in_health_fees/
The House of Representatives voted Tuesday to seek another $89 million from the state, insurance companies and health care providers to support the Massachusetts universal health care law.
'Rising Star' CEO Quits Under Cloud - The Miami Herald
http://www.dailyme.com/story/2008080100004994/
Rodney E. Miller, administrator and chief operating officer of Memorial Regional Hospital, has resigned from his $370,000 job after being the subject of a blistering government investigation that found "fraud and mismanagement" at a Virgin Islands medical center he ran until last year.
Bloomberg advocates nationwide health care for those with Sept. 11-related illnesses - Newsday
http://www.dailyme.com/story/2008073100020043/
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is asking U.S. lawmakers to pass a bill that would "at long last" provide nationwide health care for sufferers of Sept. 11-related illnesses.
OPINION
What Was Wrong With HMOs? - The Atlantic
http://matthewyglesias.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/07/what_was_wrong_with_hmos.php
Say the word "HMO" and most Americans start reaching for their revolver. But most people who look at health policy and health economics agree that the HMOs were actually on to something, and that there really needs to be more scrutiny of which procedures are actually helpful and more emphasis on prevention rather than costly treatment. One question is why didn't this work out better?
Counting SCHIP votes - The Hill
http://thehill.com/editorials/counting-schip-votes-2008-07-29.html
It’s coming back. The long-stalled State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) bill that was vetoed by President Bush is likely to be back on the House floor in the fall.
IN FAVOR OF A HEALTH CARE FEDERAL RESERVE. - The American Prospect
http://www.prospect.org/csnc/blogs/ezraklein_archive?month=07&year=2008&base_name=in_favor_of_a_health_care_fede
Private insurance in the United States suffers from a legitimacy problem: It's hard to trust that the HMO is working in your best interests when they exist to make money, and they make money by rejecting your care. Not every American has an economics degree, but we're not idiots: Incentives matter.
PRICE: Transforming health care - Washington Times
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/jul/31/transforming-health-care/
Yesterday, we observed the anniversary of one the most consequential pieces of legislation in our nation's history. It was 43 years ago that President Johnson, supported by members of both parties, signed the Social Security Amendments Act of 1965, creating our Medicare program and ensuring health care coverage for all seniors. Today, both parties stand together again, bound by the idea that we require a fundamental health care overhaul to ensure every American has access to quality, affordable care. What is troubling, however, is that many in Washington see Medicare as the blueprint for this reform.
