You are currently searching the category archives for: Medicare
Posted by: Ella Hushagen on Jan 23, 2009
The throngs celebrating the inauguration of our 44thpresident may have come and gone, but the Ba'rocking has just begun here in Washington.
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Category: Health Care Costs,Medicaid,Medicare,Pre-Existing Conditions,Racial and Ethnic Disparities,Children's Health,Underinsurance and Medical Debt,Uninsured Americans
Posted by: Erin Kelly on Dec 23, 2008
'Tis the season to be jolly! That may be how the songusually goes, but this year American families are singing a different tune. As the economic recession deepens, companies around thecountry are closing their doors or cutting back by laying off employees and millionsof Americans are losing their jobs, salaries, and health insurance.
Posted by: Angela Shubert on Dec 19, 2008
Insurance companies wouldnever pocket extra money on the backs of Medicare beneficiaries. Or would they?According to a report released bythe Government Accountability Office (GAO) last week, insurers that sellprivate plans to Medicare beneficiaries made a whopping $601.79 in profits perenrollee in 2006, a profit margin 65 percent higherthan anticipated. Actual spending on non-medical expenses, such asadministrative costs, was also substantially higher than projections, whilespending on the delivery of care fell short of expected levels.
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Category: Health Care Costs,Medicare
Posted by: Sherice Perry on Dec 15, 2008
Intheory, the Medicare program - which provides health coverage to people over 65and those with disabilities - gives the same benefits to everyoneenrolled. But in practice, not everyonereceives the same outcomes. Communitiesof color consistently have more difficulty getting care and tend to receivelower quality care. Earlierthis year, Congress took a few baby steps in addressing those disparities. In a new law that chiefly dealt with how doctorsare paid for treating Medicare patients, Congress included language to helpreduce the disparities in Medicare for people of color.
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Category: Medicare,Racial and Ethnic Disparities
Posted by: Julia Eisman on Nov 20, 2008
In a sign that President-Elect Obama means business, formerSenate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD) was selected to fill the top spot atthe Department of Health and Human Services. This is good news. Very good news."The appointment of Senator Daschle as Secretary of the Health and HumanServices Department is the best news possible for those who want to achievemeaningful health care reform," said Families USA's Ron Pollack.
Posted by: Julia Eisman on Nov 12, 2008
Today, Senator Max Baucus, chair of the Senate FinanceCommittee, revealed his long awaited white paper onhealth care reform. According to the Senator, "...theCall to Action has three equally important legs: (1) a policy that ensuresmeaningful coverage and care to all Americans; (2) an insistence that any suchexpansion be coupled with an emphasis on higher quality, greater value, and -over time - less costly care; and (3) an absolute commitment to weed out waste,eliminate overpayments, and design a sustainable financing system that worksfor taxpayers as well as for the nation's recipients and providers of healthcare.
Posted by: Julia Eisman on Nov 10, 2008
We heard encouraging words from Michael Myers, staff director for the SenateHealth, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) committee, chaired by Senator TedKennedy, at Families USA's post-election health care briefing: "With the Obama victory, thequestion is no longer whether we'll pursue comprehensive healthcare reform, butwhen and in what form."
Posted by: Ron Pollack on Nov 05, 2008
The election we witnessed yesterday was not simply historic - it was truly transformative. Just 43 years ago, Congress passed, and President Lyndon Johnson signed, the Voting Rights Act. For decades, since the end of Reconstruction, voting for many in the states of the old Confederacy was an act of unmatched heroism. To vote was to lose a job - even the laborious job of chopping and picking cotton for a meager $3 a day. To vote was to have your house shot into in the dark of night. To vote was to risk, and for too many to lose, one's life...
Posted by: Julia Eisman on Nov 02, 2008
The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease has an important message for you: Vote like your health depends on it. Check out the video here....
Posted by: Julia Eisman on Aug 14, 2008
If Senators McCain and Obama can agree on one thing,it's that we need health reform. While theplans have some commonalities, there are also significant differences. Accordingto our recent 501 (c)4 report, Health Care and the2008 Election: Comparing the Candidates'Positions on Health Care, "Senator McCain offers a radical restructuring ofAmerica's health care system" while "Senator Obama's proposal builds on ourcurrent system of health coverage, preserving what works and strengtheningaspects of the system that need improvement."