Unions Back Plan that Could Kill Off Real Health Care Reform | Labor Notes

Unions Back Plan that Could Kill Off Real Health Care Reform Labor Notes: "If Barack Obama wins the fall election, he will be under more pressure to establish universal health insurance than any president in U.S. history. This will be due not only to public disgust with the current health care system, but to the hard work of organizations dedicated to universal health insurance.
But the most powerful of these groups, including the AFL-CIO and Service Employees (the major Change to Win health care union) are promoting a solution that won’t fix the problem."

Insurance Company Rules

How Medicare Payments Discourage Doctor-Patient Time

Op-Ed Contributor - How Medicare Payments Discourage Doctor-Patient - Op-Ed - NYTimes.com: "In contrast, the doctor-patient visit, which involves no expensive equipment, offers no significant profit opportunity. So the best way for a doctor to make money in his practice is not to spend time with patients but to use equipment as much as possible. That means moving the maximum number of patients through the practice, and spending the minimum amount of time with each one."

Health Care and the Economy in Two Swing States: A Look at Ohio and Florida - Kaiser Family Foundation

Health Care and the Economy in Two Swing States: A Look at Ohio and Florida - Kaiser Family Foundation: "Two new surveys by NPR, the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health examine the pocketbook problems facing people in Ohio and Florida -- two presidential swing states -- including their struggles with gas prices, getting and keeing a well-paying job and affording health care. The surveys, Health Care and the Economy in Two Swing States: A Look at Ohio and Florida, also take an in-depth look at the impact of medical bills on family finances and health care, and provide insights into the way health care costs affect people's daily life decisions. The polls were conducted jointly by NPR and public opinion researchers at Kaiser and Harvard."

Paying More, Getting Less | Dollars & Sense

Paying More, Getting Less Dollars & Sense: "By now the high overall cost of health care in the United States is broadly recognized. And many Americans are acutely aware of how much they pay for their own care. Those without health insurance face sky-high doctor and hospital bills and ever more aggressive collection tactics—when they receive care at all. Those who are fortunate enough to have insurance experience steep annual premium hikes along with rising deductibles and co-pays, and, all too often, a well-founded fear of losing their coverage should they lose a job or have a serious illness in the family."
This is a great article on the REAL cost of health care. Families are paying about $22,000 per year.

House Clears Medicare Package - WSJ.com

House Clears Medicare Package - WSJ.com
Seems like more effort to funnel money to the insurance companies. No one knows if any of this is doing any good but they want to keep it up anyway. Getting money to insurance companies takes priority over cost effectiveness and quality. Too Bad!

Health Care for Minnesota.Org

Health Care for Minnesota.Org
A new health care site. Not sure who all is behind it. Got it from this message from a Minneapolis State Rep.
***
----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Paul Thissen
To: Paul Thissen
Sent: Thursday, June 12, 2008 2:29:12 PM
Subject: Update from Rep. Thissen

Families USA released today another important report on the state of health care and health coverage in Minnesota. You can find the report, Failing Grades: State Consumer Protections in the Individual Health Insurance Market, at http://familiesusa.org/resources/publications/reports/failing-grades.html.

Among other items, the report documents that Minnesota is in the bottom half of states in denying coverage for preexisting health conditions. The report also criticizes Minnesota rules that allow insurance companies to revoke coverage after an individual contracts a serious illness.

The report will also be posted at www.healthcareformn.org, a new website focused on health care reform in Minnesota.