universal healthcare

SEC backs universal health insurance ballot measure

Tue, 27 May 2008 06:59:55 -0400

While most of the discussion of universal healthcare coverage takes place outside of the corporate arena, some activist shareholders may have succeeded in forcing the discussion into stockholder debates. Of late, groups of public company shareholders such as religious groups and labor unions have pushed a proposal asking shareholders to vote on a statement endorsing universal health insurance coverage. The statement asks companies to offer official support for universal, continuous, affordable health insurance. Many companies have resisted vigorously, including, interestingly enough, health insurer UnitedHealth.

Their tactic may be working. Over the past several months, the Securities and Exchange Commission has told a group of large public companies--including Boeing, General Motors, United Technologies, Wendy's International and Xcel Energy--that they must include the proposal in their proxies. Generally speaking, companies don't have to let shareholders vote on proposals if they don't relate to a company's ordinary business operations. However, the SEC said that it sometimes is appropriate for shareholders to express views by voting on significant social policy issues--and that it feels healthcare has reached the level of importance necessary to meet such a standard.

To learn more about this issue:
- read this piece in The New York Times

Survey: Universal healthcare would boost MD shortage

Thu, 15 May 2008 06:59:57 -0400

When it comes to universal healthcare coverage, it would appear that a significant minority of physicians find the idea to be intolerable, according to a new survey. The survey, by physician recruiter LocumTenens.com, found that of roughly 1,400 doctors who responded, 11 percent would change occupations and 9 percent would retire if a universal health insurance scheme was put into place. Meanwhile, 63 percent said that their practice patterns wouldn't change.

Given that the federal government already projects a shortfall of 55,100 physicians by 2020, this can't be good. However, it remains to be seen whether any potential health reforms might do something to discourage doctor flight; perhaps policymakers, aware of such concerns among doctors, will come up with incentives that slow such an exodus?

To learn more about the study:
- read this Atlanta Business Chronicle piece

Related Articles:
Doctor shortage slows Massachusetts health reform
Community clinics face doctor shortage
Congress under pressure to address MD shortage
Study contradicts idea of physician shortage

Primary care shortage blocks healthcare reform

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 07:59:58 -0400

By the year 2020, the nation will need 140,000 family physicians--a 40 percent increase over what was needed two years ago--according to the American Academy of Family Physician's 2006 Physician Workforce Report. So what's the big deal? The Wall Street Journal's Dr. Benjamin Brewer argues that with the number of new family doctors decreasing in recent years, this issue needs to be addressed before the country can even begin to consider universal healthcare. "To me, universal coverage looks like an empty promise," Brewer says. "Just nationalizing health insurance by declaring Medicare for all isn't going to get the job done."

To learn more about universal and primary healthcare:
- read Dr. Brewer's column in The Wall Street Journal
- check out the AAFP's 2006 Physician Workforce Report (.pdf)

ALSO NOTED: The future of "retainer medicine" worth considering; Hospitalists are here to stay; and much more...

Fri, 21 Dec 2007 06:59:50 -0500

> An academic medical center dean explains why putting primary care physicians on retainer can be more cost-effective than fee for service. Blog

> Physicians are chewing over the recent New England Journal study concluding that hospitalists can save on healthcare costs. One physician concludes that studies aside, hospitalists are here to stay. Blog

> Here's yet another in a series of recent blog posts suggesting that there's some deep concern over the future of medical education. Blog

> One healthcare economist offers his view on what California's high-profile universal healthcare model is flawed. Blog

And Finally... Do you believe in these medical myths? Apparently, many physicians do. Article

ALSO NOTED: Ex-surgeon general challenges White House; Dems propose Massachusetts model for reform; and much more...

Tue, 10 Jul 2007 20:01:30 -0400

> Former Surgeon General Dr. Richard Carmona told Congress this week he felt Administration officials prevented from accurately reporting scientific and medical information. Article

> When it comes to universal healthcare, Democratic presidential candidates seem to be sticking to practical approaches modeled on recent Massachusetts reforms. Article

> Following widespread criticism for its collections tactics and executive pay structure, University of North Carolina Health Care System has quietly begun to make major changes. Article

> Washington, D.C.'s Greater Southeast Community Hospital may soon go into receivership. Article

> Google is moving into healthcare IT. What will its next move be? FierceHealthIT

And Finally... No offense, but you may be too old to get this joke. Article

SPOTLIGHT: Candidates should push treatment effectiveness

Wed, 06 Jun 2007 20:01:32 -0400

It's all well and good to advocate for universal healthcare coverage, but unless we trim costs universal coverage is not sustainable, suggests New York Times columnist David Leonhardt. If they really want to fix the U.S. health system, presidential candidates should encourage the industry to focus on which treatments really work, he says. Article

Calif. considers fines for uninsured

Tue, 10 Apr 2007 20:01:38 -0400

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) is considering some aggressive steps to push all citizens into health insurance plans. Under this proposal--one of several being considered by the administration--the state would track down people who refuse to buy health insurance, force-enrolled in a plan and fined until they pay the premiums. Schwarzenegger has also proposed attaching the wages of people who don't buy into a health plan, or boosting their state income tax debt. To find the uninsured, the administration would use state or private databases to pick out citizens who went without health coverage for 60 days or more. In penalizing the uninsured, California would be following in the footsteps of Massachusetts, but Massachusetts officials are only imposing a small tax penalty on those who don't have coverage.

These ideas have greatly upset some interest groups that Schwarzenegger would like to win over, including the California branch of the Service Employees International Union, which is arguing that the proposal would hit people in transition with penalties they can't afford. Schwarzenegger's plan would offer subsidies to the poor, but most others would be own their own, facing premiums that could hit $1,200 per person each year even for high-deductible plans.

To learn more about California insurance proposals:
- read this Los Angeles Times piece

Related Articles:
Schwarzenegger unveils $12B universal health plan. Report
Universal health gains traction. Report
Schwarzenegger vetoes universal healthcare bill. Report
Mass. health reformers slash insurance rates. Report

Stark files universal coverage measure

Sun, 01 Apr 2007 20:01:36 -0400

Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA), already a high-profile figure in the industry thanks to the self-referral rules bearing his name, has taken a stance on the universal health coverage issue. Stark, who serves as chairman of the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee, has introduced a bill creating a universal health plan. Under the AmeriCare Health Care Act, all U.S. citizens would be covered either through their employer or Medicare-like government insurance. To extend this coverage, AmeriCare would use Medicare's administrative functions, but would add a a prescription drug benefit, mental health parity, pediatric care, family planning and pregnancy services. The measure would limit out-of-pocket costs, and subsidize costs for people with incomes of less than 300 percent of the federal poverty level. The AmeriCare program would cost $154.5 billion, but would save households, states and local governments more than that, resulting in a net $60.7 billion reduction in overall spending, according to estimates by the Commonwealth Fund.

To learn more about Stark's proposal:
- read this United Press International piece
- read Rep. Stark's press release on the subject

Related Articles:
Edwards proposes $120B universal health plan. Report
Universal health model emerges. Analysis
Universal healthcare rising in '07. Report

ALSO NOTED: Clinton promises universal health; AR seeks trauma network; and much more...

Tue, 27 Mar 2007 20:01:30 -0400

> Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) has vowed to establish a universal healthcare system if elected president. Article

> Arkansas state officials are attempting to build the state's first trauma network, but aren't sure how they'll pay for it. Article

> Physician rating site HealthGrades has added a national database of malpractice records, drawn from the 15 states that report such data. Report

> HCA has agreed to sell Cedars Medical Center to the University of Miami. Article

> An early-stage trial of a groundbreaking adult stem cell therapy for heart disease has garnered data that suggests it helps patients recover from heart surgery. Report

> Research institutions are lining up to protest stalled federal funding for biomedical research. Report

> Researchers at Rutgers University and the Department of Agriculture have released a new study demonstrating the cancer-fighting qualities of pterostilbene, an antioxidant found in blueberries. Report

And Finally... Getting a second opinion can be harder than it looks. Column

SPOTLIGHT: Site collects health system horror stories

Thu, 22 Mar 2007 20:01:32 -0400

Hoping to generate support for health reform, an organization affiliated with the AFL-CIO has launched a site collecting consumer stories of frustration with the healthcare system. The site, which is published by Working America, is part of a larger effort by labor to advocate for universal healthcare. Article