Health Reform in the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Committee on Ways and Means Committee on Education and Labor

Fact of the Day The House health reform legislation strengthens grant programs for primary care training institutions.

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At The Time This Daily Dose Was Sent, Insured Americans Had Paid a “Hidden Tax” of $35,397,522,166 This Year In Additional Premium Costs To Cover Care For The Uninsured.

Under the Microscope

ENDING GENDER-BASED DISCRIMINATION

With health insurance reform, the days of discrimination based on gender will be over.  In many states, being a woman means being charged higher premiums than men.  In some states, maternity care is not covered because pregnancy can be seen as a “pre-existing condition.”  It’s even legal in some states to deny women coverage because they have been a victim of domestic violence.  Under health insurance reform this will end.  Insurance companies will also have to cover preventive services like mammograms and pap smears.  Watch First Lady Michelle Obama discuss in a video what health insurance reform means from the perspective of a woman and a mother.  You can share comments about the video and ask questions for the White House and HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius here.

Health Care Headlines

Small Business Faces Sharp Rise in Costs Of Health Care
As Congress nears votes on legislation that would overhaul the health care system, many small businesses say they are facing the steepest rise in insurance premiums they have seen in recent years. [New York Times, 10/25/09]

Democrats Push For Benefits To Start By 2010
Democrats are pushing Senate leaders and the White House to speed up key benefits in the health reform bill to 2010, eager to give the party something to show taxpayers for their $900 billion investment in an election year. [Politico, 10/25/2009]

Democrats Are Optimistic That Public Option Will Be Approved
Several Democratic senators voiced optimism on Sunday that Congress would pass a health care bill containing at least the germ of a government-run insurance program. Their expectations were grudgingly seconded by Senator John McCain, the Republican presidential candidate in 2008.
[New York Times, 10/26/09] Read a related article.

Can ‘Bundled’ Payments Help Slash Health Costs?
The surgery at the 691-bed Hillcrest Medical Center here is part of an experiment testing a new "bundled" payment system. Medicare makes a single reimbursement for all the hospital and doctor care for heart and joint procedures, rather than making separate payments to the facility and physicians.
[USA Today, 10/26/2009]

If You Build A Coverage Mandate, Will They Come?
People are more likely to buckle their seat belt than follow the speed limit, even though the penalties for speeding are higher. They are more likely to go along with hotel efforts to reduce linen laundry if told that other guests are doing the same. [Washington Post, 10/26/09]

Next Phase In Health-Care Debate: The Art Of The Deal
In Washington, there are two ways to wage legislative war: fight to kill and fight to tweak. With a growing sense that Democrats may have the votes to pass health-care reform, many participants are now attempting to shape the components of landmark legislation rather than to defeat it. [Washington Post, 10/26/09]
Read a related piece.

Number Of First-Year Medical Students Continues to Increase, AAMC Says
The number of first-year medical students in the United States increased for the 11th consecutive year in a row in 2009, according to data released this week by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). Nearly 18,400 students enrolled, marking a 2 percent increase from 2008. [CQ HealthBeat, 10/23/2009]

Guardian Life Says It Won’t Cancel Coverage Of Disabled Enrollee
Guardian Life, a New York City-based insurer whose plans to cancel a ventilator-dependent enrollee’s coverage figured in protests Thursday against America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), announced it won’t drop his coverage after all. [CQ HealthBeat, 10/23/2009]

OPINION: After Reform Passes
By Paul Krugman
So, how well will health reform work after it passes?  There’s a part of me that can’t believe I’m asking that question.  After all, serious health reform has long seemed like an impossible dream. And it could yet go all wrong. [New York Times, 10/26/09]