Lawmakers pass health care reform legislation

Forestville resident Gretchen Jones retired in 2001, and while she can afford her current health care plan, she said she has concerns about whether she will be able to maintain her plan if federal lawmakers pass health care reform legislation. "I'm lucky now — I don't take a lot of medication, but if I do, can I afford it?" said Jones, 62. "I don't want anyone to tell me what physicians I have to go to." On Monday, Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) held his first health care Town Hall meeting at Prince George's Community College in Largo to hear Prince George's County residents' concerns, dispel myths and share information about the current status of health care reform. Other Town Hall meetings are planned to be held across the state. Affordable and adequate health care is a central concern to county residents, where the high number of uninsured patients has put the county's public hospital system in debt for more than a decade. Residents seemed mixed in their support for or against health care reform. "Make no mistake — health care is a priority of the Obama administration [and] of the Congress," Cardin said to the nearly 500 people in attendance. "The first thing that needs to be fixed is the 46 million [people] without health care in the U.S."

For further details visit as : www.gazette.net/stories/07232009/largnew175832_32529.shtml

Region with health insurance protection they deserve

Legazpi City (23 July) -- The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) regional office here has set a target to universally cover at least 85 percent of the population of Bicol region with health insurance protection they deserve. Orlando Iñigo, Jr., PhilHealth Bicol regional vice president, stated the agency is geared towards ensuring all Bicolanos be covered by social health insurance in accordance with the principles of universality and compulsory coverage as mandated by RA 7875 or The National Health Insurance Act of 1995 and RA 9241. Iñigo said "this tall order is now what PhilHealth is hoping to accomplish on its way to the agency's 15th year anniversary in 2010." He added PhilHealth Bicol recognizes its vital role in accomplishing the agency's mandate, organizing its marketing team ready to speed up enrollment, and a manpower pool that will efficiently deliver public service. He said the PhilHealth Bicol is equipped with all its armors driven towards universal coverage. Iñigo further related Albay province as of April 30 this year has a total number of 281,258 enrolled members, including employees from the government and private sectors, to PhilHealth's programs such as Sponsored Program, Individually Paying Program, Lifetime Member Program and the Overseas Workers Program. "This figure is actually 138.3 per cent of the total baseline set for the province's enrolment," he said. Records also show Sorsogon province follows the uptrend to universal coverage is covering a total number of 101,016 members for all the programs, that is, 92.1 per cent of the 109,656 potential members in the province. Meanwhile, the island province of Catanduanes already covers around 90 per cent of its population with social health insurance, ensuring 32,123 Catandungeños and their dependents. On the other hand, Camarines Norte has an enrollment that covers 78 per cent of its population which is translated as 68,185 members plus their dependents who can enjoy the PhilHealth benefits.

For further details visit as : www.pia.gov.ph/?m=12&r=&y=&mo=&fi=p090723.htm&no=60

President Barack Obama's proposed health care-reform bill

While President Barack Obama's proposed health care-reform bill is still a work in progress, a new study is already anticipating how many millions of Americans could be covered under the act if passed. A nonprofit organization called Families USA released a study Tuesday that breaks down how many people in each state would gain coverage as a result of the bill passing. The study used census data from 2006 and 2007 to determine how many uninsured people resided in each state. According to the study, about 664,000 people in New Jersey could gain insurance under the plan by 2013, with more than a million gaining insurance by 2019. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the bill would add coverage for 23 million Americans by 2013 and 37 million by 2019. "Clearly, every state small or large has a great deal to gain," said Kim Bailey, senior health policy analyst for Families USA. In addition to those who would gain health insurance, those who already have private health insurance could see their premiums come down, according to Bailey. An earlier study by Families USA found that an average American family paid a "hidden health tax" of $1,017 in 2008 that was passed on by care that was provided to the uninsured. The number was calculated from the $116 billion spent by hospitals, doctors and other providers to cover the health expenses of the uninsured. About 1.3 million people in New Jersey were uninsured in 2006 and 2007, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Solving New Jersey's insurance crisis is something that private companies want to solve, but the cost could have unintended consequences.

For further details visit as : www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/top_three/article_c2b96ccc-e4fa-5dc5-919f-fd1c6f4656ce.html

Obama visits Grand Junction as part of his health-care reform effort

If President Obama visits Grand Junction as part of his health-care reform effort, he’ll hear praises of the system set up 35 years ago in the Grand Valley, but he also is likely to hear it wouldn’t be easily replicated elsewhere.

U.S. Rep. John Salazar, D-Colo., invited Obama to visit Grand Junction after the town’s system caught the eye of researchers from Dartmouth and The New Yorker magazine, which noted its low costs seemed to run counter to national trends. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., has patterned legislation after some of the practices pioneered in the Grand Valley.
Replicating the system dominated by nonprofits such as Rocky Mountain Health Plans, St. Mary’s Hospital, Marillac Clinic and several other organizations would be difficult on several levels, said John Hopkins, chairman of Rocky Mountain Health Plans.
Besides that, Rocky Mountain Health Plans might find itself out of business if the federal government presses ahead with a single-payer system for health care, or even a public option, said Dr. James Schroeder, a Grand Junction practitioner.
If he has the chance to speak with Obama, Hopkins said the emphasis on collaboration in the health-care field has made all the difference in Grand Junction.
“The thing that keeps it all together is the collaboration component,” Hopkins said.
Reform is needed, said Schroeder, who said the best thing the president could do is do less.
The federal government has been distorting the health-care market since the 1950s, when it made health-insurance premiums nontaxable, Schroeder said.
Establishing Medicare and Medicaid in the 1960s increased federal activity in health care but without saving money, he said. Costs for the federal programs were off by 300 percent.


Source : www.gjsentinel.com/hp/content/news/stories/2009/06/21/062209_1A_Docs_talk.html