Mandates and Pre-Existing Conditions Muddle Health Care Reform Debate
Mandates and Pre-Existing Conditions Muddle Health Care Reform Debate
Oct. 12, 2008 – As various versions of the highly charged and much-debated national health care reform come to light, it appears a near certainty of any bills being passed is the inclusion of penalties for people refusing to obtain health insurance coverage and requiring health insurance companies to accept all people into their plans – including those with pre-existing health conditions.
Somewhat modeled after a Massachusetts’ law levying an about $900 tax penalty on individuals incapable of proving they have health insurance coverage, federal officials are considering levying a $750 tax fee on individuals who cannot prove they have health insurance coverage. At the same time, health insurers would be banned from excluding pre-existing medical conditions from coverage.
While a $750 tax on the surface would appear to encourage participation in the nation’s health care system, when compared to a worker paying what the non-profit Kaiser Family Foundation says was an annual average cost of about $3,500 for employer-sponsored health insurance in 2008, skipping out on paying for a health insurance plan makes sound fiscal sense – especially when health insurers are required to cover pre-existing conditions.
If approved and signed into law, when insurers no longer can exclude pre-existing conditions, Americans won’t have an incentive to maintain their health insurance coverage. It would be far less expensive to forego health insurance altogether and simply purchase it as needed.
When individuals refuse to obtain insurance coverage until absolutely necessary, the insurance industry refers to it as “free-riding.” Instead of receiving an earned benefit, “free-riders” obtain the benefits of what others have paid into the system.
Allowing individuals to opt for a $750 annual tax instead of paying about $3,000 more per year to maintain health insurance coverage would be akin to allowing individuals to drive without auto insurance coverage until they have an accident and then requiring auto insurance companies to cover the damages. Most Americans recognize the inherent problem with allowing people to drive without auto insurance while requiring auto insurers to cover damages if those without insurance get into an accident. For insurers to stay in business, they would have to charge even more to those who pay into the system as designed by purchasing auto insurance in advance instead of waiting until they need it.
But the highly publicized “Baucus Bill” being debated in the U.S. Senate promotes a health care version of driving without insurance until absolutely necessary. Regardless of what happens, an individual could refuse health insurance coverage for years, become seriously ill and then demand health insurance coverage to cover medical costs. And health insurers would have to pay the costs for treatment – leaving them with the unenviable options of passing on the additional costs to existing policyholders or go out of business.
Lobbyists working on behalf of health insurance companies have said people with pre-existing conditions could be covered easily if everyone bought health insurance coverage, but the Baucus Bill and similar proposals unwittingly make it far more affordable to pay a modest tax penalty instead of buying health insurance in advance.
Poll: Plurality Favors Taking Time on Health Care Reform
Poll: Plurality Favors Taking Time on Health Care Reform
Oct. 9, 2009 – With President Barack Obama and several high-profile federal lawmakers pushing to pass some sort of health care reform measure this year despite not taking effect for nearly four years, a recent poll indicates more Americans favor a slower approach to national health care reform.
The September Kaiser Family Foundation health tracking poll indicates 47 percent of those polled favor federal lawmakers taking more time to create a bipartisan measure instead of pushing through a mostly partisan national health care reform package. Some 42 percent of those polled said they’d prefer Democrats move more quickly with existing partisan plans.
About half of survey respondents said they are “anxious” and 31 percent “angry” about health care reform efforts thus far, but a large majority of those polled – 68 percent – said they were “hopeful” for meaningful reform. Despite a plurality saying Congress needs to slow down and take its time on reform efforts that aren’t slated to take effect for nearly four years, the latest Kaiser Family Foundation health tracking poll suggests general support for health care reform has increased since the last poll was conducted in August.
“Opinion in the coming months is hard to predict, but as the focus shifted from the town halls and hot button issues to the President, the Congress and the core issues in the legislation that affect people the most, the summer downturn in support was largely erased,” said Drew Altman, president and chief executive of the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Although public support for federal health care reform efforts mostly declined during the summer months, the September poll indicates support rose recently. Some 57 percent of Americans polled said health care reform is more important now than ever despite only 42 percent indicating their families would be better off if federal health care reform efforts are enacted. Only 36 percent of those polled in August said their families would be better off.
While a majority of those polled don’t think health care reform would be beneficial for their families, a narrow majority of those polled said it would be good for the nation. Some 53 percent said the nation would be better off if lawmakers enact health care reform – up from 45 percent saying so in August.
About 68 percent of those polled support mandates for individuals to purchase health care coverage, and 67 percent support mandating employers provide health care benefits. Some 82 percent support expanding federal Medicaid and Medicare programs and the federal Children’s Health Insurance Program. Some 80 percent of those surveyed also favor requiring health insurance plans to accept anyone, including people with pre-existing conditions.
While general support is strong for some potential health care reforms, it tends to wane when addressing how to pay for health care reform. Some 59 percent of those surveyed support taxing health insurance companies on “very expensive” policies while 57 percent indicated support for levying a fee on health insurance companies based on how many policies they underwrite.
Researchers working for the Kaiser Family Foundation conducted the survey of 1,203 adult Americans from Sept.11 through Sept. 18, 2009. The Kaiser Family Foundation is a private, non-profit organization based in Menlo Park, California, with a mission of “producing and communicating” research information on health care and health issues.
Federal ‘Michelle’s Law’ Ensures Student Health Insurance Coverage
Federal ‘Michelle’s Law’ Ensures Student Health Insurance Coverage
Oct. 9, 2009 – Named after a New Hampshire woman who died of cancer soon after being graduated from college, a new federal law takes effect today allowing college students to retain health insurance coverage if they become seriously ill and leave school temporarily.
“Michelle’s Law” enables full-time college students to remain covered by their parents’ health insurance coverage if they become seriously ill or injured and must take time away from college courses to seek treatment and get well. The law was signed by former President George W. Bush last year and allows students to take up to a year of medical leave and keep their health insurance coverage.
The federal law is named after Michelle Morse, who was diagnosed with colon cancer while enrolled in New Hampshire’s Plymouth State University in 2003. Her doctor advised she take time away from college to get well, but Morse chose to remain enrolled in classes so she could remain covered by her parents’ health insurance plan. She died of the illness in 2005 and about six months after graduating college.
Many health insurance plans cease coverage for dependants at age 19 unless they are full-time college students.
“Michelle’s Law will prevent other families from having to walk in our shoes, watching their college student fight for their health coverage while fighting for their life,” said Michelle’s mother, AnnMarie Morse.
Because she was concerned about losing coverage through her parents’ health insurance plan and her parents could not afford the cost of continuing her health insurance coverage through federal COBRA provisions, Morse ignored her doctor’s advice and underwent chemotherapy treatment while maintaining a full college class schedule. After Morse died, her mother made it her mission to change the New Hampshire law allowing insurers to drop students from coverage if they take a medical leave from college.
New Hampshire lawmakers in 2006 enacted a local version of “Michelle’s Law,” and Morse’s mother began lobbying efforts at the national level soon after. With bipartisan support from New Hampshire lawmakers in both chambers of Congress, Morse successfully lobbied for passage of the national “Michelle’s Law” last year and now witnesses it taking effect today.
Poll: Majority Opposes Health Care Reform
Poll: Majority Opposes Health Care Reform
Sept. 28, 2009 – A majority of Americans polled said they are opposed to national health care reform efforts, while only 41 percent indicated support – a new low, according to results of the September Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.
Spurring much of the opposition among a large majority of Americans surveyed is a concern over possibly losing their current, satisfactory health insurance coverage.
“The most important fundamental is that 68 percent of American voters have health insurance coverage they rate good or excellent,” wrote Scott Rasmussen, president of Rasmussen Reports, in a recent Wall Street Journal opinion. “Most of these voters approach the health care reform debate fearing that they have more to lose than to gain.”
Rasmussen’s statement is supported by polling results indicating 53 percent of those with insurance responded they likely will have to change their health insurance coverage if the proposed national health care reform is enacted. The rate of people responding they believe they will be forced to change their health insurance coverage has remained level in recent months.
In addition to a majority believing they will be forced to change health insurance plans, some 54 percent say health care reform will cause costs to increase while 23 percent say health care reform will lower costs. A month ago, 52 percent of those polled indicated costs likely would rise, while 17 percent said costs would decrease.
In addition to saying costs will rise, a majority of those polled also said the quality of health care will lessen due to reform efforts. Some 55 percent of those polled said health care will get worse – up from 50 percent in August. Only 24 percent of those polled said the quality of health care will improve – up slightly from 23 percent in August.
While a majority of those polled said health care reform essentially would do more harm than good, for the first time in the tracking poll a plurality indicated doubt that health care reform would be completed. Some 47 percent said passage of health care reform likely won’t happen versus 46 percent indicating health care reform passage is likely.
In general, older Americans polled support health care reform efforts less than younger Americans. Some 59 percent of senior citizens polled oppose reform efforts while 33 percent indicated support. Polling also indicates 58 percent of uninsured voters favor health care reform passage while 35 percent of uninsured Americans said they oppose reform efforts.
While opposition to national health care reform efforts has grown slightly during the Rasmussen Reports tracking poll, the record low support for reform efforts has remained generally level in recent months. The 41 percent support rate is a point lower than the previous low mark, while support for reform efforts in general has stayed in the low to mid 40s, according to Rasmussen Reports. Opposition generally has remained in the low to mid 50s.
Poll: Western U.S. Enjoys Greater ‘Well-Being’
Poll: Western U.S. Enjoys Greater ‘Well-Being’
Sept. 25, 2009 – Residents of Western United States are more likely to enjoy a greater level of “well-being” than those residing east of the Mississippi River, according to results of a recent Gallup-Healthways survey.
Residents of Hawaii and Utah experience the highest level of “well-being” in the United States while those residing in West Virginia and Kentucky reported the lowest rate of “well-being” in the nation. Generally, those residing in the West reported greater levels of personal happiness than those in the East.
Survey respondents based their answers on six categories to help researchers arrive at individual state rankings. Residents based their ‘well-being” a “life evaluation” assessing their current situation in life versus where they anticipate being in five years. Respondents’ emotional health, physical health, work environment, healthful behaviors and ability to obtain necessities, such as food, shelter and health care also were factored into “well-being” ratings based on responses from 170,000 interviews of U.S. adults conducted during the first six months of the year.
Hawaii ranked best in the nation for “emotional health,” such as smiling, laughing, showing and receiving respect, happiness, worry, stress and learning or doing something interesting. Utah ranked best in “life evaluation,” while Iowa was best for basic access to health care and North Dakota best for physical health. Vermont ranked number one for healthful behavior and Idaho for work environment.
West Virginia fared worst in life evaluation, emotional health and physical health. Kentucky scored lowest for healthful behavior. Mississippi rated worst for access to basic necessities, and Delaware ranked as the worst work environment.
Although Hawaii and Utah ranked among the best states for residents’ happiness, the U.S. Census Bureau last month indicated those two states had the lowest voter turnout during the 2008 presidential election. Some 52 percent of registered voters in Hawaii and Utah cast ballots while the state reporting the highest voter turnout, Washington, had about 67 percent of registered voters cast ballots.
Although it didn’t rank highest among voter turnout, California’s 14th Congressional District reported the highest level of “well-being.” The Congressional district includes famed Silicon Valley between San Francisco and San Jose and is one of the wealthiest in the country. Kentucky’s 5th Congressional District is located in the eastern part of the commonwealth and ranked worst in the nation for “well-being” and is one of the poorest districts in the United States.
Although the survey doesn’t attempt to explain differences in responses among residents of various states, the Gallup-Healthways well-being index instead is designed to give local, state and federal officials, job providers and the health care industry a better understanding of what Americans need to improve their daily lives. The survey first was conducted in 2008 and will extend 25 years into the future to provide yearly benchmarks and to help gauge progress.
Harvard Study Says Lack of Health Insurance Tied to 45,000 Deaths
Harvard Study Says Lack of Health Insurance Tied to 45,000 Deaths
Sept. 18, 2009 – Recent research conducted by Harvard University Medical School personnel indicate up to 45,000 people die each year in the united States partly because they have no health insurance coverage.
The study indicates people who don’t have health insurance run an about 40 percent higher risk of dying than those with health insurance coverage due to an inability to obtain critical medical care. The potential risk to uninsured Americans has increased by about 15 percent since a similar study indicated Americans lacking health insurance coverage were about 25 percent more likely to die of health complications than Americans with health insurance.
The study suggests the increased risk of death mostly can be attributed to two factors. Several public hospitals have closed or reduced the amount of medical services provided to people without health insurance, and those who have health insurance are enjoying the benefits of recent health care advancements improving the survivability rates of those afflicted with chronic but treatable medical conditions, such as high blood pressure.
With recent health care advancements improving the odds of surviving potentially deadly ailments, Harvard researchers suggest improving the nation’s health care system is becoming increasingly important.
“As health care for the insured gets better, the gap between the insured and uninsured widens,” said Dr. Steffie Woolhandler, a professor of medicine at Harvard and one of several authors of the study. “If you extend coverage, you can save lives.”
But extending health insurance coverage doesn’t mean automatically improving health care. Many advocates of health care reform have cited Canada and England as models for nations providing blanket health insurance coverage for all. But the two nations have experienced shortages of medical facilities and personnel, making it difficult to provide actual health care despite existing insurance coverage. In many cases, necessary operations and treatments have been canceled by Canadian officials or farmed out to medical facilities in the United States where specialized services are more readily available.
“Health insurance can only make you healthier if you have access to care,” Woolhandler said.
Woolhandler and other researchers also suggest providing community health clinics and other methods of delivering medical services to uninsured Americans and others is an inadequate substitute for having health insurance coverage. Without access to medical specialists and facilities designed to deliver services and as provided through health insurance plans, the uninsured in America likely will continue to fall further behind their counterparts with health insurance, Woolhandler concluded.
Harvard researchers plan to publish their study results this winter.
Study: Workers More Likely Than Employers to Pay Health Care Reform Costs
Study: Workers More Likely Than Employers to Pay Health Care Reform Costs
Sept. 18, 2009 – Any increased costs to job providers arising from proposed federal health care reform legislation likely will fall on workers and not employers, according to results of a recent national study.
If health care reform winds up increasing the cost of providing health care benefits for workers, 87 percent of employers surveyed said they likely would reduce or eliminate benefits while 11 percent indicated they would pay the higher cost. Benefits reductions could come in the form of decreased salaries and job losses in addition to reducing coverage amounts, according to the survey conducted by Towers Perrin, a global risk-management firm.
“[Employers] simply don’t have money and margins today to absorb additional healthcare costs,” said Towers Perrin chief health actuary Dave Osterndorf.
Health care reform proposals identified as potentially increasing costs for job providers include forcing job providers to increase health care benefits coverage to part-time workers and allowing employees in better health to shop around for health insurance instead of utilizing the existing group benefits provided through work. Losing healthy members of group health insurance plans would increase costs for those who remain, Osterndorf said.
While expanding coverage to more workers and allowing more choices for individuals might appear helpful, job providers caution they could have unintended consequences that prove harmful.
If forced by federal law to provide health insurance coverage, some 37 percent of employers surveyed said they would provide benefits coverage exceeding the federally mandated standard while 29 percent indicated they likely would cease providing group health care benefits and pay proposed federal fine if it cost less than providing benefits.
”Employers are saying: ‘These are important social issues that are being addressed, but they don’t necessarily hit on the issues that we’re facing as employers,’” Osterndorf said.
Instead, job providers suggested other health care reforms that might be more beneficial to workers as well as their employers.
Employers surveyed listed cost containment most often as being “absolutely critical” or a “high priority” for improving health care options for their respective groups of between1,500 and 100,000 workers. If cost containment and other potential savings are realized from national health care reform, some 78 percent of those surveyed said their respective businesses likely would retain the savings rather than passing them on to employees through additional benefits or higher wages.
The survey was conducted in July and queried more than 430 human resource executives at medium and large businesses to assess their opinions of health care reform proposals.
Study: Group Health Insurance Premiums Rose by 5 Percent in 2009
Study: Group Health Insurance Premiums Rose by 5 Percent in 2009
Sept. 15, 2009 – U.S. workers will pay an average $3,515 for employer-provided group health insurance premiums this year while job providers will pay an average $9,860 for a total of $13,375 annually to provide family health insurance coverage, according to results of the 2009 Employer Health Benefits Survey recently conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research and Educational Trust.
The $3,515 family contribution indicates a 5 percent rise in the amount families pay for health insurance premiums from last year and outpaced inflation, which dropped by 0.7 percent primarily due to decreasing energy costs. The 5 percent rise also outpaced average wage increases, which went up by 3.1 percent. Workers’ wages rose by 3.1 percent during the same period.
Despite rising health insurance costs, most job providers likely will continue offering them.
“We’re seeing many businesses struggling with ways to curb their health care costs, including offering high-deductible plans for workers, though relatively few expect to drop health benefits altogether,” said Gary Claxton, Kaiser Family Foundation vice president and lead author of the study.
While health insurance premiums outpaced inflation and average wage increases during the past year, the rise in health insurance costs has been much higher over the past decade. For workers and their employers, the Kaiser Family Foundation says health insurance premiums have far outpaced inflation and wage increases over the past decade.
Health insurance premiums increased by an average 131 percent since 1999 while wages rose by an average 38 percent and inflation an average 28 percent over the same period. Although health insurance premiums have more than doubled over the prior decade, the annual cost increase has slowed in more recent years after posting double-digit jumps earlier in the decade.
The study indicates about 60 percent of employers provide health insurance benefits, but smaller job providers are least likely to offer such perks. About 46 percent of firms with between three and nine employees offer health insurance benefits, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
But many employers are paring costs to maintain benefits. Among job providers offering health insurance benefits, some 21 percent indicated they either decreased the scope of coverage provided or increased the amount workers must pay to maintain coverage.
In addition to paying more to keep their health insurance benefits, survey results suggest many workers also are paying higher deductibles for treatment. Some 22 percent of workers with health care benefits pay at least $1,000 annually for individual health care coverage before receiving a benefit. And many opt for managed-care plans.
Most employees with health care benefits utilized preferred provider organizations with about 60 percent opting for PPOs. About 20 percent use health maintenance organizations and another 10 percent point-of-service medical care providers, according to the study. About 8 percent use consumer-oriented health care plans offering high deductibles, such as health savings accounts and health reimbursement arrangements.
Report: At Least 600,000 Americans Lost Health Insurance in 2008
Report: At Least 600,000 Americans Lost Health Insurance in 2008
Sept. 11, 2009 – About 600,000 Americans lost their health insurance coverage last year as the number United States citizens without health insurance increased to 46.3 million last year from 45.7 million in 2007, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
While the Census Bureau report says about 600,000 Americans lost their health insurance coverage last year, the number of uninsured very well may be higher. The current information was gathered in March 2008 and before the U.S. economy collapsed amid a global economic meltdown, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Since then, many more Americans have lost their jobs and group health insurance.
Because many people who had health insurance coverage early in 2008 since have lost their jobs and benefits, U.S. Census Bureau officials said they anticipate a much worse report next year. And for a second straight year, the number of Americans with private health insurance coverage declined while those utilizing state and federal health insurance programs increased.
From 2007 to 2008, the number of Americans with private health insurance dropped by about 1 million to 201 million while the number of citizens covered by government programs increased from 83 million in 2007 to 87.4 million last year.
The decline in the number of insured Americans last year wiped out some gains made a year before. Thanks largely to increased participation in state and federal health insurance programs, more Americans had health insurance coverage in 2007 than in 2006. The number of people with health insurance rose from 249.8 million in 2006 to 253.4 million in 2007, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Baby-boomers switching to Medicare and an increase in the number of children from low-income families utilizing Medicaid and other public health insurance programs generally accounted for the increase in the number of Americans with health insurance two years ago. The number of Medicaid recipients rose from 38.3 million in 2006 to 39.6 million in 2007. Medicare added another 1 million members in 2007, and the military provided health insurance for 400,000 more soldiers and their families in 2007 than in 2006.
While public health insurance programs boosted participation in 2007, traditional employer-based health insurance and other private sources declined. The percentage of people with private health insurance declined slightly from 67.9 percent in 2006 to 67.5 percent in 2007. The percentage of people with employer-based health insurance also dipped slightly from 59.7 percent in 2006 to 59.3 percent in 2007.
In one state, mandating health insurance coverage helped boost participation.
Massachusetts in 2006 enacted a law requiring individuals to obtain health insurance and had the highest proportion of residents with health insurance coverage of any state. Some 92 percent of Massachusetts residents had health insurance in 2007. Texas ranked last among states with 75.6 percent of residents with health insurance coverage in 2007.
Senate Proposal: Up to $3,800 Fine for Families Without Health Insurance
Senate Proposal: Up to $3,800 Fine for Families Without Health Insurance
Sept. 9, 2009 – A health care plan being proposed in the U.S. Senate would levy a fine of up to $3,800 for American families who don’t purchase health insurance, the Associated Press reported.
A plan reportedly being pushed by Montana Senator Max Baucus would make health insurance mandatory with annual penalties for not purchasing health insurance starting at $750 for individuals and $1,500 for families. Based on their total annual earnings, individuals could be fined up to $950 and families $3,800 each year for not purchasing health insurance coverage, according to the Associated Press.
Baucus’ plan reportedly intends to make health insurance coverage available for most Americans by requiring insurers to accept all who apply no matter their current health or age. But his plan also would require smokers to pay higher premiums than non-smokers and for the elderly to pay up to five times more for the same health insurance coverage provided to a 20-year-old.
Households earning up to three times the current federal poverty level of slightly more than $22,000 annual income for a family of four might receive tax credits for paying health insurance premiums, and small businesses also might receive tax credits for providing health care benefits. Households annually earning between three and four times the federal poverty level would not have to pay more than 13 percent of their annual income to maintain health insurance coverage, according to the Baucus plan.
While Baucus’ proposed Senate plan does not include a public option, several Congressional Democrats might use a public health plan as a safety net in case the health insurance industry cannot contain costs and make purchasing health insurance more affordable, according to the Associated Press. Baucus has said he wants to create nonprofit health insurance “co-ops” to compete with private insurers instead of expanding existing public options or creating an entirely new one.
Baucus’ plan also would makes several potentially controversial changes to the nation’s health care system, including levying fees on health insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, medical laboratories and clinics and companies that manufacture medical devices. Baucus says his proposal likely would not affect people working for large job providers and instead aims to increase health care availability for Americans unable to afford it now. Owners of small businesses and the self-employed would benefit the most from his plan, Baucus says.
Poll: U.S. Seniors Happy With Medicare, Concerned About Reform
Poll: U.S. Seniors Happy With Medicare, Concerned About Reform
Aug. 28, 2009 – Despite the current tumult over health care reform efforts in the United States, most senior citizens recently polled indicated they are satisfied their Medicare coverage.
An overwhelmingly strong majority – 94 percent – of senior citizens surveyed said they are satisfied with their health insurance coverage, with about 55 percent saying they expect their health care benefits to remain level and 12 percent saying they will improve next year. About a third of those polled indicated they are concerned their Medicare health care benefits will worsen within the next year, according to results of a survey recently released by Boston’s Suffolk University and Silverlink Communications.
“There’s an interesting split in those trusting the current reform efforts and those who are uncertain or doubtful of these efforts,” said David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center. “We see that wealthier and more educated Medicare recipients tend to be less optimistic about their interests being considered in the reform process, while those in the Northeast are more positive than other regions on healthcare reform.”
With a strong majority of seniors indicating they are satisfied with their current health care coverage, some 85 percent said they intend to keep their current health care benefits next year. Some 2,600 senior citizens were polled during the survey to assess their attitudes toward potential health care reform in the United States.
The Silverlink-Suffolk University Medicare Beneficiary Insights poll asked Medicare recipients if they might change health care plans next year, which factors they deemed important and if they thought their Medicare benefits would change. Other questions asked included how long it would take to research health care plans and which sources of information they considered to be trustworthy.
While a large majority of respondents indicate they are satisfied with their current Medicare coverage, some 48 percent said they don’t think President Barack Obama has their best interests in mind. Another 24 percent indicated they were unsure of potential benefits while some 28 percent said they thought the President has their best interests in mind while attempting to move ahead with national health care reform.
Medical professionals and special interest groups, such as the AARP, were cited as the two most trusted sources on health care reform efforts, and patient costs for obtaining health care was cited as the single most important factor for choosing a health care plan. Only 26 percent of those surveyed said they use the Internet to research health care plans and options.
Some 2,628 adults over age 65 participated in the Medicare Beneficiary Insights poll from July 14 through July 17.
AARP Poll: Public Option Confusing for Americans
AARP Poll: Public Option Confusing for Americans
Aug. 26, 2009 – Despite a large majority indicating support for a “public option” for health care, most people don’t know what a public option actually entails, according to the AARP.
AARP officials recently commissioned a new study to assess American’s attitudes toward a public health care option, such as proposed by President Barack Obama and many federal lawmakers. But while about 8 in 10 people polled said they favor creating a public health care option, less than 4 in 10 actually could accurately define what a public health care option means.
Despite the apparent strong consensus for health care reform among Americans surveyed, there was very little agreement in how to fund potential changes.
Nearly two-thirds of those surveyed — 65 percent — said they oppose increasing taxes to provide health care coverage for the estimated 46 million Americans and illegal immigrants lacking health insurance coverage. Although generally opposed to paying higher taxes to expand health care coverage, some 73 percent of those polled said they also are unwilling to pay higher private health insurance premiums to cover the cost of expanding coverage to uninsured Americans and illegal immigrants.
The study was conducted recently by researchers Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates and presented during a recent AARP event in Denver. The poll earlier this month queried 1,000 voters identifying themselves as independents, Republicans and Democrats, and political columnist Charlie Cook offered opinions on what the polling data might mean.
The primary conclusion Cook drew from polling results is that Americans are highly wary of economic costs tied to health care reform at a time when the nation is facing one of its most challenging times since the Great Depression. And concerns about the economy could prove fatal to President Barack Obama’s ambitious plans for reforming the nation’s health care system.
Cook publishes the non-partisan newsletter, the Cook Political Report, to which many politicians and political pundits subscribe. He says Obama is in danger of losing critical support of independent voters who proved the difference in his successful run for the White House. But losing the support of independents not only jeopardizes the President’s policy goals, it could prove extremely costly during the midterm and 2012 presidential elections.
Cook also told the Denver audience the AARP polling data could prove to be worse for Democrats now than in 1993, when President Bill Clinton attempted a similarly massive retooling of the nation’s health care system. But instead of tackling the issue himself, Cook says President Obama is relying on his Congressional allies to come up with a solution.
The problem with that approach, according to Cook, is that Americans generally don’t trust Congress.
“President Obama made the mistake of outsourcing major public policy to an institution that doesn’t have a lot of credibility — Congress,” Cook said, adding that Obama and Democrats very well may face defeat on the health care issue and possibly in upcoming elections given the current state of the economy and highly tense debates over health care reform.
Poll: Americans Open to Health Care Reform But Wary of Federal Efforts
Poll: Americans Open to Health Care Reform But Wary of Federal Efforts
Aug. 26, 2009 — Although generally willing to pay more for effective health care reform, a majority of Americans polled doubt federal officials can bring about cost-effective health care reform for U.S. citizens, according to a recent survey by Thomson Reuters.
The study was conducted to help assess voter attitudes toward national health care reform efforts and gauge their opinions about their current health care versus potential changes. While generally supportive of health care reform, most Americans polled indicated they are reluctant to trust federal officials.
Some 71 percent of people polled said they either “agree” or “strongly agree” Americans are “entitled to the best health care available.” Despite the overwhelming support for having the best health care made available, only 46.3 percent of respondents said the United States provides the best health care for its citizens.
Although fewer than half of those surveyed thought the United Sates provides the world’s best health care, a majority of those polled said they are satisfied with the level of health care they receive as individuals. Nearly 80 percent of those polled said they are satisfied with their personal physician, almost 70 percent indicated they are satisfied with their health insurance plans, and some 53 percent indicated they are happy with how much they pay for health care services.
Nearly 38 percent of those polled said health care reform would improve the cost of obtaining health care while an even smaller minority — less than 31 percent — said health care reform actually would improve the quality of care provided in America. Despite their general lack of faith in federal officials improving health care services, about 58 percent of those polled indicated they would be willing to pay a tax increase of at least 1 percent to help pay for health care reform.
Matching the lack of faith in federal improvements to health care delivery, fewer than half of respondents — some 44.5 percent — said the federal government should have an “active” or “very active” role in reforming health care. Another 53.3 percent indicated the federal government should be “somewhat active” or “not at all active” in health care reform.
Support for health care reform was strongest among Americans under age 35, women, and people earning less than $50,000 per year. Senior citizens generally indicated the least amount of support for health care reform while showing the greatest level of satisfaction with their current health care services.
Survey results were obtained through a telephone survey of 3,007 U.S. households from July 28 through Aug. 9.
Americans Living Longest Now as Health Care Debate Continues
Americans Living Longest Now as Health Care Debate Continues
Aug. 20, 2009 – The average life expectancy of a U.S. citizen has risen to an all-time high 78 years, federal officials reported yesterday.
The increased life expectancy mostly is due to declines in nearly all the leading causes of death, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And a baby born in 2007 is expected to live an average three months longer than newborns delivered in 2006.
The updated U.S. data was revealed in a federal report by the National Center for Health Statistics examining 90 percent of death certificates issued in 2007. The National Center for Health Statistics is a component of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Despite a recent change in how life expectancy is measured, U.S. citizens born in 2007 on average are expected to live 1.5 years longer than those born 10 years earlier – the longest life expectancy ever. Federal officials define life expectancy as the time a baby born in 2007 likely would live if mortality rates remain level. The average life expectancy now has hit an all-time high in the United States even as federal officials wring their hands over potential health care reforms that have stirred a lot of debate across the nation.
Despite the longer life expectancy, the United States lags behind some 30 other nations with Japan having the longest life expectancy in the world, according to the World Health Organization. Children born there are expected to live for 83 years.
In addition to living longer than ever, the death rate among U.S. citizens has declined in recent years, dropping from some 776 deaths per 100,000 births in 2006 to 760 last year, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The death rate in the United States has declined for eight consecutive years and is about half the death rate reported 60 years earlier.
About half of all deaths in a given year in the United States is caused by cancer and heart disease, but death rates from both killers have declined recently. Heart disease killed about 5 percent fewer people in 2007 than a year earlier while cancer accounted for 2 percent fewer deaths than a year prior. And the death rate for HIV declined by 10 percent, which is the greatest single-year decline in a decade, according to the federal report.
While death rates have been declining, the infant mortality in the United States has remained roughly level in recent years and rose only slightly in 2007 to 6.77 newborns dying per 1,000 births. Federal officials said the slight increase was statistically insignificant and about the same as the prior several years.
Survey: HMOs Best PPOs in Delivering Services
Survey: HMOs Best PPOs in Delivering Services
Aug. 18, 2009 – Once maligned as providing poor quality health care services, Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO) fared much better than their Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) counterparts in a recent study conducted by Consumer Reports.
As federal lawmakers wrangle over proposed health care reform initiatives, respondents to the Consumer Reports survey indicated their net costs rose by a median amount of 38 percent over the past two years – although 64 percent said they were either “very” or ‘completely” satisfied with their current health insurance plan.
While 64 percent of those surveyed indicated they like their current health care plan, researchers said it indicates downward movement from the last survey conducted two years ago.
“That’s a lukewarm response and a slight drop from the 67 percent in our 2007 report,” said Mandy Walker, Consumer Reports’ senior project editor. “In terms of services we rate, that puts satisfaction with health insurance above satisfaction with cable TV, a perennial whipping post, but below pharmacies and real-estate agents.”
The 37,481 consumers queried for the study said annual out-of-pocket costs for plan premiums were up 38 percent from two years for HMOs and PPOs. Respondents reported paying a median premium cost of $1,829 for health care services, which is a $500 increase from the amount reported in 2006, according to the Consumer Reports National Research Center. Some 84 percent of those participating in the study received their health care benefits through employer-provided group health insurance.
Although survey respondents reported a median level $1,829 for health care, those enrolled in HMO plans tended to paid less while those enrolled in PPOs tended to pay more, according to the survey. Despite reporting similar customer satisfaction ratings, people enrolled in HMOs paid a median $1,466 in insurance premiums during the past two years while those enrolled in PPOs paid a median amount of $2,003.
Those enrolled in HMOs also paid less for medical bills than people enrolled in PPO plans. About 69 percent of seriously ill PPO members paid at least $1,000 on medical bills during the past two years versus about 47 percent of seriously ill patients enrolled in HMOs paying at least $1,000 in medical costs.
Whether enrolled in an HMO or PPO plan, service availability rated about the same. Of sick HMO members in need of service, about 15 percent reported trouble accessing health care while 14 percent of PPO members reported trouble in obtaining needed health care. Historically, HMOs have fared much worse than PPOs in service delivery but have closed the gap, according to Consumer Reports.