Pages

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Health Care

News                                                                                                                             
National Journal | Schwartz Gives Super Committee 'Doc Fix' Details
Rep. Allyson Schwartz, D-Pa., a senior member of the House Budget committee, sent the super committee a proposal to permanently end the flawed formula used to pay Medicare doctors, replacing it with new payment models tested out by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation. Schwartz’s proposal isn’t going anywhere soon.
National Journal | Health Premiums Up 50 Percent From 2003 to 2010 - Report
Health insurance premiums rose by an average of 50 percent nationwide from 2003 to 2010, the Commonwealth Fund found in a report released on Thursday. And costs went up even more for people covered at work—employee contributions to annual premiums increased by 63 percent, the report found.

Econ Comments                                                                                                             
RCM | Will the Poor Be Able to Afford Obamacare?
A new National Bureau of Economic Research working paper showed that in 2014, when the law will take full effect, 13 million low-income Americans may be unable to get subsidized health insurance through new state health care exchanges because one family member has employer-provided coverage for that person only.
Market Watch | Health care is a heavy weight for small businesses
Small firms that offer benefits face high costs, tradeoffs, uncertainty.