Uninsured patients with traumatic injuries, such as car crashes, falls, and gunshot wounds, were almost twice as likely to die in the hospital as similarly injured patients with health insurance, according to a new study. The findings by Harvard University researchers surprised doctors and health experts who have believed emergency room care was equitable. The researchers couldn't pin down the reasons behind the differences they found. The uninsured might experience more delays being transferred from hospital to hospital. Or they might get different care. Or they could have more trouble communicating with doctors. The hospitals that treat them also could have fewer resources.
Pressing to begin the Senate's landmark floor debate on healthcare legislation this week—and to finish by the end of the year—Majority Leader Harry Reid is considering new ways to fund the bill by raising the payroll taxes that upper-income workers pay for Medicare. Reid is studying the idea, senior Democratic aides say, because of criticism of a plan approved by the Senate Finance Committee that would impose new taxes on insurance companies that offer expensive healthcare plans. But Reid is meeting resistance from centrist Democrats who believe the tax on expensive insurance plans could rein in the growth of health costs overall, while a payroll tax hike would not.
Congressional Democrats' intensifying efforts to pay for their healthcare overhaul and provide more relief for consumers are threatening to unravel a White House deal with the pharmaceutical industry and turn one of Washington's most powerful lobbies against the legislation. Drug makers, which have already spent $110 million lobbying Congress this year, are preparing to make a stand in the Senate, where Majority Leader Harry Reid is working to unveil a healthcare bill this week. And senior administration officials, including White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, are warning members of Congress not to antagonize the deep-pocketed industry at a time when a major victory appears to be within reach, according to Democratic aides.
A federal appeals court says a former HealthSouth executive should go to prison for his role in an accounting fraud at the rehabilitation chain. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that probation isn't enough punishment for Ken Livesay, who pleaded guilty to inflating earnings at HealthSouth. Federal judges have sentenced Livesay to probation three times for his role in the HealthSouth fraud. Prosecutors appealed each time, claiming the sentences were too lenient.
As the Senate prepares to take up legislation aimed at overhauling the nation's healthcare system, President Obama and the Democrats are still struggling to win the battle for public opinion. A new Washington Post-ABC News poll shows Americans deeply divided over the proposals under consideration and majorities predicting higher costs ahead. But Republican opponents have done little better in rallying the public opposition to kill the reform effort. Americans continue to support key elements of the legislation, including a mandate that employers provide health insurance to their workers and access to a government-sponsored insurance plan for those people without insurance. The new poll provides ammunition for both advocates and opponents of reform.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is pressing to advance his version of healthcare legislation past a key juncture this week in a bid to avoid a timing crunch that could otherwise kick the proposed revamp into next year. Republicans will likely filibuster the "motion to proceed," which simply allows the Senate to begin debate. Delaying consideration of the bill until 2010, an election year, could jeopardize its chances and turn the intricacies of the Senate timetable into a political tool for the bill's opponents. This week could offer a test of Reid's ability to hold together Democrats and independents in the 60-vote majority needed to shut off any filibuster.