On its face, the low-key discussion around a conference table in Miami last month did not appear to have national implications. Eight men and women, including a diner owner, a chef and a real estate agent, answered questions about why they had no health insurance and what might persuade them to buy it. But this focus group, along with nine others held around the country in November, was an important tool for advocates coming up with a campaign to educate Americans about the new health care law. The participants were among millions of uninsured people who stand to benefit from the law.
The administration of Gov. Rick Scott is now contending that the federal health care overhaul will cost state taxpayers billions more than estimates from just a few months ago. Scott's health care agency has drawn up dramatic new estimates that now prices the cost of implementing the overhaul—including expanding the state's safety net health care program to thousands of Floridians currently ineligible—at nearly $26 billion over a 10 year period. That's three times higher than the nearly $8 billion figure drawn up by state economists back in August—and has immediately come under suspicion by health care advocates.
Darden Restaurants Inc.'s second quarter was far from appetizing, as the owner of Olive Garden and Red Lobster watched its net income plunge 37%. The Orlando, Fla., restaurant company saw the sour numbers coming. Earlier in December, citing a litany of factors including negative blow-back over its response to the new national healthcare law, ineffective promotions and Superstorm Sandy—for its decision to lower expectations for the quarter.
When I have a health problem, I talk to my doctor or nurse. But when our nation has a collective health problem, doctors aren't the only ones who know best. While I could write a year's worth of blogs about inspirational physicians or nurses who are transforming our health care system from the inside out, today I want to highlight some of the largely unsung heroes changing health care from the outside in: these are influential leaders who don?t wear stethoscopes or see patients, but have some important answers for us, from pilots and business leaders to game show titans and soccer moms.
Three more states won conditional approval Thursday to run their own insurance exchanges under President Obama's signature healthcare law. The Health and Human Services Department gave conditional approval to state-run exchanges in Delaware, Minnesota and Rhode Island. HHS has previously given conditional approval to eight states and Washington, D.C.
Owner Carl Schanstra was able to get Automation Systems LLC back on its feet by breaking into new markets, such as the auto industry. Sales are up 12% this year, and are likely to rise again next year, too. But for the 34-year-old, the expected growth in sales brings a new concern. He is worried that as Automation Systems continues to expand, it will be subject to a provision in the health-care overhaul that could damage its bottom line.