President Obama is significantly raising his personal stake in the effort to overhaul America's healthcare system, as Democrats and the public express growing unease about the costs. Obama has faced criticism from some quarters for being too removed from the health debate, and he may have little choice but to get more deeply involved. Obama supporters still are clamoring for passage of legislation by August, and House leaders signaled that they will attempt to hold a vote by the end of this month.
Senate Finance Committee members say they are trying to resolve potential healthcare reform controversies behind closed doors and produce a bill that can withstand the close scrutiny. Senior panel members have expressed confidence that they could complete committee action on such a bill before President Obama's Aug. 7 deadline and attract significant bipartisan support. The measure would meet President Obama's goal of expanding coverage while lowering long-term health costs, without relying on a surtax on wealthy households as the House's bill would impose.
The American Medical Association has released its second National Health Insurer Report Card, which measures the nation's eight largest health insurers on claim denials, timeliness, accuracy, and transparency. According to the report, the percentage of medical claims denied in 2008 ranged from Medicare's 6.9% to UnitedHealthcare's 2.7%. The percentages improved this year, ranging from Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield's high of 4.3% to Aetna's low claim denial rate of 1.8%.
NorthShore University HealthSystem, a large hospital operator in the northern Chicago suburbs, has signed a three-year deal to be the healthcare partner of the Chicago Bears. The deal comes after the National Football League for the first time allowed NFL teams to display sponsorship logos on their practice jerseys. The logo of NorthShore will appear on the front of "all Bears practice jerseys," said NorthShore representatives.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has added 30-day readmission rates for Medicare patients hospitalized for heart attack, heart failure, and pneumonia to the measures published on its Hospital Compare Web site. The data reflect Medicare billing records from July 2005 to June 2008. Many see the new reporting of readmission rates on Hospital Compare as a first step toward factoring readmission rates into payment, says Sg2 Vice President Joan Moss.
The Bank of the Bahamas has announced a new Visa card that allows Bahamians 30% to 60% discounts at seven South Florida hospitals. The card, which was in development for two years, is "designed to provide as many persons as possible with access to affordable healthcare," bank executive Vaughn Delaney told the Miami Herald. South Florida facilities accepting the card are Mercy Hospital, Baptist Hospital, Cleveland Clinic Florida, Jackson Memorial, Broward General, Miami Children's, and UM Health Systems.
A top surgeon at the University of California, Los Angeles, has lost his position as executive director of its spine center and faces an investigation by the school into his research after allegedly failing to disclose he was being paid by several companies whose products he was studying. Between 2002 and 2008, Jeffrey Wang repeatedly failed to report on forms filed with the state and with the medical school that he was receiving consulting payments, stock options, and royalties from five companies on whose products he was conducting research, according to the university.
Connecticut became the latest state to pass legislation to revamp its healthcare system, moving ahead with a plan to cover uninsured residents despite budget pressures. Connecticut's Democrat-controlled legislature overrode Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell's veto to enact a universal-coverage law slated to go into effect by 2012. The bill envisions covering almost all Connecticut citizens and creating a publicly run health-insurance option for individuals and small businesses.
New York state and New York City have agreed to pay $540 million to settle charges that they submitted false claims to Medicaid. The settlement is the largest dollar amount ever recovered for the Medicaid program, according to the Justice Department. The deal settles allegations that the state and city knowingly submitted false claims for reimbursement for school-based healthcare services from 1990 to 2001.
How President Obama handles the healthcare reform issue over the next several weeks could shape the rest of his presidency, shedding light on his political strength, his relationship with both parties in Congress, and his appetite to fight for his own agenda, according to the New York Times. On the Republican side, one question is whether President Obama will succumb to the temptation to turn healthcare into a partisan fight, even as he tries to court the opposing party.
