health insurance

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Kennedy: An Outline for Health-Care Reform

Sen. offers 5 key elements of coming legislation

(Newser) - The US health-care system that “shortchanges millions of Americans” is “about to change,” writes Ted Kennedy in the Boston Globe. The senator lays out five key elements of legislation he’s working on with “colleagues on both sides of the aisle”:
  1. Americans will have “better
...

Insured Foot Bill for Uninsured Patients' Care

Companies pass along 'hidden health tax' of $1K+ per family

(Newser) - If you have health insurance, you’re paying a “hidden tax” to care for the uninsured, says a nonprofit advocating government-backed health care. The group says insurance companies pass on the cost of treating the uninsured to their subscribers, to the tune of $1,017 per family last year,...

Obama Must Tax Employer Health Insurance
Obama Must Tax Employer Health Insurance
OPINION
May 26, 2009 12:25 PM CDT

Obama Must Tax Employer Health Insurance

To pay for new system, he must tax old 'crazy' one: Reich

(Newser) - During the campaign, Barack Obama was scathing about John McCain’s plan to tax employer-provided health benefits. But Obama’s going to have to bite the bullet and tax them himself if he wants to pay for his own health care initiative, writes Robert Reich in Salon. Now that Congress...

Did Our Health Care System Kill Jay Bennett?
Did Our Health Care System Kill Jay Bennett?
OPINION
May 26, 2009 12:06 PM CDT

Did Our Health Care System Kill Jay Bennett?

Musician's death has scary implications for the rest of us

(Newser) - The death of 45-year-old musician Jay Bennett, former member of the band Wilco, is “intolerably sad”—but its implications about our current health care system are also “downright scary,” writes the Cajun Boy on Gawker. Bennett, fired from Wilco in 2001, sued the band’s frontman...

Pfizer Offers Free Lipitor, Viagra to Jobless

70 drugs available to those who lost jobs since Jan. 1

(Newser) - Pfizer is unveiling a new program that will let people who have lost their jobs and health insurance keep taking some of its medications—including Lipitor and Viagra—for free for up to a year. The world’s biggest drugmaker will provide more than 70 of its prescription drugs free...

Bully for Health Care Players Joining in Cost Cutting

But is the gift on offer a Trojan horse?

(Newser) - The last time Democrats tried to reform health care, the insurance industry crushed them, spooking the public with its infamous "Harry and Louise" campaign. This time, it’s offering to help, along with doctors, hospitals, unions, and medical-device makers. “On the face of it, this is tremendously good...

6 Steps to Reform Health Care Now: Kennedy

Senator lists needed steps for system overhaul

(Newser) - This is the year to end an “American tragedy” and overhaul health care, Sen. Ted Kennedy writes in Politico. The Census Bureau said last year that 46 million Americans had no health insurance--and the economic crisis has added another 4 million to the ranks of the uninsured. It’s...

Liberals to Obama: Don't Sell Us Out on Health Care

President considering compromise on key public insurance measure

(Newser) - Progressive groups are worried that President Obama is going to go wobbly on them on health care. The Washington Post reports that the president has signaled he's open to compromise on the inclusion of a public insurance plan. Key conservatives like Sen. Charles Grassley hate the idea of a public...

Broke Feminist Faces Health Care Battle

Family tragedies have left Michelman with nothing

(Newser) - When Kate Michelman had mounting bills as a pregnant single mother of three in 1969, she lobbied for abortion rights and became one of America's top feminists. Now, treading water financially again, she's girding for a new fight—over health care. Her daughter is paralyzed and her husband has health...

Senate Odd Couple Crafts Health Care Compromise
Senate Odd Couple Crafts  Health Care Compromise
Analysis
Apr 10, 2009 9:49 AM CDT

Senate Odd Couple Crafts Health Care Compromise

(Newser) - One is a 59-year-old liberal who used to advocate for senior citizens. The other is a 75-year-old conservative businessman. But together senators Ron Wyden of Oregon and Robert Bennett of Utah may have crafted a bipartisan health plan with legs, writes Gerald Seib of the Wall Street Journal. Their Healthy...

Insurers Offer to Stop Charging Sick People More

(Newser) - The push for health care reform got a significant boost today: Big insurers say they are willing to stop charging higher premiums to people with pre-existing medical conditions, the New York Times reports. In the surprise move, industry leaders say they are willing to give up the practice if Congress...

Mass. Seeks New Way to Pay for Health Plan

Most insured state in nation burdened by priciest care

(Newser) - Three years ago, Massachusetts politicians began what may be the gutsiest health care experiment the country has ever seen, bringing near-universal coverage to the state in record time. There’s just one problem: they put off any attempt to control costs, the New York Times reports. Massachusetts’ health care is...

Fear of Unforeseen Chaos Keeps Feds Bailing Out AIG

(Newser) - If you want to understand the phrase “too big to fail,” look no further than AIG, the Los Angeles Times reports. With $1.1 trillion at the end of 2007, operations in 130 countries and 74 million customers, AIG is so entrenched in the global financial system that...

Hidden Health Care Crisis: The Underinsured

(Newser) - Health-care policy debate in America is usually framed around the 45 million (and rising) uninsured, but rarely do policymakers bring up the additional 25 million facing the “shadow problem” of under-insurance, Time reports. These people pay more than 10% of their income on out-of-pocket medical costs, often on flimsy...

Republicans Hope for 1994 All Over Again

But Dems are in a better position than they were under Clinton

(Newser) - Barack Obama is banking on change, but Republicans are betting things haven’t changed much at all. They’re hoping to bounce back from the political wasteland using the same playbook that swept them into power in 1994, Jeanne Cummings writes in Politico. The strategy: Unite against Democrats' economic policy,...

Back-Room Consensus: Require Health Insurance for All

Kennedy leads meetings with industry

(Newser) - A series of unprecedented back-room meetings among the biggest players in health care is close to a consensus: Any new legislation will require that every American have insurance, the New York Times reports. The next part, of course, is trickier: figuring out how to enforce it, how to make it...

McDonald's Won't Pay Hospital Bills of Hero Employee

Worker got shot protecting customer

(Newser) - It doesn't pay to be a hero, sometimes. A McDonald's employee who stepped in to prevent a man from beating up a woman in the restaurant got shot multiple times and ended up with $300,000 in medical bills. Now McDonald's says it's won't pay up because his injuries "...

Dentists Feel No Pain in Recession

(Newser) - Clenched jaws abound during this recession, and a combination of stress-related damage and layoff victims rushing to be treated before they lose their insurance is helping keep dentistry afloat as the economy dives. Dentist's offices last year reported the highest profit margins of any industry, including top moneymakers like accounting...

Uninsured Young Adults Play Doctor
Uninsured Young Adults Play Doctor
Feb 18, 2009 9:19 AM CST

Uninsured Young Adults Play Doctor

Some feel invincible but most just can't afford pricey premiums

(Newser) - Twentysomethings in low-paying jobs with no health coverage are taking up the slack with self-diagnosis and treatment, a potentially dangerous practice that may seem unavoidable. Many say they face a choice between buying insurance and making rent—and they're opting for the latter. "They’re new to the work...

College Students Pay Twice for Health Insurance

Parents complain of hidden costs for students who already have insurance

(Newser) - Many parents of college students across America are paying double for their children's health insurance, an NPR investigation finds. Students are usually required to show proof of health insurance for admission, but then often find they can't use that insurance at college clinics. Parents complain that colleges automatically charge for...

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