Our Health Policy Matters

If you care about Medicare, then who lost last week’s Presidential debate?  Perhaps we all did. That’s because both candidates favored some cuts in the Medicare program.  And cuts translate into a real impact on real people. But no cuts could mean something even worse - unsustainable levels of spending in the Medicare program. The question is what’s the lesser evil – a cut in payments to providers or a cut in benefits to individuals?  That’s the choice President Obama and Governor Romney gave us. President Obama favored cuts in payments to providers.  Governor Romney favored cuts in benefits to individuals.  The difference in their positions became clear as Romney pressed his point about the $716 billion in “cuts” that Obama supported in the Affordable Care Act. The “cuts” Obama favored actually fell into two categories that are built into the law – provider rate reductions and cuts to private insurers offering Medicare Advantage plans...

If you care about Medicare, then who lost last week’s Presidential debate?  Perhaps we all did. That’s because both candidates favored some cuts in the Medicare program.  And cuts translate into a real impact on real people. But no cuts could mean something even worse - unsustainable levels of spending in the Medicare program. The question is what’s the lesser evil – a cut in payments to providers or a cut in benefits to individuals?  That’s the choice President Obama and Governor Romney gave us. President Obama favored cuts in payments to providers.  Governor Romney favored cuts in benefits to individuals.  The difference in their positions became clear as Romney pressed his point about the $716 billion in “cuts” that Obama supported in the Affordable Care Act. The “cuts” Obama favored actually fell into two categories that are built into the law – provider rate reductions and cuts to private insurers offering Medicare Advantage plans...

Why did the health care debate in this year’s election campaign pivot so quickly from the Affordable Care Act to Medicare? It may well be because of this:  While people still feel strongly about ACA, they don’t really see it as relevant to them.  But Paul Ryan made Medicare relevant to everyone when he proposed changing the program for the under-55 population. Some new data from the U.S. Census Bureau may explain why most people don’t see ACA as relevant to them. We learned this month that the number and percentage of people without health insurance changed modestly in the year after ACA passed.  The number of uninsured people went from 50 million to 48.6 million.  The percentage of uninsured decreased from 16.3 percent to 15.7 percent. These changes were small, as were some others.  The percentage of people with employer-based insurance decreased slightly, from 45.7% in 2010 to 45.1% in 2011, and the percentage of people who purchase privat...

Why did the health care debate in this year’s election campaign pivot so quickly from the Affordable Care Act to Medicare? It may well be because of this:  While people still feel strongly about ACA, they don’t really see it as relevant to them.  But Paul Ryan made Medicare relevant to everyone when he proposed changing the program for the under-55 population. Some new data from the U.S. Census Bureau may explain why most people don’t see ACA as relevant to them. We learned this month that the number and percentage of people without health insurance changed modestly in the year after ACA passed.  The number of uninsured people went from 50 million to 48.6 million.  The percentage of uninsured decreased from 16.3 percent to 15.7 percent. These changes were small, as were some others.  The percentage of people with employer-based insurance decreased slightly, from 45.7% in 2010 to 45.1% in 2011, and the percentage of people who purchase privat...

Babies crawl before they walk.  c. Microsoft Office Image The Affordable Care Act (ACA) marks its first birthday this week.   It may not be off to a running start, but it isn’t exactly sitting still either.   The most debated provisions, like the individual mandate and the Medicaid expansions, are still three years in the future. In the first year, ACA’s biggest developmental milestones have affected older Americans, people with mental and physical disabilities, and consumers in general.   Which of these populations is making the most progress? Medicare recipients and early retirees have taken the most steps forward .     As of January 1 st , all Medicare Part B recipients are entitled to a free annual physical, with free cancer, cardiovascular, and skeletal screenings, and free flu shots.   150,000 beneficiaries had taken advantage of this through February 23 rd .   This number will grow, to many millions before the end of the year. Also, over ...

Babies crawl before they walk.  c. Microsoft Office Image The Affordable Care Act (ACA) marks its first birthday this week.   It may not be off to a running start, but it isn’t exactly sitting still either.   The most debated provisions, like the individual mandate and the Medicaid expansions, are still three years in the future. In the first year, ACA’s biggest developmental milestones have affected older Americans, people with mental and physical disabilities, and consumers in general.   Which of these populations is making the most progress? Medicare recipients and early retirees have taken the most steps forward .     As of January 1 st , all Medicare Part B recipients are entitled to a free annual physical, with free cancer, cardiovascular, and skeletal screenings, and free flu shots.   150,000 beneficiaries had taken advantage of this through February 23 rd .   This number will grow, to many millions before the end of the year. Also, over ...

Why should Floridians care if members of its House of Representatives delegation vote to repeal all the provisions of health reform this week? Because even though the Senate and the President have said they will stop the measure dead in its tracks, a vote to repeal is a vote against the interests of Floridians . If every provision of health reform were to be repealed, here are just some of the people of Florida who would be affected : 86,300 young adults who would lose insurance coverage through their parents’ health insurance plans; 182,672 Medicare recipients in the donut hole who would be charged at least $250 more for their prescription drugs in 2011 than they were in 2010; Early retirees of 190 Florida employers – including the University of Miami, Stetson University, Eckerd College, the PGA Tour, Inc., The Wackenhut Corporation, Tampa General Hospital, the Archdiocese of Miami, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Firefighters Insurance Trust Fund, Duvall Coun...

Why should Floridians care if members of its House of Representatives delegation vote to repeal all the provisions of health reform this week? Because even though the Senate and the President have said they will stop the measure dead in its tracks, a vote to repeal is a vote against the interests of Floridians . If every provision of health reform were to be repealed, here are just some of the people of Florida who would be affected : 86,300 young adults who would lose insurance coverage through their parents’ health insurance plans; 182,672 Medicare recipients in the donut hole who would be charged at least $250 more for their prescription drugs in 2011 than they were in 2010; Early retirees of 190 Florida employers – including the University of Miami, Stetson University, Eckerd College, the PGA Tour, Inc., The Wackenhut Corporation, Tampa General Hospital, the Archdiocese of Miami, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Firefighters Insurance Trust Fund, Duvall Coun...

Now that the election is over, those who voted for change because they wanted health reform repealed had better prepare for disappointment.   Here are six reasons why it’s not going to happen, no matter what campaigning politicians may have said. First, no politician is going to vote to reopen the Medicare donut hole again.   The one millionth $250 rebate check was mailed out in August, and the 2 million plus who will eventually get them are not about to give them back.   The donut hole will start closing in earnest in 2011, and the scores of people in every Congressional district who will benefit from lower out-of-pocket drug costs will remind members of Congress that they’re paying attention and they vote.   No newly elected member of Congress is going to risk offending these voters right from the start. Second, people don’t want insurance companies to be able to deny them coverage all over again for their pre-existing conditions when it took so long to win this ba...

Now that the election is over, those who voted for change because they wanted health reform repealed had better prepare for disappointment.   Here are six reasons why it’s not going to happen, no matter what campaigning politicians may have said. First, no politician is going to vote to reopen the Medicare donut hole again.   The one millionth $250 rebate check was mailed out in August, and the 2 million plus who will eventually get them are not about to give them back.   The donut hole will start closing in earnest in 2011, and the scores of people in every Congressional district who will benefit from lower out-of-pocket drug costs will remind members of Congress that they’re paying attention and they vote.   No newly elected member of Congress is going to risk offending these voters right from the start. Second, people don’t want insurance companies to be able to deny them coverage all over again for their pre-existing conditions when it took so long to win this ba...