Healthcare 2012

Healthcare_2012

"Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane." -Martin Luther King Jr.
To reference 2007-2009 LWV-LPC Healthcare activities, click on our Healthcare Archive page to the left.

Upcoming Events.  Legislative Alerts/News.  US Healthcare Legislation/News.  CO Healthcare Legislation/News.  LWVUS Healthcare Positions 2011.  LWVCO Healthcare Actions.  La Plata actions.  Member Letters.  News Items.  Healthcare References.  Past Events.

Upcoming Events

Legislative Alerts/News

*3/22/12 LWVUS: There are challenges ahead and we must plan accordingly. On Monday, March 26, the U.S. Supreme Court will begin hearing three days of oral arguments on various legal challenges to the Affordable Care Act (ACA). In addition, there are congressional attempts to destructively amend the ACA and others to defund the law.
For this day, let's focus on the facts, and how the ACA has already helped the lives of so many Americans. You can learn more about ACA and what it has accomplished here and here.

US Healthcare Legislation/News

*3/9/12 NYTimes:White House Works to Shape Debate Over Health Law By ROBERT PEAR
WASHINGTON -- The White House has begun an aggressive campaign to use approaching Supreme Court arguments on the new health care law as a moment to build support for the measure seen as President Obama's signature legislative achievement, hoping to shape public opinion on an issue at the center of the battle for the White House and Congress.
On Wednesday, White House officials summoned dozens of leaders of nonprofit organizations that strongly back the health law to help them coordinate plans for a prayer vigil, press conferences and other events outside the court when justices hear arguments for three days beginning March 26.
The advocates and officials mapped out a strategy to call attention to tangible benefits of the law, like increased insurance coverage for young adults. Sensitive to the idea that they were encouraging demonstrations, White House officials denied that they were trying to gin up support by encouraging rallies outside the Supreme Court, just a stone's throw from Congress on Capitol Hill. They said a main purpose of this week's meeting, in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building adjacent to the White House, was to give the various groups a chance to learn of the plans...

*2/16/12 Washington Post:Lawmakers debate mandated coverage of contraceptives in health-care law By Sarah Kliff, Published: February 16
Tempers flared on Capitol Hill on Thursday as lawmakers waded into an increasingly heated debate over the mandated coverage of contraceptives under the nation's new health-care law.
Several Democrats walked out of a House hearing on the provision, accusing Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) of blocking testimony from a female witness who supports the mandate.
The stormy hearing -- and a comment from a key supporter of Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum that quickly drew fury -- provided further evidence of how the issue remains political dynamite despite the Obama administration's efforts to reach a compromise...

*1/9/12 Durango Herald:Nation hits brakes on health-care spending By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar Associated Press
WASHINGTON + Is health-care relief finally in sight?Health spending stabilized as a share of the nation's economy in 2010 after two back-to-back years of historically low growth, the government reported Monday. Experts debated whether it's a fleeting consequence of the sluggish economy, or a real sign that cost controls by private employers and government at all levels are starting to work.
The answers will be vital for Medicare's sustainability, as well as for workplace coverage. U.S. health-care spending grew by 3.9 percent in 2010, reaching $2.6 trillion, according to the report by the Health and Human Services department. That's an average of $8,402 per person + far more than any other economically advanced country.
Still, the increases for 2010 and 2009 were the lowest measured in 51 years. And health care as a share of the economy leveled off at 17.9 percent, the first time in years there's been no growth. The main reason for the slowdown was that Americans were more frugal in their use of health care, from postponing elective surgery to using generic drugs and thinking twice about that late-night visit to the emergency room.
"Although medical goods and services are generally viewed as necessities, the latest recession has had a dramatic effect on their utilization," said the report published in the journal Health Affairs. "Though the recession officially ended in 2009, its impact on the health-care sector appears to have continued into 2010."...

Colorado Healthcare Legislation/News

*3/13/12 Durango Herald:Colorado GOP outlines health-care alternatives By Michael de Yoanna Colorado Public News
The prospect of the U.S. Supreme Court throwing out the new health-care law after it hears the case this month has Colorado Republicans planning alternatives + and Democrats keeping silent.
The stakes are high: Without the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or any other major changes in health care, the average annual family health premium could hit $22,000 in the next seven years, according to an economic study called "The Future of Colorado Health Care."
Rising costs could make it harder for millions more Americans to afford care. As a result, even the most ardent opponents of the Democrats' 2010 health-care law concede that rising costs would have to be addressed quickly.
To determine what might happen if the law is overturned, Colorado Public News asked all nine of Colorado's members of Congress to explain what they would do about two key health-care problems cited by Americans in polls: the rising cost of insurance, and the many people with pre-existing conditions unable to buy insurance at any price...

*1/29/12 Durango Herald:More of Colorado's children insured Increase in part because more qualify for subsidized health care By Ann Imse Colorado Public News

A campaign to provide health insurance to children is showing progress in Colorado, where two surveys show the number of uninsured kids is down to 8 to 10 percent. That's a drop from the 13 to 14 percent rates of just a few years ago.
The group All Kids Covered estimates that 112,000 to 124,000 children in the state remain without health insurance.
The counties with the highest number of uninsured children are Jackson, Moffat, Rio Blanco, Garfield and Routt counties. The overall rate of people in Colorado without health insurance is 16 to 17 percent.
One major reason for the rising number of children who are covered by health insurance is high unemployment, which is dropping families into lower incomes that qualify them for free or subsidized insurance from the government...

*1/10/12 Durango Herald:Colorado legislators to face bevy of health-care bills By Erika Gonzalez Colorado Public News
Colorado lawmakers expect to consider numerous health-care issues this session, from tougher "truth in advertising" requirements for medical providers to imposing more stringent standards on food sold in public schools.
But with Colorado's rising Medicaid costs already devouring a third of the state budget, don't expect to see many health-care measures aimed at funding new programs or expanding services. Instead, legislators are focused on cutting costs to meet current obligations as they gear up for the new session, which starts Wednesday.
"Everybody is asking tough questions about how we find more cost-efficiencies," said state Sen. Kevin Lundberg, R-Berthoud...

LWVUS Healthcare Positions 2011

LWVCO Healthcare Actions

*3/15/12 LWVCO: March LWVCO Health Care update

Dear Leaguers,
In between the March news of basketball is health care reform, with lots of attention focused on the second anniversary of the Affordable Care Act to be celebrated next week and the upcoming hearing of the case in the Supreme Court starting on March 26. New rules on the state exchanges were also released this week.

Here are some activities and resources around these significant events. Can you spread them around to your members and interested friends in the wider community?

1. Attend the Roundtable discussion about the Affordable Care Act and Women. There are other events on the 19th and 21st listed in this one link. RSVP here.
Friday, March 23, 2012 at 8:30AM
Colorado History Museum
1200 Broadway, Denver, CO 80203

2. Listen (from home) to the interview covering the upcoming Supreme Court hearings on the Affordable Care Act on Kaiser Health News

3. Watch an archived webcast of the Kaiser Family Foundation's March 14 briefing and discussion examining the implications of the pending U.S. Supreme Court case on the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The briefing included Kaiser President and CEO Drew Altman; Joe Onek, principal at The Raben Group; Sheila Burke, faculty at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government and senior public policy advisor at Baker, Donelson, Coldwell & Berkowitz; Chris Jennings, president of Jennings Policy Strategies Inc.; Kaiser Executive Vice President Diane Rowland; Kaiser Senior Vice Presidents Mollyann Brodie and Larry Levitt; and Kaiser Senior Health Policy Analyst MaryBeth Musumeci.

4. Read HHS' press release and the new exchange rules released last week.
See Kaiser's coverage of the rules. Exchanges are confusing--Learn more!
Follow the progress of other states in implementing exchanges with Kaiser's Exchange Monitor
Learn more about Colorado's Health Benefit Exchange (COHBE) and get involved.

5. Check out AARP's personalized online tool that can help people of all ages be informed about current and future benefits of the health care law. Through a brief series of questions, offered in English or Spanish, the tool provides an individually tailored report outlining coverage details based on an individual's existing health care coverage or what other health coverage the individual may be eligible to get. To get started, AARP Health Law Guide users are asked to answer six basic questions about themselves and/or their family. Based on these responses, the tool provides users with a personalized report. Users can choose to be updated by email with news about the ACA, including when new provisions personally impacting them go into effect. The tool is free to the public. As the health law becomes fully implemented, additional information will become available. aarp.org/healthlawguide and is also available in Spanish at guiadelaleydesalud.

6. At Council in Pueblo I will have copies of the new DVD "Healthcare:For People or For Profit?" available for a cost of $15. This documentary about the campaign in Canada which resulted in their universal health care system, "Medicare" has been shown several times in Larimer County. Check out the trailer on the website It's worthwhile showing to a committee or public audience to continue education about Canada's health care system. Please let me know if you would like to reserve a copy for your league.

Happy Spring!
Warm regards,
Linda Mahan
LWV of Colorado

LWV-La Plata Actions

*1/29/12 LWVLPC: CIVHC: CENTER FOR IMPROVING VALUE IN HEALTH CARE supplied by Jill Patton, Chair of LWVLPC Healthcare Committee

This organization came into being as the brainchild of the 2008 Blue Ribbon Commission for Health Care Reform. Originally part of state government, it transitioned to a nonprofit in 2011, and now receives funding from a number of foundations. Local provider Karen Zink is a member of the board of directors, along with representatives of the business community, insurance companies, hospitals, providers and others.

Letters from our Members

*1/30/12 LWVLPC: Update on Health Care Issues in La Plata County from Jill Patton, Chairperson for LWVLPC Health Care Committee
Back in 2009, the local Citizens Health Advisory Council (CHAC) was among those instrumental in applying for and receiving a grant from the Colorado Health Foundation (CHF) to hire Julie Thompson to analyze health care needs in La Plata County and to develop recommendations to meet those needs. The main focus was to be on people without access to reliable, quality health care + particularly those with no or inadequate insurance. In 2010, Julie made eight recommendations. Her recommendations can be found on the CHAC website ...

News Items

Healthcare References

*2/13/12 NYTimes Book Review: Cartoon That Cuts Through the Health Care Brambles By CORNELIA DEAN
If you have been following the so-called debate over the Affordable Care Act of 2010 -- often referred to by critics as Obamacare -- you may be confused about what has changed so far and what it may mean in the future. You may even occasionally wish someone would draw you a diagram.
Now someone has done that, offering an easy-to-understand cartoon walk through the health care policy landscape. In "Health Care Reform," readers see patients, workers, employers and others confront some of the legislation's knotty issues, especially the mandate requiring everyone to have health insurance, the chief issue the Supreme Court will take up in March when justices hear challenges to the bill...

*Colorado Health Care Law Blog QUICK READS: Healthcare Law In the News

Past Events

Comments, suggestions, questions? Contact our webmaster. Last revised: May 14, 2012 07:51 PDT.

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