Healthcare 2010

League of Women Voters^®
of La Plata County

Healthcare_2010

"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.

Legislative Alerts/News. Upcoming Events. US Healthcare Positions. CO Healthcare Legislation/News. LWVUS Healthcare Positions 2010. LWVCO Healthcare Actions. La Plata actions. Member Letters. News Items. Healthcare References. Past Events.

Legislative Alerts/News

Upcoming Events

US Healthcare Positions

*7/10/10 The New England Journal of Medicine: The SGR for Physician Payment -- An Indispensable Abomination by Henry J. Aaron, Ph.D.
Congress has just extended the life of the sustainable growth rate (SGR) -- the formula that Medicare uses to calculate physicians' fees -- for 6 more months. The SGR was enacted in 1998 to hold down the growth of these fees. It replaced a formula with the same objective that wasn't working. It ties the annual growth of Medicare fees to growth of the real gross domestic product, Medicare caseloads, and practice costs. But it ignores the principal reason that health care spending outpaces income growth: the increasing number and complexity of medical interventions...

*3/22/10 Wall Street Journal:House Passes Historic Health Bill Deal on Abortion Puts Biggest Change in Decades Over Top; Democrats Rejoice, but Republicans Predict Electoral Gains By GREG HITT And JANET ADAMY
WASHINGTON--The biggest transformation of the U.S. health system in decades won approval on Capitol Hill late Sunday, the culmination of efforts by generations of Democrats to achieve near-universal health coverage.
Facing voters' judgment in the fall, Democrats bet they could overcome public misgivings on a bill that reshapes one-sixth of the U.S. economy. The final battle on the House floor exposed again the divisions that have riven Congress and the nation over the past year. The House gave final passage to the Senate's health legislation on a climactic 219-to-212 vote, as Democrats muscled the measure through on the strength of the party's big majority. In the final roll call, no House Republican voted for the bill, and 34 Democrats voted no, many of them representing Republican-leaning districts...

*3/3/10 Wall Street Journal:Obama Calls for 'Up or Down' Vote on Health By HENRY J. PULIZZI and LAURA MECKLER
WASHINGTON--Looking to push the "long and wrenching debate" over health care into its final stages, President Barack Obama asked lawmakers to schedule a vote on overhaul legislation "in the next few weeks."
"No matter which approach you favor, I believe the United States Congress owes the American people a final vote on health-care reform," Mr. Obama said Wednesday in remarks at the White House. "We have debated this issue thoroughly, not just for a year, but for decades."

*2/25/10 Wall Street Journal: Partisan Divides Continue to Cloud Summit By LAURA MECKLER, HENRY J. PULIZZI And JANET ADAMY
WASHINGTON--President Barack Obama called on lawmakers not to let the health-care summit descend into "political theater," but the session featured sharp partisan disputes about the Democrats' bill and how they might pass it.
The summit, called by Mr. Obama in a last-ditch effort to rescue his health-care overhaul, included long speeches by members of Congress, a multitude of anecdotes about health-care nightmares, and moments that highlighted the philosophical differences between the parties...

*2/22/10 Wall Street Journal: Obama Health Plan Costs $950 Billion Over 10 Years Proposal Delays Tax on High-End Health Insurance Plans Until 2018 By LAURA MECKLER
Trying to revive languishing health-care legislation, the White House proposed Monday that a tax on high-end health plans be delayed for all workers, not just those in unions, and suggested new taxes to help make up for the lost revenue.
President Barack Obama will carry the proposal, an attempt to bridge differences between bills passed by the House and Senate last year, into a bipartisan meeting with congressional leaders on Thursday, as Democrats try to regain momentum and push their legislation through final passage in Congress...

Colorado Healthcare Legislation/News

*7/3/10 Durango Herald:State health plan near Health coverage for uninsured starts Tuesday by The Associated Press
DENVER - Coloradans who have been denied health insurance because of pre-existing conditions will be able to take advantage of a new state insurance plan. Temporary coverage will become available starting Tuesday, five days after a national deadline requiring it. It will be phased out in 2014 when core parts of federal health-care legislation take effect and begin barring insurance companies from rejecting people.
The state program will offer coverage to people who have been uninsured for at least six months and have been denied coverage because of a medical condition.
Gov. Bill Ritter called the plan "an important step toward improving the health security of Colorado families."...

*6/15/10 Colorado.gov:Healthcare Reform in Colorado
Governor Ritter has created a new information portal and communication on the national Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and its implementation in Colorado.
The site will be updated with the most pertinent and important information on health reform and its effects on Colorado. You can use the site to find information about the immediate benefits of the legislation, projected impacts on coverage and affordability in Colorado, long term initiatives and system changes, and many other aspects of these historic policy reforms.
This site will also house information on the work underway in state government to successfully implement the many provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, including the proceedings of the Interagency Health Reform Implementing Board and some of the most immediate initiatives such as the Temporary High Risk Pool and other upcoming grant opportunities...

* 3/18/10 H.R. 4872, THE HEALTH CARE & EDUCATION AFFORDABILITY RECONCILIATION ACT of 2010 SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS

LWVUS Healthcare Positions 2010

* 6/3/10 LWVUS: Educating the Public on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
The LWV has issued a brief primer on public education on the newly passed health care reform law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. This information can be used by Leagues to provide public education on the new health care law to their communities....

LWVCO Healthcare Actions

* 2/6/10 LWV of Jefferson County: Healthcare Position
Health Care in the United States is not a complete failure. It is amazingly good at certain things, such as research and development of new treatments. However, there are many flaws in the system; lack of access, inefficiencies in delivery and expense. There are many issues to consider with reform, and during this unit meeting we will explore healthcare basics and their economical impact...

LWV-La Plata Actions

*5/15/10 Durango Herald: Health expert says county has care elements by Dale Rodebaugh Herald Staff Writer
La Plata County has all the elements to build an integrated health-care system but the trick is putting the pieces together, a medical professional who has been through the process said Friday.
"You have four colors, 10 digits and seven (musical) notes," Dr. Mark Wallace, president of the Greeley-based North Colorado Health Alliance, told a gathering of health-care providers and supporters. "It's what you do with them that's important."
Wallace's audience at the Durango Community Recreation Center was made up of people who for 14 months have been looking for ways to improve health-care access and quality in La Plata County. The search began in March 2009 when a steering committee hired Julie Thompson, a health-care manager who had moved to Durango from Wisconsin, to find a remedy for the shortage locally of primary-care providers...

* March 2010: Improving Health Care Access in La Plata County Community Health Care Capacity Project, Citizens Health Advisory Council - Julie Thompson

*January 2010 SOUTHWEST COLORADO MENTAL HEALTH CENTER COMMUNITY UPDATE
It has been a year since the last Community Update. I waited to issue this newsletter as I wanted to be able to share the news about our plans and efforts to transform from a traditional community mental health center to an integrated healthcare system. Those particularly interested in this transformation will want to read the feature article and news in Montezuma County on page 4. The transformation will include a shift in our name to Axis Health System. Initially you will see us referred to as both Southwest Colorado Mental Health Center and Axis Health System, but eventually we will operate entirely under Axis Health System...

Letters from our Members

News Items

*7/18/10 NY Times:Reform Moves Ahead
Less than four months after Congress approved historic health care reform legislation, the Obama administration has been making good progress in bringing some early benefits to fruition and issuing rules to guide the reform process. Despite all of the critics' hype and scare tactics, some polls suggest that the public perception of reform is slowly improving.
That hasn't stopped the critics. More than a score of Republican attorneys general and governors have filed suit to nullify two important requirements of the new law -- that everyone obtain insurance or pay a penalty, and that states expand their Medicaid programs. The White House will have to keep pressing back and keep explaining why reform is in the clear interest of the nation...

*4/14/10 UPI.com:Most favor healthcare reform repeal
INDIANAPOLIS, April 14 (UPI) -- Some 58 percent of Americans favor repeal of healthcare reform, but about two-thirds say a public option is important, a U.S. survey indicates. Dr. Aaron Carroll, director of Indiana University's Center for Health Policy and Professionalism Research in Indianapolis, says the survey, conducted April 6-10, found 58 percent of U.S. adults -- 96 percent of Republicans, 10 percent of Democrats and 54 percent of Independents -- favor repealing the healthcare reform legislation enacted by Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama.
Fifty-nine percent of those who are supportive of healthcare reform repeal rated the public option as important -- including 67 percent of all Republicans and 59 percent of all Independents, Carroll says...

*1/20/10 Washington Post:Democrats ponder health-care reform plans in wake of Massachusetts Senate race By Shailagh Murray and Lori Montgomery
Unless Democrats can thread a very narrow legislative needle, Republican Scott Brown's upset victory over Martha Coakley in Massachusetts on Tuesday could lead to the collapse of a health-care bill that, only weeks ago, appeared close to becoming law. Brown's election to fill the seat of the late senator Edward M. Kennedy (D) will reduce the Democratic majority in the Senate to 59 votes, just short of the 60 needed to break GOP filibusters. During his campaign, Brown pledged to help stop the health-care overhaul, the centerpiece of President Obama's legislative agenda. Kennedy had championed that reform until his death last summer, but the legislation has lost public support in recent months as negotiations have turned increasingly acrimonious...

*1/13/10 Durango Herald: Health-care reform moves forward by Erica Werner Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - House and Senate negotiators working on President Barack Obama's health overhaul bill appear likely to drop a proposed income tax increase on high-wage earners and possibly jettison a requirement for large businesses to offer coverage to their employees, Democratic officials said Tuesday.
Negotiators are considering extending the Medicare payroll tax, which now applies only to income from wages, to cover some of the investment earnings of couples making more than $250,000 a year, and individuals earning above $200,000. That could make up lost revenue from dropping the high-wage income tax and scaling back a proposed tax on high-value insurance plans, which is strongly opposed by organized labor and House Democrats.
On another high-profile issue, the negotiators are discussing a hybrid of a proposed national insurance exchange contained in the House bill and the state-by-state approach favored by the Senate. House Democrats are pressing for a national system to apply pressure to the insurance industry after their proposal for a new government-run insurance option was ruled out because of opposition from Senate moderates...

Healthcare References

*7/29/10 Kaiser Family Foundation:Health Reform Subsidy Calculator
This tool illustrates premiums and government assistance under the health reform law signed by the President. Beginning in 2014, tax credits will be available for people under age 65 who purchase coverage on their own in a health insurance Exchange and are not covered through their employer, Medicare or Medicaid. The tool allows the user to examine the impact at different income levels, ages, family sizes, and regional costs...

*7/29/10 National Partnership for Women and Families:The Urgent Need for Better Care
Health reform is law, but the hard work of fixing our health care system is just beginning. For those with multiple health problems, our current health care system can be a huge challenge.
Consider this: 78% of Americans age 55 and older are dealing with at least one chronic health condition like diabetes, heart disease or arthritis. And older adults with five or more chronic health conditions have an average of 37 doctor visits, see 14 different doctors, and get 50 separate prescriptions each year.
If we can make our health care system work for them, we can make it work for everyone...

* 6/30/10 The New England Journal of Medicine:Bracing for the Impact of Expanded Second Amendment Rights by Julie D. Cantor, M.D., J.D.
...Like Justice Breyer, physicians are well aware that esoteric questions of constitutional law may have real-world implications. Gun violence is a major public health concern, resulting in more than 30,000 deaths and about twice as many injuries annually. The cost of gun violence is prohibitive. Scholars estimate that its yearly total tops $100 billion.2 Handguns are particularly troubling. Research links their presence to substantially increased risks of suicide and homicide, especially for women living in abusive settings. And for children, "gun safety" is an oxymoron. To the extent that McDonald means more handguns, physicians have reason to be concerned. But any hysteria that this case inspires should, for the moment, be tempered.

In the aftermath of Heller, many in the public health community worried that the decision would unleash a torrent of guns on the public, bringing sudden, high spikes in rates of injury and death. Though it is too early to be completely reassured, dire predictions have not yet been realized. Heller did not create an unfettered right. As the Court explained in that opinion, it is "not a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner whatsoever and for whatever purpose." Thus far, it has not given lower courts a license to annihilate gun-control laws; in the more than 200 post-Heller federal and state cases, courts have left the legal status quo largely intact.3 Perhaps coincidentally, recent rates of violent crime have been at historic lows...

* 6/14/10 county health rankings
Snapshot 2010: La Plata...

* 6-14-10 Kaiser Health Tracking Poll -- May 2010
Confusion over the new health reform law declined but remains widespread, with 44 percent of the public saying they were confused in May, compared to 55 percent in April. Moreover, more than a third of Americans (35%) say they do not understand what the impact of the law will be on themselves and their families, while 61 percent report feeling they do understand what that impact will be.
Americans continue to report getting information about health reform from a wide variety of sources, including the news media, friends and medical professionals. More than half report having gotten information from friends and family (68%), or from cable (63%) or broadcast news programs (55%). Further breaking down those getting health reform information from cable news, 25 percent of Americans indicated their main cable source on this topic was FOX News, 22 percent named CNN and 6 percent MSNBC. In fact, cable news still tops the list of the public's "most important" sources of news about the new law, with 30 percent saying they rely on that source more than any other...

*6/1/10 Kaiser Foundation:Insurance-Industry-Faces-Tough-Scrutiny-From-Federal-Watchdogs
Pounded by the Obama administration for raising premiums, health insurers must now reckon with a foursome of longtime industry watchdogs who are helping steer the federal government's effort to overhaul the private insurance market...

* May 2010 U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services Fact Sheet on Establishing the Web Portal Called For in The Affordable Care Act
One of the most important goals for the Affordable Care Act is to give Americans more control over their own health care and ensure all Americans have the information they need to make the choices that are best for them, The Administration has been working hard since the Affordable Care Act was enacted on March 23, 2010 to meet the deadlines set out in the legislation...

* 5/5/10 Kaiser Foundation: How-The-Individual-Health-Insurance-Mandate-Will-Work
A simple rule lies at the heart of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: Starting in 2014, almost every American will need to carry health insurance or pay a fine. That rule is known as the individual mandate. What It Means for You...

* 3/23/10: Kaiser Foundation:Summary of new health reform law

Past Events

*3/16/10 LWV Legislative Alert - Healthcare from Ellen Park - LWVLPC
ACTION ALERT: Pass Strong Health Care Legislation Now!

* 1/13/2010 Legislative Alert from LWVUS
The Senate and the House of Representatives have both passed health care reform legislation. But a final bill is not yet ready to go to the President. This is a critical time to urge your Representative and Senators, as well as the President, to pass comprehensive health care reform that will extend coverage to tens of millions of uninsured Americans. Final legislation should include a strong public insurance option and should not discriminate on the basis of gender.
Take action today and call your Senators and Representative at 202-224-3121 or 202-225-3121 to reach the Capitol switchboard. Call the White House at 202-456-1414 or 202-456-1111.
It is essential that the final version of this legislation moves health care in the right direction. It must extend coverage to the uninsured and provide funding for those who cannot afford it. The public insurance option passed by the House will accomplish these goals.

Congress is poised for a critical vote. We cannot afford to do nothing. If comprehensive and effective health care legislation is not passed, more Americans will lose coverage, endangering both our economy and our health.
Make your voice heard with those of other activists around the country. Ask your friends, family and other League members to call as well!

*TAKE ACTION

1. Call the Capitol Hill switchboard at 202-224-3121 or 202-225-3121 and ask for your Senators or Representative. Tell your leaders in Congress that they must pass comprehensive health care reform legislation.

2. Call the White House at 202-456-1414 or 202-456-1111 and ask the President to push for comprehensive health care reform including the public option.

3. Send this alert to other concerned citizens - your grassroots network, your friends and coworkers. Encourage them to contact their elected leaders.
BACKGROUND
Learn more about what the League is doing to support health care reform.

Sign up to receive Action Alerts directly by email. Don't miss an opportunity to take action! It's easy to sign up and the League will never share your email with others: http://takeaction.lwv.org/lwv/mlm/signup/.

For additional information, please contact LWVUS Grassroots Lobbyist Christina Vamvas at lobbying@lwv.org.
League of Women Voters 1730 M Street, NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20036 202-429-1965 http://www.lwv.org lwv@lwv.org

Comments, suggestions, questions? Contact our webmaster. Last revised: August 13, 2010 15:47 PDT.