Here is the House health care bill (pdf). A couple of highlights (I haven't read the whole thing yet):Individual mandate is enforced by (1) a financial penalty of 50% of the smallest premium the individual would have been able to pay to … [Read more...]
Employers are NOT universally opposed to “pay or play”
Why would a coalition of business leaders (Edmundson won't say just yet who is in his coalition - he will announce his membership as part of his State House press conference at noon tomorrow) support an assessment on business?Edmundson … [Read more...]
Initial reactions to House health care plan
Here's my quick-n-dirty first take on the House's plan, to be unveiled tomorrow am. See this post for the sections to which I'm referring.A. The expansion of MassHealth is good: It's the strategy for which we had hoped in expanding access … [Read more...]
Summary of Health Access Reform Bill
The bill enhances outreach and enrollment for Medicaid-eligible families and individuals by providing support to community-based agencies for sustainable outreach programs. An additional $80 million is provided to increase Medicaid hospital … [Read more...]
It’s contagious!
Good gravy. We're not satisified with our own screwed-up health care system -- now we're actually exporting it:...Experts questioned the priorities of Washington's $1-billion rebuildingplan, which has focused on construction instead of … [Read more...]
They get letters
A letter from former Massachusetts Medicaid commissioner James J. Callahan Jr., in yesterday's Globe:AN INDIVIDUAL mandate for healthcare coverage is bad public policybecause it assumes that the provision of healthcare is an individual,not … [Read more...]
Health Care: What’s your bottom line?
So, with health care reform (or "reform") apparently barrelling down the pike, we always knew the devil was going to be in the details. And now, all stakeholders will find themselves challenged -- ethically, economically, … [Read more...]
Senator Barrios talks health care
Sen. Barrios has an interesting perspective, which in a sense may show the general direction of the Senate as much as his own wishes for the legislation. Barrios is a self-described "progressive Democrat", who places the greatest … [Read more...]
Reminder: Health Care rally at State House tomorrow
A reminder: you can make your voice heard for ambitious health care reform tomorrow at the State House at noon. This is in support of the MassACT initiative, which would increase access to health care and reduce premiums across the board. … [Read more...]
No unfunded mandates!
Lynne, of the excellent blog Left in Lowell, left a comment over at the HCFA blog that I think deserves to be rebroadcast. It sums up exactly why I think an individual mandate (a) is not going to solve the health care crisis, (b) is … [Read more...]