Posted by: norao on: March 9, 2010
HealthCare REPAIR is building a movement for major change in the way health care is delivered and paid for in America. A project of the Mayo Clinic Health Policy Center, HealthCare REPAIR strives to ensure that quality health care will be available for all into the future.
Posted by: norao on: March 19, 2010
Throughout the development and discussion of health care reform legislation currently being considered by Congress, Mayo Clinic and the Mayo Clinic Health Policy Center have focused on improving access, quality and affordability for all patients. Regardless of the outcome of the current health care reform legislation, Mayo Clinic will continue to work with lawmakers to ensure that the needs of the patient and their families are met.
Mayo Clinic does not traditionally take public positions for or against overall legislation. Thus, we will not take a position for or against this bill. We will, however, continue to point out provisions that we think move the country toward patient-centered health care as well as areas where we have concerns.
We continue to strongly believe that the status quo is not acceptable and have consistently said that there must be two key principles in any successful reform measure:
Based on what the bill includes as of today, Mayo Clinic believes that the proposed health reform legislation contains provisions that are aligned with our principles for reform and will begin to move us toward a system that provides all Americans with quality care at affordable costs. Some of these provisions include:
Mayo Clinic recognizes that this legislation is an initial step toward ensuring quality, affordable health care for all Americans, but acknowledges much more needs to be done in the form of future legislative action. Lawmakers must aggressively move Medicare toward a system that pays for value rather than continuing to institute across the board reductions in reimbursements to doctors and hospitals. As the first baby boomers qualify for Medicare next year, this huge influx of beneficiaries will put even greater strain on Medicare’s already precarious financial position. Congress also needs to find a permanent fix to the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) physician payment system to prevent sudden limitation on access to care for Medicare patients. We must ensure that health care in the United States is patient-centered, coordinated, accessible, affordable, and provides steadily improving value, whether that care is provided under Medicare or any other insurance program. Mayo Clinic is committed to assist with the effective implementation of legislation if it is passed as well as the development of future patient-centered health care reform legislation.
Posted by: emilyblahnik on: March 19, 2010
Health Care Reform News – March 19, 2010
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What’s in the Senate Bill? The Washington Post – March 19, 2010
See a summary of the Senate health care bill and how it compares with the House reconciliation package.
Posted by: norao on: March 18, 2010
In what seems like good news for Democrats, the CBO has released is score on the Reconciliation Package. The Democratic health care bill would cost $940 billion over 10 years and cut the federal deficit over the next two decades.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0310/34627.html#ixzz0iXg8ReUM
The official analysis from the CBO and the Joint Committee on Taxation is attached here. hr4872
Posted by: emilyblahnik on: March 18, 2010
Health Care Reform News – March 18, 2010
TOP STORIES
Democrats Inch Toward Securing Votes for Health Bill; The New York Times – March 18, 2010
House Democrats are inching toward the majority they need to pass health care legislation, giving them added confidence as they work out the last details of the bill and gird for a showdown as soon as this weekend.
Posted by: norao on: March 18, 2010
In this case, the key number is 216. Again in Politico Pulse this morning, a breakdown of the undecideds: the yes-to-no’s and the no-to-yes’s.