healthcare reform
Senate Finance Committee drops end-of-life provisions from draft reform bill.
The Los Angeles Times reports that the Senate Finance Committee has decided to scrap the part of its healthcare bill that in recent days has given rise to fears of government ‘death panels,’ with one lawmaker suggesting the proposal was just too confusing.
CQ HealthBeat reports that on Thursday, Finance Committee member Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-IA) said that the committee dropped consideration of end-of-life provisions similar to those that have prompted claims by opponents that the House health overhaul bill authorizes so-called ‘death panels. The panel, according to Sen. Grassley has been trying to avoid ‘unintended consequences’ by working methodically through the consequences of policy options. The end-of-life provisions were dropped entirely because of the way they could be misinterpreted and implemented incorrectly, Grassley said, adding, “Maybe others can defend a bill like the Pelosi bill that leaves major issues open to interpretation but I can’t.”
The Boston Globe adds that the language is still in the House legislation, which would permit Medicare to pay doctors for voluntary counseling sessions on end-of-life issues, including living wills, making a close relative or friend a healthcare proxy, hospice care, and information about medications for chronic pain. According to the Globe, the issue illustrates the intense passions in the healthcare debate. The phrase ‘death panels” proved to be a volatile buzzword, and it quickly caught on in talk radio, cable television, and at town hall meetings conducted by members of Congress on summer recess.
Senator Clinton Asked to Lead Healthcare Reform Team
NC Health Insurance could be affected by the following news from Healthcare Industry Today: Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y), considered a prominent contender to become secretary of State in the Obama administration, was offered an alternative Tuesday — to be a senior member of the Senate team aiming to overhaul the nation’s healthcare system. SenatorEdward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), who has announced plans to craft sweeping healthcare legislation next year, asked the former presidential contender to head a working group focused on insurance coverage.
DEMOCRATS FOCUS ON HEALTH CARE REFORM THAT COULD EFFECT NC HEALTH INSURANCE PROVIDERS AND PARTICIPANTS
A leading Senate Democrat rolled out a sweeping healthcare plan yesterday, signaling that Democratic leaders in Congress intend to aggressively pursue significant - and probably expensive - healthcare legislation despite an expanding federal deficit and President-elect Barack Obama’s intense focus on the ailing economy. According to a report from Healthcare Industry Today, Senator Max Baucus of Montana, the head of the powerful Senate Finance Committee, unveiled an 89-page policy proposal that in many ways resembled the one Obama put forward during the campaign, with an important difference - it requires everyone to buy health insurance. In that respect, it is even more like the plan Massachusetts enacted in 2006 than Obama’s, which did not include an individual mandate.
