Health Reform Archive
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House Health Bill’s High-Income Surcharge is Sound and Well Targeted
Updated November 20, 2009
A 5.4 percent surcharge on couples with incomes over $1 million, a key financing feature of the House health reform bill, is sound and well targeted. It would affect just a fraction of 1 percent of taxpayers, a group whose incomes have soared and tax burdens have fallen in recent years, and would have only a modest impact on small businesses. … -
House Health Reform Bill Expands Coverage and Lowers Health Cost Growth, While Reducing Deficits
Updated November 20, 2009
The comprehensive health reform legislation that House Democratic leaders unveiled on October 29 would make significant progress in three critical areas: expanding health coverage and ensuring that such coverage is affordable, slowing the growth in health care costs, and instituting essential reforms in the health insurance market. Moreover, the … -
Statement: Robert Greenstein, Executive Director, on the New Senate Health Reform Bill
November 19, 2009
The new Senate health bill marks a major step toward comprehensive, fiscally responsible health reform. It would extend health insurance coverage to 31 million Americans who lack it, reduce the budget deficit, and put long-term downward pressure on health care costs. The bill would reduce deficits by an estimated $130 billion over the 2010-2019 period and by … -
Changes in Senate Health Bill Make Coverage More Affordable for Millions of Moderate-Income Families, Although not for Those on Low End of Subsidy Scale
November 19, 2009
Executive Summary The health reform bill that Senate leaders unveiled on November 18 makes health coverage more affordable for millions of households of modest means, as compared to the bill that the Senate Finance Committee approved last month. The amounts that many families and individuals would pay for coverage would be less than under the … -
Senate Health Bill Improves Employer Responsibility Provision
November 19, 2009
The “employer responsibility” provisions of the health reform bill that Senate leaders unveiled yesterday reflect notable progress in lessening the disincentives that the Senate Finance Committee health bill would have created for employers to hire workers from low- or moderate-income families. Significant disincentives to hire or retain … -
Senate Health Reform Bill Is Fiscally Responsible
November 19, 2009
The health reform bill that Senate leaders unveiled yesterday meets two rigorous fiscal tests: it reduces deficits over the next decade and beyond, and it puts long-term downward pressure on health care costs. The bill would reduce deficits by an estimated $130 billion over the 2010-2019 period and by about one-quarter of one percent of GDP in the decade … -
Podcast: Understanding the House Health Reform Bill
November 17, 2009
The House health reform bill and the next steps for Congress in moving forward with reform are discussed by Senior Fellow, Judy Solomon.
Duration: 4:46
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Increasing Medicare Tax on High-Wage Earners Could Help Pay for Health Reform and Strengthen Medicare’s Finances
November 13, 2009
Increasing the Medicare payroll tax on high-wage earners would represent a sound and well-targeted way of paying for health reform. It would also improve the solvency of Medicare’s Hospital Insurance (HI) trust fund and thereby strengthen this critical program, which provides health coverage for 46 million seniors and persons with disabilities. … -
Video: Fox Business Network Interviews Chuck Marr on the Cost of Health Reform
November 12, 2009
Fox Business Network Interviews Chuck Marr on the Cost of Health Reform
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Excise Tax on Very High-Cost Health Plans Is a Sound Element of Health Reform
Revised November 10, 2009
An excise tax on very high-cost health plans, which the Senate Finance Committee included in its health reform bill, represents a sound way to help pay for health reform. The excise tax finances nearly a quarter of the costs of the Finance Committee bill over the first ten years ($201 billion out of $829 billion) and makes a major contribution to the … -
House Health Bill Would Expand, Strengthen Coverage for Children and Families
November 6, 2009
The health reform bill that House Democratic leaders introduced on October 29 (H.R. 3962) would provide affordable, comprehensive health insurance coverage to 36 million Americans who otherwise would be uninsured, according to the Congressional Budget Office. [1] This is 7 million more otherwise-uninsured people than CBO estimates would gain coverage under … -
House Health Reform Bill Would Help Ensure Affordable, Quality Coverage for Older Adults Aged 55-64
Updated November 2, 2009
The House health reform bill (H.R. 3962)[1] unveiled last week would reduce the ranks of the uninsured by 36 million by 2019 as compared to under current law, the Congressional Budget Office says, meaning that 96 percent of the non-elderly population would have health insurance.[2] One particularly vulnerable subset of the … -
House Health Reform Bill Would Strengthen Medicare
Updated November 2, 2009
The comprehensive health reform bill (H.R. 3962)[1] unveiled by House Democratic leaders on October 29 includes a number of significant changes to the Medicare program that would enhance benefits and improve the quality of care, as well as shore up the program’s finances.[2] Much of the discussion of Medicare in the health reform debate has focused, however, on various proposals … -
Podcast: Understanding the Senate Finance Committee's Health Reform Bill
October 27, 2009
The Senate Finance Committee’s health reform plan is discussed by Senior Fellow, Judy Solomon.
Duration: 4:06
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Video: Bob Greenstein Discusses Controlling Costs in Senate Health Reform Bill on PBS’ Nightly Business Report
October 27, 2009
Video Clip: Bob Greenstein Discusses Controlling Costs in Senate Health Reform Bill on PBS’ Nightly Business Report
Duration: 2:22
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Provision Under Consideration for Merged Senate Health Bill Would Harm Needy Families:
October 26, 2009
A family of three earning $27,465 a year before taxes — that is, at 150 percent of the poverty line — would have to pay $1,318 a year for health coverage under a proposal that Senate negotiators are considering for a merged health reform bill that they would bring to the Senate floor. This is more than such a family would pay under either … -
Video: Judith Solomon Discusses Affordability, Individual and Employee Mandates in Health Reform on Fox Business News
October 26, 2009
Duration: 6:07
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Finance Committee Makes Flawed Employer Requirement in Health Reform Bill Still More Problematic
Revised October 21, 2009
The health reform bill that the Senate Finance Committee approved this week, while a major step forward as a whole, contains a requirement that could inhibit the hiring of individuals from low-income families and would place cumbersome burdens on employers. The provision would require employers who do not offer health coverage to pay substantial … -
Statement: Robert Greenstein, Executive Director, on the Senate Finance Committee’s Health Reform Plan
October 13, 2009
The Senate Finance Committee’s approval of an ambitious health reform plan marks a major step toward enactment of legislation to extend health care to tens of millions of people who lack it, strengthen insurance protections for millions more who are underinsured or face exorbitant charges, and begin to address the nation’s most serious … -
Finance Committee Health Reform Bill Makes Improvements, But Still Falls Short of What Is Needed for Many People to Afford Health Care
October 13, 2009
The health reform bill that the Senate Finance Committee approved today includes significant improvements, compared to the original chairman’s mark, in making health care coverage affordable to low- and moderate-income households. It could, however, still leave many such households facing fairly steep insurance premiums and cost-sharing … -
What Level of Coverage Will Health Reform Likely Provide? The Basics of Actuarial Value
October 13, 2009
Each of the major health reform proposals Congress is considering sets standards for the coverage that the insurance plans offered through new health insurance exchanges would provide. To measure whether an insurance plan meets these standards, the bills rely on the use of “actuarial value.” This analysis explains the concept of actuarial … -
Coalition Makes Flawed Arguments Against Proposal to Help Finance Health Reform by Maintaining Current Value of Itemized Deductions for Wealthy Households
Revised October 13, 2009
A coalition consisting of several trade associations for foundations and some nonprofit organizations along with a number of large charities has raised objections to a proposal that would help finance improved health coverage for low- and moderate-income people by maintaining the value of itemized deductions for wealthy Americans at its current … -
Senate Finance Committee Health Reform Bill Is Fiscally Responsible
Revised October 13, 2009
A fundamental principle of the bill that the Senate Finance Committee approved today is that it is budget neutral — that is, its costs are fully offset. It pays for the costs of expanding health coverage to the uninsured by redirecting spending and tax subsidies from less productive uses elsewhere in the health sector. Several of the offsets are … -
Tax Offsets in Baucus Health Plan Are Sound But Can Be Improved
September 18, 2009
The health reform proposal by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus would place a 35-percent excise tax on the value of health plans in excess of $8,000 for singles and $21,000 for families, starting in 2013; these thresholds would be indexed for inflation in later years. The excise tax is a sound way to help pay for health reform, but it … -
Statement: Robert Greenstein, Executive Director, on Chairman Baucus’ Health Reform Plan
September 16, 2009
Senator Baucus’ plan is a major contribution to the health care debate, as it would extend coverage to tens of millions of uninsured Americans and improve insurance for millions of Americans who already have coverage — through reforms that deal with matters such as pre-existing conditions — and do so while fully offsetting the costs, … -
Podcast: The Budget Reconciliation Process
September 15, 2009
The budget reconciliation process in Congress is explained by Director of Federal Fiscal Policy, Jim Horney.
Duration: 4:43
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Ending Medicare Advantage Overpayments Would Strengthen Medicare
September 14, 2009
One of the key cost-saving provisions Congress is considering as part of health reform legislation would eliminate the large overpayments Medicare makes to the private “Medicare Advantage” health plans that serve some Medicare beneficiaries. While private plans ostensibly were brought into Medicare to reduce costs, they … -
“Upcoding” Problem Exacerbates Overpayments to Medicare Advantage Plans
Revised September 14, 2009
Private plans were brought into Medicare on the theory that they could deliver Medicare services at lower cost. However, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) — Congress’s expert advisory body on Medicare payment policy — has found that Medicare pays private plans 14 percent more than it costs to … -
Poverty Rose, Median Income Declined, and Job-Based Health Insurance Continued to Weaken in 2008
September 10, 2009
Poverty increased, median household income fell, and the percentage of Americans with employer-based health coverage continued to decline in 2008, according to Census data for 2008 issued today. The figures reflect the initial effects of the recession. Median household income declined 3.6 percent in 2008 after adjusting for … -
Private Health Coverage Declined, Became Less Secure in 2008
September 10, 2009
The Census Bureau reported today that 46.3 million U.S. residents lacked health insurance in 2008, an increase of 632,000 over the previous year. [1] Nearly 6.6 million more people were uninsured in 2008 than in 2001, when the previous recession hit bottom. The proportion of the population without health insurance climbed to … -
Statement: Greenstein on Census’ 2008 Health Insurance and Poverty Data
September 10, 2009
Today’s grim Census Bureau report shows the nation lost substantial ground in 2008 on poverty, median income, and the number of people who are uninsured. Several aspects of the Census report stand out. The number of people living in poverty jumped by 2.6 million to 39.8 million — the highest since 1960. The poverty rate … -
Podcast: Examining the New 2008 Census Data on Poverty, Income, and Health Insurance Coverage
September 10, 2009
Robert Greenstein discusses today’s grim Census Bureau report that shows the nation lost substantial ground in 2008 on poverty, median income, and the number of people who are uninsured. Several aspects of the Census report are highlighted.
Duration: 11:59
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Podcast: High-Income Surcharge Can Help Pay for Health Reform
August 25, 2009
Chuck Marr, director of federal tax policy, discusses the need for health reform and one option to help pay for it: a surcharge on high-income households under consideration by the House of Representatives.
Duration: 4:43
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An Excise Tax on Insurers Offering High-Cost Plans Can Help Pay for Health Reform
August 7, 2009
The federal government provides substantial tax subsidies for health insurance, especially for high-cost insurance plans for people with high incomes. The Senate Finance Committee is considering placing an excise tax on insurance companies that offer very high-cost health insurance plans. This proposal would help achieve two important objectives: … -
Podcast: Health Reform — Examining the Flaws of the Proposed “Free Rider” Employer Requirement Provision
August 5, 2009
This podcast discusses an employer mandate proposal known as “free rider” that the Senate Finance Committee negotiators have agreed to include in their forthcoming health reform legislation. It also discusses alternative, better-designed approaches to an employer responsibility requirement, which is a necessary component of health care reform.
Duration: 21:45
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Coburn-Ryan Health Bill Would Jeopardize Coverage for Many, While Failing To Reduce the Number of Uninsured Significantly
July 30, 2009
The Patients’ Choice Act, introduced by Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) and Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI), would likely fail to make major progress in reducing the number of uninsured Americans. It also would make affordable, comprehensive coverage less available for many who currently have coverage. Plan Would … -
House Health Bill’s High-Income Surcharge: A Reasonable Approach
Revised July 30, 2009
Reforming the health care system to provide universal health coverage is an urgent priority. But, facing huge projected budget deficits that have the nation on an unsustainable fiscal path, the White House and Congress must enact a health reform plan that is also fully financed and that reduces the growth rate of health care … -
Allowing Multiple Insurance Exchanges in a Single Area Would Make It Harder to Obtain Affordable, Good-Quality Coverage
July 8, 2009
The new insurance exchanges that policymakers are contemplating as part of national health reform could greatly improve people’s access to affordable, decent-quality health insurance, reduce insurers’ ability to “cherry pick” healthy enrollees, and help reduce administrative costs within the health insurance market. But allowing … -
Senate Finance Committee Faces Difficult Choices In Lowering Cost of Health Bill
July 1, 2009
The Senate Finance Committee is seeking to reduce the cost of its health reform bill to approximately $1 trillion over ten years. It faces difficult choices in doing so. Among the modifications it is considering are changes in the subsidies intended to enable low- and moderate-income families and individuals to afford insurance. … -
Some Media Reports Mischaracterize CBO Estimate of Senate “HELP” Health Reform Bill
June 16, 2009
The news media are widely reporting that, according to a partial and preliminary Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analysis, health reform legislation that the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) is developing would cut the number of uninsured by only 16 … -
Reducing Medicaid and Medicare Drug Costs Could Help Pay For Health Reform
June 11, 2009
By lowering the costs that Medicaid and Medicare pay for prescription drugs, Congress could generate substantial savings to help pay for comprehensive health reform that achieves universal coverage. Prescription drugs are critical to providing effective health care; for many people, they are important to maintaining health and preventing … -
Curbing Flexible Spending Accounts Could Help Pay For Health Care Reform
Revised June 10, 2009
Congress should consider scaling back or eliminating health care flexible spending accounts (FSAs) [1] as part of its effort to pay for health care reform. This paper, which is part of a series of papers on proposals to help pay for health reform, outlines several ways in which Congress could curtail FSAs. FSAs are designed to allow employees to pay … -
Maintaining Current Value of Itemized Deductions For High-Income Taxpayers Could Help Pay For Health Care Reform
June 10, 2009
If Congress rejects the President’s proposal to help pay for health care reform by limiting the value of itemized deductions for high-income filers, it should at least prevent those subsidies from expanding in 2011, as they would under current law. Simply keeping the value of itemized deductions for filers in the top two brackets at … -
Limiting the Tax Exclusion for Employer-Sponsored Insurance Can Help Pay for Health Reform
Revised June 4, 2009
Limiting the tax exclusion for employer-sponsored health insurance could provide significant revenues for health reform without eroding employer-sponsored insurance or causing other undesirable side effects — if the cap and the rest of the health reform legislation are well designed and contain several key features that past proposals have lacked. … -
Taxing High-Sugar Soft Drinks Could Help Pay For Health Care Reform
May 27, 2009
By establishing a tax on high-sugar soft drinks, Congress could help finance health care reform that extends health insurance to all Americans and slows the growth of health care costs, while also improving Americans’ health. This paper, which is part of a series of papers on proposals to help pay for health … -
Reversing the Erosion in Alcohol Taxes Could Help Pay for Health Care Reform
May 27, 2009
To help pay for health care legislation that extends health insurance to all Americans and slows the growth of health care costs, Congress should consider reversing the substantial real decline in recent decades in federal excise taxes on alcohol. This paper, which is part of a series of papers on proposals to help pay for health reform, outlines three options … -
Designing Benefit Standards for a Health Insurance Exchange
May 21, 2009
To make a choice of affordable, comprehensive health plans available to individuals and small businesses under health reform, it is crucial to set benefit standards to ensure that all plans in a health insurance exchange cover a comprehensive array of services. Well-designed benefit standards should help prevent … -
Ensuring Affordable Health Coverage and Health Care Services in an Insurance Exchange
May 21, 2009
A health care reform proposal that requires everyone to obtain health insurance must establish mechanisms to make both health coverage and health care services affordable. Low- and moderate- income people who receive subsidies to help them afford the premiums for coverage can still end up not getting the health … -
2009 Trustees’ Report Underscores Urgency of Health Reform, Medicare Changes
May 18, 2009
The 2009 annual report of Medicare’s trustees underscores the need for system-wide reform of health care financing that will slow the growth of health care costs in both Medicare and the private sector and extend health coverage to the uninsured. [1] In evaluating the new report, it is … -
Statement: Robert Greenstein on Trustees’ Report on Medicare
May 12, 2009
The new trustees’ disturbing report on Medicare underscores the urgency that Congress enact health care reform that slows the growth of health care costs, while extending coverage to the uninsured. In particular, the report should prod Congress to adopt the President’s proposed … -
Statement: Robert Greenstein to Health Reform Financing Roundtable of the Senate Finance Committee
May 12, 2009
Thank you for inviting me to discuss health care reform financing issues. This is an important aspect of health care reform. Financing is Critical Some 46 million Americans are uninsured, a problem that other western industrialized nations have been able to address. In addition, rising health care costs … -
Insuring All Americans Is a Critical Component of an Efficient, High Quality Health Care System
April 21, 2009
Health care reform should have two key goals — containing health care costs while improving its quality, and extending coverage to the 46 million Americans who are uninsured. These two goals fit together, because extending coverage is a necessary, but not sufficient, condition to containing costs. Stated another … -
Fact Sheet: Using a Health-Insurance Exchange to Pool Risk and Protect Enrollees
April 14, 2009
Several leading health-reform proposals include a new entity — often called an “exchange” — that would offer a choice of health insurance plans to individuals and, if designed well, provide insurance options that are … -
Scoring Health Legislation
April 1, 2009
The National Institute for Health Care Management Foundation has released a new edition of Expert Voices, Scoring Health Legislation by Paul N. Van de Water, PhD, Senior Fellow, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. The fate of legislative proposals in the U.S. Congress often hinges on how much they are estimated to increase or decrease the federal budget deficit. Currently, the Congressional Budget Office … -
Proposal to Cap Deductions for High-Income Households Would Reduce Charitable Contributions by Only 1.9 Percent
Revised March 31, 2009
The President’s 2010 budget proposes to limit the tax subsidy for deductible expenses of the most affluent Americans and to use the additional revenue to help finance national health reform, including universal coverage. This proposal has been attacked on the grounds that it would lead to substantial reductions in charitable contributions and hit … -
Rules of the Road: How an Insurance Exchange Can Pool Risk and Protect Enrollees
March 31, 2009
Several leading proposals for major health reform include a new entity — sometimes called an “exchange” — that would offer a choice of health insurance plans to individuals and, if designed well, provide insurance options that are affordable, comprehensive, and easy for consumers to compare. The proposals on … -
Limiting Itemized Deductions for Upper-Income Taxpayers Would Have Little Effect on Small Business, Charities, Housing
March 12, 2009
Despite persistent claims to the contrary, the President’s proposal to cap the value of itemized deductions at 28 percent would have only small effects on small business, charitable giving, and homeownership. That’s because the proposal, which would save $318 billion over the next ten years to help finance health care reform, would affect only those tax … -
Podcast: Examining the Administration's 2010 Budget
February 27, 2009
This podcast discusses the President’s budget outline for fiscal year 2010.
Robert Greenstein discusses the priorities in the budget, as well as specific initiatives in major areas such as health care, taxes, and climate change. They also examine the budget’s implications for the federal deficit and debt and fiscal responsibility, and evaluate whether the budget’s numbers are honest or rely on gimmicks.
Duration: 20:54
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Video: Greenstein Debates the Budget Plan on the Newshour with Jim Lehrer
February 26, 2009
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Improving Medicaid as Part of Building on the Current System to Achieve Universal Coverage
February 24, 2009
The U.S. health care system suffers from a number of problems. Almost 46 million individuals were uninsured in 2007, an increase of 6 million people since 2001. Employer-based coverage, the primary source of health insurance across the nation, continues to erode. Costs continue to rise and bear primary responsibility for the … -
The Long-Term Fiscal Outlook Is Bleak
December 16, 2008
This report updates the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities’ projections of federal spending, revenues, deficits, and debt through 2050. These projections — like the projections the Center issued in January 2007 and the projections by other institutions such as the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), Government Accountability … -
Podcast: Long Term Deficit Projections Highlight Need for Action
December 16, 2008
This podcast discusses a report that provides updated long-term federal budget projections. The report describes the factors driving the big increases in deficits and debt projected for the next several decades, such as rapidly rising health care costs and revenues that are inadequate to cover even current expenditures. This podcast features the Center's Executive Director Robert … -
An Examination of the Wyden-Bennett Health Reform Plan
September 24, 2008
Click here for an up-to-date listing of recent Center health reform analyses. Introduction and Executive Summary The U.S. health care system suffers from a number of serious problems. According to the latest Census data, 45.7 million individuals were without health insurance in 2007, an increase of 5.9 million people since 2001. Employer-based coverage, the … -
Medicare Changes Can Complement Health Reform
July 31, 2008
The U.S. health care system faces well known problems: 47 million people without health insurance, rapidly rising costs that consume 16 percent of the country’s economic output, and uneven quality of care. At the same time, Medicare — the federal program that provides health coverage for older Americans and … -
A Balanced Approach to Restoring Fiscal Responsibility
July 9, 2008
In a recent paper, “Taking Back Our Fiscal Future,” a group of policy analysts from several Washington think tanks proposed a radical change in budget procedures related to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid as a way to address budget deficits projected for future decades. They urged Congress to establish 30-year budgets, or caps, for these programs. The White House would conduct a review every five years. If it projected that expenditures would exceed the caps, the programs would face automatic cuts or related tax increases.
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New Georgia and Florida Health Plans Unlikely to Reduce Ranks of Uninsured
July 1, 2008
This year, Georgia and Florida — states in which the percentage of people who are uninsured is well above the national average of 18 percent — have enacted legislation aimed at decreasing the number of uninsured residents. Georgia created new tax breaks for high-deductible health plans, while Florida will allow private … -
Expanding Medicaid a Less Costly Way to Cover More Low-Income Uninsured Than Expanding Private Insurance
June 26, 2008
Average medical expenditures[1] per person are lower under public programs like Medicaid or the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) than under private insurance, according to new research published by Health Affairs.[2] The new research, by Leighton Ku of George Washington University and Matthew Broaddus of the Center on Budget and Policy … -
Improving the Medicare Savings Programs Would Help Low-Income Seniors Cope With Higher Medical Expenses
May 20, 2008
Bipartisan Senate negotiators are crafting Medicare legislation that would avert a cut in physician payments scheduled to take effect at the end of June. This legislation could also include long-overdue improvements to the Medicare Savings Programs, which help low-income Medicare beneficiaries pay their premiums and cost-sharing. … -
Paying More for Less
January 24, 2008
Following requests for federal assistance from states seeking to expand publicly-funded health coverage for the uninsured, the Bush Administration announced its “Affordable Choices” initiative in January 2007. Affordable Choices provides no new federal funds to states. It simply permits states to divert … -
“Crowd-Out” Is Not the Same as Voluntarily Dropping Private Health Insurance for Public Program Coverage
September 27, 2007
As leading health policy experts have explained, under the fragmented U.S. health insurance system, virtually any effort to cover more of the uninsured — including efforts that rely on tax deductions or credits for the purchase of health insurance in the private market, as well as public program expansions — will result in some … -
The False "Public Versus Private" Choice for Children’s Health Coverage
June 21, 2007
As Congress considers the reauthorization of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), groups like the Heritage Foundation are making a strong push to change the way coverage is provided to eligible low-income children.[1] They claim Congress must choose between “government-run health care” and private … -
Comparing Public and Private Health Insurance for Children
May 11, 2007
In considering the pending reauthorization of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), some have recommended that Congress use federal funds to subsidize purchasing private health insurance rather than expanding public health insurance, like Medicaid or SCHIP.[1] Some may reflexively assume that private health insurance is … -
Testimony of Judith Solomon House Bill 700, The Pennsylvania Health Care Reform Act, House Insurance Committee
May 3, 2007
Thank you for the opportunity to testify before you today on House Bill 700, the Pennsylvania Health Care Reform Act. My name is Judith Solomon. I am a Senior Fellow at the Center and work primarily on state Medicaid policy issues. I commend the Committee for providing an opportunity for substantial public input on this … -
Health Insurance “Connectors” Should Be Designed to Supplement Public Coverage, Not Replace It
January 29, 2007
In 2006, Massachusetts enacted legislation intended to achieve universal health coverage in the state.[1] The law has attracted a great deal of attention, and a number of states and other organizations are looking at whether the Massachusetts plan can be adapted for use elsewhere to achieve universal coverage or at least reduce the number of uninsured.… -
Lessons From New Hampshire: Senate Health Bill Could Drive Up Health Insurance Premiums for Many Small Businesses
April 26, 2006
In early May, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist is expected to bring to the Senate floor the “Health Insurance Marketplace Modernization and Affordability Act of 2005” (S. 1955), introduced by Senator Enzi (R-WY) and reported out of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on March 15. While the intent … -
Senate Health Bill Would Preempt States’ Small Group Rating Rules
April 26, 2006
On March 15, 2006, on a party-line vote, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee reported out S. 1955, the “Health Insurance Marketplace Modernization and Affordability Act” (HIMAA), which could be brought to the Senate floor as early as the first week of May. This brief analysis examines how S. 1955 … -
Health Opportunity Accounts For Low-Income Medicaid Beneficiaries: A Risky Approach
Revised November 1, 2005
On October 27, the House Energy and Commerce Committee marked up reconciliation legislation that includes about $10 billion in cuts to the Medicaid program.[1] In addition to other Medicaid proposals that would adversely affect low-income beneficiaries by increasing cost sharing and reducing benefits, the package approved by …
