Page 4 - Lewin Group News Today

Teresa Titus-Howard, Ph.D., MHA, MSW President and CEO The Coordinating Center Teresa Titus-Howard is always looking for new ways to innovate the service-delivery model at The Coordinating Center, a Maryland nonprofit care coordination organization for children and adults with disabilities and complex needs. “As a servant leader, I support, encourage, coach, and provide a clear ...

There are now almost 44 million uninsured people in this country -- an increase of more than 5 million since 1993.

Executive Summary: Senator John Kerry's health care plan wouldexpand coverage but would fall short in transforming healthinsurance markets and making patients the key decision makers inthe system. In effect, it would reinforce the status quo, with(according to one estimate) nine of every 10 dollars spent going toemployers, insurance companies, and state governments, not toindividuals.

As the eHealthInsurance Services survey shows, individuallypurchased plans are affordable, contain meaningful coverage, andare widely available. Tax credits would allow more people to takeadvantage of this burgeoning market.

Too many Americans do not fully understand how the health insurancethey receive through their employer is financed. Formal premiumpayments to health insurance companies are made by employers justas employers pay for other fringe benefits. Placing a cap on taxbenefits for employer-sponsored health insurance increases healthplan transparency and places a greater emphasis on plan quality,not size.

The Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction—the “super committee”—created under the Budget Control Act of 2011 is tasked with proposing a strategy for reducing the federal deficit by $1.5 trillion over the next decade. If the committee fails, an automatic cut of 2 percent is authorized for Medicare, other domestic programs, and national security and defense budgets. In carrying out its mission, the super committee should focus on the main drivers of long-term runaway spending: health...

President-elect Obama's rationale for a new public health plan isthat it would give Americans who are not enrolled inemployment-based health insurance coverage, or those with insecurecoverage, the opportunity to obtain stable, affordable healthinsurance with a guaranteed set of government-standardizedbenefits. But while this might look like a prescription forconsumer choice and competition, the reality is very different.

Executive Summary: President Bush's health care agenda wouldincrease public and private coverage for millions of Americans. Theoutlined health policy agenda introduces key changes in theconventional financing and delivery of health care. Chief among theproposals are health care tax credits for lower-income individualsand families and new market-based insurance reforms to enableAmericans to purchase private health coverage.

Today, nearly 44 million people will go without health insurance atsome point during the year; this number continues to grow at theastonishing rate of 100,000 each month.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is one of the largest and most complicated overhauls ever enacted. Policy experts continue to debate the impact it will have.