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Profiles of the Voices of Health Industry Reform - Part I

Deanne — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 12:09:29 +0000

In advance of the November general election, we are featuring brief profiles of key industry groups that have released proposals and/or position documents discussing key elements of healthcare reform. This month’s profile focuses on Health Care for America Now.

Addressing the Uninsured Population From Small Business and Health Plan Perspectives

Deanne — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 11:58:57 +0000

As reported in The New York Times, many states and Congress have begun to address "one of the biggest causes" of the rising number of uninsured U.S. residents, which is the growing number of small businesses that are unable to afford health insurance for their employees.

A Patient Safety Issue – Should Doctors Be Punished for Preventable Errors?

Deanne — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 11:48:25 +0000

“Just to be clear, it is not solely my call on whether any doctor should be punished. That is a determination of the Medical Executive Committee, the body of clinical leaders and senior administrators who establish the rules and regulations governing clinical care in the hospital. It is also possible for a doctor to be punished by state regulatory officials, regardless of the action taken by the hospital.” (Comment by Paul Levy)

Senator Kennedy's Work on Healthcare Industry Reform Continues

Deanne — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 19:58:55 +0000

The Boston Globe reports that Senator Edward Kennedy's staff has begun convening a series of meetings involving a wide array of healthcare specialists to begin laying the groundwork for a new attempt to provide universal healthcare.

Kennedy reportedly asked aides to convene the meetings while he is in Massachusetts undergoing treatment for brain cancer. It is expected that the senator will work hard this fall to build bipartisan support for a major healthcare initiative, scheduled to coincide with a new White House administration in 2009.

"The senator is trying to learn from health reform attempts in the past and to build a fair amount of consensus among his Senate colleagues, House colleagues, and the Obama campaign . . . and find a strategy that could carry with some momentum into the new administration," Dr. Jay Himmelstein told The Boston Globe. Himmelstein is a health policy specialist at University of Massachusetts Medical School and a former Kennedy staff member who has been involved in the talks.

Kennedy's aides have also assembled a network of Massachusetts-based advisers, including healthcare lawyers, economists, nonprofit leaders, clinicians, and health insurers who may be asked to work on specific aspects of a national plan. At a recent meeting in Boston, the group discussed how different elements of the Massachusetts health reform approach might work on a national level.

Click here for link to The Boston Globe article.