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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: health insurance industry

health insurance industry stories: 17 news summaries

Senate Dems Say Obama Plans Don't Fix Spending

Say legislation isn't aggressive enough on fee-for-service model

Nov 10, 09 1:05 PM CST
(Newser) - Some Democrats in the Senate are worried that reform legislation under consideration doesn't do enough to rein in out-of-control health care spending. President Obama has promised $2 trillion in savings over the next 10 years, but critics say the proposed changes aren't nearly aggressive enough on the current pay-per-visit system... More »

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Congress • Senate • medical costs • legislation • Rahm Emanuel • health care reform • Obama administration • doctors • health insurance industry

DC GOSSIP

 Lieberman Won't Sink 
 Health Reform: Reid 

Indy senator promises he'll vote with Dems to end filibuster

Nov 3, 09 8:43 AM CST
(Newser) - Forget all the grandstanding about joining a GOP filibuster of health care reform if it contains any kind of public option: Sen. Joe Lieberman won't do it, Harry Reid tells liberal interest groups, who tell the Hill . He has a deal with the Connecticut Independent, the majority leader claims. Lieberman... More »

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Congress • Senate • Harry Reid • Democratic caucus • Joe Lieberman • filibuster • cloture • health care reform • health insurance industry • concessions

 Senate Finally Confirms 
 Surgeon General 

Republicans relent after weeks of procedural delays

Oct 30, 09 2:59 PM CDT
(Newser) - The Senate unanimously confirmed Regina Benjamin as US surgeon general yesterday after Republicans ended a procedural delay that had dragged on for several weeks. Mitch McConnell and seven other GOP senators said they stalled because of an administration “gag order” that prevented insurers from giving their opinions on the... More »

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Medicare • GOP • Mitch McConnell • patient • Surgeon General • health care reform • senator • insurance industry • Obama administration • President Obama • Regina Benjamin • health insurance industry

secret weapon

 Michelle Pushes 
 for Health Reform 

First lady makes case for overhaul in  personal terms

Oct 23, 09 4:08 PM CDT
(Newser) - Michelle Obama rejoined the push for health care reform today, making the administration's case in an event at the White House and an online video message. Speaking with Jill Biden at a gathering for breast cancer survivors, Obama decried the fact that patients can’t get insurance because cancer in... More »

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health care • breast cancer • Michelle Obama • health care reform • women's issues • health insurance industry • pre-existing condition

investigation

Insurers Drop Rape Victims Who Take HIV Meds

Assaulted women locked out of health care

Oct 22, 09 11:16 AM CDT
(Newser) - Sexual assault victims prescribed precautionary HIV/AIDS meds risk being denied health insurance—because they have a pre-existing condition. The vast majority never develop the disease, but many have lost their insurance altogether, the Huffington Post reports. Others have been denied mental health care for PTSD that arose after they were... More »

MORE ABOUT:
health insurance • AIDS • HIV • rape • HIV/AIDS • sexual assault • women's issues • health insurance industry • pre-existing condition • America's Health Insurance Plans

Nate Silver

 Why the Public 
 Option's Still Alive 

Polls, time, and activism keep popular concept on the table

Oct 21, 09 12:57 PM CDT
(Newser) - Reports of the public option’s demise look to have been exaggerated. Nate Silver breaks down what revived it at FiveThirtyEight.com:
  •  “The tireless, and occasionally tiresome,” advocacy from liberal bloggers and interest groups.
  • The CBO thinks it will save money.
  • The shift of
... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Congressional Budget Office • health care reform • activists • Nate Silver • public option • health insurance industry • Gang of 6

so much for baucus bill

 Public Option Now 
 Has Legs in Senate 

Hostile insurance industry pushes Dems to consider grab-bag of proposals

Oct 20, 09 8:58 AM CDT
(Newser) - The public option, left for dead by the Max Baucus bill that passed the Finance Committee just weeks ago, has a new lease on life in the Senate. Credit goes to a CBO report underwhelmed by that bill's efforts to encourage competition, and a big power play by the insurance... More »

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Congress • Senate • legislation • Olympia Snowe • Congressional Budget Office • Senate Finance Committee • health care reform • Evan Bayh • public option • health insurance industry

OPINION

Health Industry Shakedown Imperils Reform

Obama must ignore lobbyists for insurers, doctors, drug makers

Oct 19, 09 3:32 PM CDT
(Newser) - In dealing with pharmaceutical companies, insurers, and the AMA, President Obama should take a page from David Letterman's book and not fall prey to blackmail, writes former Labor Secretary Robert Reich. Promises the administration made to those three constituencies in exchange for staying neutral or positive about health care reform... More »

MORE ABOUT:
physician • blackmail • extortion • David Letterman • American Medical Association • health care reform • Robert Reich • pharmaceutical industry • insurance industry • Obama administration • doctors • President Obama • health insurance industry • shakedown

Health Reform Could Mean More Treatment Denials

None of the current bills force insurers to actually treat patients

Oct 19, 09 10:00 AM CDT
(Newser) - Health care reform would force insurers to accept everyone, even those with pre-existing conditions; but it wouldn’t actually force them to treat those patients. None of the reform bills pending on Capitol Hill would restrict insurers’ ability to deny procedures for their customers, the LA Times reports. In... More »

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health insurance • health care reform • denial • health insurance exchange • health insurance industry • pre-existing condition


 Obama Rips Into 
 'Dishonest' 
 Insurers 

Calls them out for 'deceptive' advertising in weekly address

Oct 17, 09 7:23 AM CDT
(Newser) - President Obama ripped into insurers today, admonishing them for attempting to derail his health care initiative with "deceptive and dishonest" advertising. “The insurance industry is rolling out the big guns and breaking open their massive war chest to marshal their forces for one last fight to save the... More »

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Barack Obama • health care reform • President Obama • radio address • health insurance industry

 Dems Lash Out at 
 Insurance Industry 

They move to eliminate anti-trust exemption

Oct 14, 09 1:46 PM CDT
(Newser) - All-out war broke out between the Democrats and the insurers today, with Chuck Schumer calling for an amendment to the health care bill that would remove the industry’s long-standing anti-trust immunity. Schumer called the exemption “one of the worst accidents of American history,” blaming it in part... More »

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health insurance • Charles Schumer • Harry Reid • antitrust • regulation • health care reform • insurance industry • health insurance industry

HEALTH CARE REFORM

 Dour Industry Report Backfires 

Dems, GOP alike have hard time believing Hail Mary predicting higher costs

Oct 13, 09 10:14 AM CDT
(Newser) - The health insurance industry report presented yesterday that predicts the reform bill will do little to stop rising costs appears to have backfired. Dems are up in arms at the timing and content of the “misleading and harmful” attack from their erstwhile ally in the effort. Sen. Jay Rockefeller... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Congress • health care costs • Senate Finance Committee • health care reform • Jay Rockefeller • Karen Ignagni • health insurance industry • America's Health Insurance Plans

 'Obese' 4-Month-Old 
 Denied Insurance 

Nursing infant outside norms for age; 'absurd,' cry parents

Oct 12, 09 2:04 PM CDT
(Newser) - A Colorado couple is baffled that their baby has been denied health insurance coverage because of a preexisting condition: obesity. “I could understand if we could control what he's eating,” says the boy’s father. “But he's 4 months old. He's breast-feeding. We can't put him on... More »

MORE ABOUT:
obesity • childhood obesity • obesity epidemic • baby • infant • breast feeding • health care reform • health insurance industry • policy • underwriting • Alex Lange

Wife-Beating Branded a  'Pre-Existing Condition'

Eight states allow insurance firms to deny coverage to abused spouses

Sep 15, 09 8:30 AM CDT
(Newser) - It is legal in eight states and in DC for insurers to reject victims of domestic violence because being beaten up by your spouse qualifies as "a pre-existing health condition" the Huffington Post reports. If you're in a marriage where it's happened once, the logic goes, you're more likely... More »

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health care • health insurance • domestic violence • health care reform • domestic abuse • Mike Enzi • health insurance industry • pre-existing condition

ANALYSIS

 Forget What 
 You've Heard: 
 Health Reform 
 Is Nearly Done 

Obama has party, public, industry support, despite a few town halls

Sep 9, 09 7:22 AM CDT
(Newser) - Barack Obama goes into tonight's Congressional address amid talk that his health reform plan—and indeed his entire presidency—are nearly doomed. But the New York Times, in a front-page analysis piece, is far more optimistic, noting that August's town hall chaos did not substantially change public opinion, nor did... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Barack Obama • Congress • Democrats • Olympia Snowe • health care reform • George Voinovich • health insurers • Obama administration • public option • health insurance industry

ANALYSIS

Health Care
Bills Don't Offer
Real Choice

Legislation in Congress seem to settle for status quo

Aug 26, 09 1:22 PM CDT
(Newser) - Health insurance firms are essentially monopolies because employers, not individuals, choose which plans to offer. This freedom from competitive forces has allowed insurance to become flaky and opaque—and the reform currently being debated in Washington would do little about it, writes David Leonhardt for the New York Times. Even... More »

MORE ABOUT:
health insurance • Senate • insurance • health insurance premiums • health care reform • Bob Bennett • Ron Wyden • vouchers • health insurance industry

(Newser) - Regardless of how health-care reform eventually shakes out, one industry will likely reap a windfall: health insurance companies, reports the Los Angeles Times. All the leading overhaul proposals would require all citizens to have health insurance, which would guarantee tens of millions of new customers. "It's a bonanza,"... More »

MORE ABOUT:
health insurance • legislation • lobbyists • health care reform • benefits • Washington lobbyists • President Obama • health insurance industry

17 Stories


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