COVID-19 & Healthcare

‘ObamaCare’ is bending the cost curve on healthcare costs

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

More good news on the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (aka "ObamaCare") — it is bending the cost curve on healthcare costs, just as it was designed to do, which also bends the curve on federal deficits.

The latest good news come from the Federation of American Hospitals, which represents for-profit hospitals, and PwC’s Health Research Institute.
Both argue in new studies out today that a big chunk of the slowdown is
structural — and won’t disappear as the economy improves. Why
are health care costs rising more slowly?:

Dobson DaVanzo & Associates, in a report for the hospital group,
concludes that if present trends continue Medicare savings will be $1
trillion more in the next 10 years than the savings projected by the
Congressional Budget Office in May. The changes, Al Dobson said in an
interview, are the result of marketplace pressures and the Affordable
Care Act, which set new penalties for hospital readmissions, and
included bundled payments and other incentives for hospitals and doctors
to find ways to cut costs without hurting patients.

* * *

PwC  uses a medical cost trend–or growth rate–that measures the
changes in the cost to treat patients and is influenced by the cost of
products and services and utilization. The projection is based on
interviews with health plans, a survey of employers and other
data. They conclude that
health-care spending growth will dip to 6.5 percent next year, adding
that the slowing of health-care spending “defies historical
post-recession patterns and is likely to be sustained” even as millions
of uninsured Americans enter the health system next year.

The GOP war on women to appease the crazy base

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

TalibanRemember when the TanMan, Weeper of the House John Boehner, proclaimed that Tea-Publicans were all about creating jobs? Yeah, still waiting.

When they are not wasting time on meaningless symbolic votes to repeal "ObamaCare" for the 39th time to give every member of their caucus a chance to vote against it, they are wasting their time on other meaningless symbolic votes to appease the crazy base, like this.

On Tuesday, House Republicans wasted the day approving the most restrictive
anti-abortion bill considered in Congress in the last decade, the unconstitutional 20-week abortion ban bill sponsored by Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ), the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. U.S.
House passes bill that would ban abortions after 20 weeks of
pregnancy:

The House approved legislation Tuesday that would ban abortions starting at 20 weeks of pregnancy, the most sweeping abortion restriction to pass any chamber of Congress in a decade. The vote was 228 to 196.

For those of you scoring this bill, six Republicans voted against it, and six Democrats voted for it — Henry Cuellar (D-TX 28), Daniel Lipinski (D-IL 3), Jim Matheson (D-UT 4), Mike McIntyre (D-NC 7), Collin Peterson (D-MN 7), and Nick Rahall (D-WV 3) — canceling each other out.

Under the 1973 Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade, abortions
can be performed until the point when an individual doctor determines a
fetus’s viability, which is generally defined as up to 24 weeks of
gestation. After that point, the government can prohibit the procedure
as long as it provides sufficient safeguards for the mother’s health and
well-being.

* * *

Tuesday’s vote marks the first time Congress has voted to redefine the point where a fetus becomes viable [in a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade, the real reason for doing this.]

Governor Brewer signs Medicaid (AHCCCS) restoration into law

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

In a signing ceremony this morning, Gov. Brewer signed into law Arizona’s Medicaid restoration program:

Gov. Jan Brewer signed into law today an expansion of Arizona’s
Medicaid program under the federal health-care overhaul, brought about
through a fierce five-month legislative battle.

Brewer, standing before a riser in a Capitol conference room that
held dozens of lawmakers, hospital officials and other supporters,
thanked the bipartisan coalition of legislators who voted for the bill.

“They displayed something we don’t see a lot in politics today, and
that is courage,” the governor said. “You put people before politics and
you stood firm in the face of personal attacks.”

* * *

“An opportunity like this doesn’t come very often,” the governor said at
today’s signing ceremony. “And I hope less in the future.”

After Brewer signed the legislation into law, she sent out this tweet along with the following picture.

Screenshot from 2013-06-17 14:00:15

Let us now praise the Arizona legislature

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by David Safier I want to say this right here on dependably progressive/liberal/lefty BfA. Gov. Brewer joined together with a handful of Republicans and Democrats to do the right thing for Arizona. Brewer, it turns out, is the only Republican governor with a majority Republican legislature to pass Medicaid expansion. We can slice and dice … Read more

Special Session is over, appropriations bills sent to Governor

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

The Special Session for the budget is over, but the regular session is continuing (no sine die yet). The Arizona Capitol Times (subscription required) reports Senate passes Medicaid expansion, sending it to the governor:

The state Senate approved Gov. Jan Brewer’s
Medicaid expansion plan on an 18-11 vote this afternoon, sending it to
the governor for her signature.

* * *

In the House, a coalition of nine
Republicans joined with the 24 House Democrats to approve the spending
plan on a series of 33-27 votes, setting the stage for end the first
special session of the 51st Legislature, which Brewer called into action
at Tuesday evening.

The Republicans in the House who voted for the budget were Rep. T.J. Shope, Rep. Frank Pratt, Rep. Kate Brophy McGee, Rep. Heather
Carter, Rep. Doug Coleman, Rep. Jeff Dial, Rep. Doris Goodale, Rep.
Ethan Orr and Rep. Bob Robson.