public plan choice

Health-Care Market Characterized By Consolidation, Not Competition

Alex Lawson — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 22:33:50 -0400

The insurance industry shouldn't get between you and your doctor

Alex Lawson — Tue, 12 May 2009 10:27:06 -0400

Health Care for America Now (HCAN) – the nation’s largest health care campaign – debuted a new TV ad in six key states today emphasizing the need for a public health insurance option in health care reform and asking nine specific Senators to support that choice: Senator Arlen Specter (D-PA), Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE), Senator Mike Johanns (R-NE), Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), Senator Mark Pryor (D-AR), Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN), Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN), and Senator Thomas Carper (D-DE). The ad names the Senators in each state who have not yet publicly signed on in support of a public health insurance option.

“Doctor” features Dr. Valerie Arkoosh, MD, MPH who was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska and practices in Philadelphia, PA. Dr. Arkoosh explains that private health insurance companies have been in control of decision making for too long. She says members of Congress should support giving everyone the choice of a public health insurance plan as part of real health care reform so doctors and patients are no longer at the mercy of private health insurance companies making decisions doctors and patients should be making together. Dr. Arkoosh is with the National Physicians Alliance, a Health Care for America Now member organization representing 20,000 physicians across specialties and throughout the United States.

“Health Care reform is happening now, and now is the time Congress should be supporting the key components of President Obama’s health care proposal, including giving everyone the choice of a public health insurance plan,” said Richard Kirsch, National Campaign Manager, Health Care for America Now. “As we see health care industry stakeholders volunteer to control costs in a system that covers everyone, it becomes even more urgent we create a new public health insurance option to drive true savings and innovation and guarantee quality and transparency.”

“Opponents of reform can try to scare the public with threats of rationing and denied care, but we as physicians see health insurance companies rationing and denying care in practice every day,” said Dr. Valerie Arkoosh, MD, MPH, National Physicians Alliance. “It’s time our patients had a real choice – a choice of a public health insurance plan.

The “Doctor” ad will run for a week starting today in Pennsylvania, Nebraska, Oregon, Arkansas, Indiana, and Delaware. All of the ads are available online at http://www.healthcareforamericanow.org/doctor.

Public Health Insurance Page

Alex Lawson — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 17:13:34 -0400

Introduction

President Barack Obama, three committees in the House, and one committee in the Senate have proposed frameworks for reforming the health care system that would allow Americans to keep their employer-provided coverage or, if they do not have such coverage, obtain it through a public or private insurance plan that is available through a “national health insurance exchange,” where plans would compete with each other for members. Like the public Medicare program, the new public health insurance plan in this exchange would be managed by the federal government but would pay private health care providers to deliver care.

The choice of a public health insurance plan is an important part of comprehensive health care reform. It is needed to bring down costs, make coverage affordable, force private health insurance companies to compete, and guarantee that quality, affordable coverage will be there for people no matter what happens.

Reports and Resources

The Case for a Public Health Insurance Option

Reports by Jacob Hacker (bio)-

• Public Plan Choice In Congressional Health Plans: The Good, The Not-So-Good, And The Ugly (PDF)

• How to Structure Public Health Insurance Plan Choice to Ensure Risk-Sharing, Cost Control, and Quality Improvement (PDF)

• Resource page

• The Case For Public Plan Choice in National Health Reform: Key to Cost Control and Quality Coverage (PDF)

• Key Findings(PDF)

• Public Health Insurance Q and A document (PDF)

• Original "Health Care for America" plan published by the Economic Policy Institute

How to Talk About the Importance of a Public Health Insurance Option

• Public Health Insurance Talking Points

• Public Health Insurance Public Opinion Polling- Lake Research

More Resources

Diane Archer-

• Massachusetts Health Reform: Near Universal Coverage, But No Cost Controls or Guarantee of Quality, Affordable Health Care for All (PDF)

• Massachusetts Report Key findings (PDF)

Frank Clemente-

• A Public Health Insurance Plan: Reducing Costs and Improving Quality (PDF)

• Clemente Report Key Findings

• Report chartpack (PPT)

Other Reports-

• The Path to a High Performance U.S. Health System: A 2020 Vision and the Policies to Pave the Way

• Leaders and Experts Agree that a Public Insurance Option is Critical to the Success of Obama’s Health Reform Proposals (PDF)

Report: Public Health Insurance Plan Reduces Costs and Improves Quality

Alex Lawson — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 15:29:36 -0500

Resources

♦ Full Report: "A Public Health Insurance Plan: Reducing Costs and Improving Quality" (PDF)

♦ Report chartpack (PPT)

♦ Public opinion data to be discussed by Richard Kirsch

♦ Two page brief of key findings (PDF)

Additional Resources

♦ Jacob Hacker: "The Case For Public Plan Choice in National Health Reform: Key to Cost Control and Quality Coverage" (PDF)

♦ Jacob Hacker's "Health Care for America" report and the Lewin Group cost analysis

♦ Leaders and Experts Agree that a Public Insurance Option is Critical to the Success of Obama’s Health Reform Proposals (PDF)

WASHINGTON – Health-care expert Frank Clemente will join Health Care for America Now director Richard Kirsch and Institute for America’s Future co-director Roger Hickey on a conference call with reporters on Thursday to release a new report showing that a public insurance option as proposed by President Obama is critical to the success of health care reforms soon to be considered by the Congress.

With the insurance industry opposing key elements of reform embraced by President Obama, the new data and recent public opinion numbers will show that a public insurance option is crucial to controlling health care costs, achieving quality coverage and garnering significant support for reform from the public.

The study’s author, Frank Clemente, will discuss how his analysis shows that a public health insurance plan choice is the only way to achieve the goals laid out by President Obama for health reform. Richard Kirsch will discuss new public opinion data that shows increasing support for a choice between private and public health insurance.

NEWS TELECONFERENCE ON
PUBLIC HEALTH INSURANCE OPTION

DATE: Thursday, Feb. 5, 2008

TIME: 11 a.m. ET

CALL-IN: 877-723-9521, code 649-9807

PARTICIPANTS


Frank Clemente Former Issue Campaigns Director, Change To Win Labor Federation	Richard Kirsch National Campaign Manager, Health Care for America Now	Roger Hickey Co-director, Institute for America’s Future
Frank Clemente is a health care policy consultant with two decades of experience on health care issues in Congress and the public interest community. Among his current clients are the Institue for America's Future and the Communications Workers of America. Most recently he was issue campaigns director at the Change to Win labor federation and Director of Public Citizen's Congress Watch.	Health Care for America Now (HCAN) is a national grassroots campaign of nearly 700 organizations representing 30 million people dedicated to winning quality, affordable health care we all can count on in 2009. As President Obama said on October 4, 2008, “It is clear that the time has come – right now – to solve this problem.” It is up to us to make sure Congress acts this year.	The Institute for America's Future is a center of non-partisan research and education. Drawing on a network of scholars, activists and leaders across the country, IAF develops policy ideas, educational materials and outreach programs. The Institute’s efforts help shape a compelling progressive agenda primarily focusing on kitchen-table concerns such as affordable health care, accessible higher education, retirement security, living wages, healthy workplaces, strong infrastructures, safe food, fair trade and clean energy.

Frank Clemente

Former Issue Campaigns Director, Change To Win Labor Federation

Richard Kirsch

National Campaign Manager,
Health Care for America Now

Roger Hickey

Co-director, Institute for America’s Future

Frank Clemente is a health care policy consultant with two decades of experience on health care issues in Congress and the public interest community. Among his current clients are the Institue for America's Future and the Communications Workers of America. Most recently he was issue campaigns director at the Change to Win labor federation and Director of Public Citizen's Congress Watch.

Health Care for America Now (HCAN) is a national grassroots campaign of nearly 700 organizations representing 30 million people dedicated to winning quality, affordable health care we all can count on in 2009. As President Obama said on October 4, 2008, “It is clear that the time has come – right now – to solve this problem.” It is up to us to make sure Congress acts this year.

The Institute for America's Future is a center of non-partisan research and education. Drawing on a network of scholars, activists and leaders across the country, IAF develops policy ideas, educational materials and outreach programs. The Institute’s efforts help shape a compelling progressive agenda primarily focusing on kitchen-table concerns such as affordable health care, accessible higher education, retirement security, living wages, healthy workplaces, strong infrastructures, safe food, fair trade and clean energy.

A Public Health Insurance Plan: Reducing Costs and Improving Quality

Alex Lawson — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 13:22:53 -0500

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Leaders and Experts Agree that a Public Insurance Option is Critical to the Success of Obama’s Health Reform Proposals

Alex Lawson — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 09:53:24 -0500

The Case for Public Plan Choice in National Health Reform

Alex Lawson — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 17:23:40 -0500

Read the Key Findings »
Read Full Report »

A health care system that contains costs and drives value must include a good public plan if the broad goals of reform—universal insurance and improved value—are to be achieved. Private insurance and public insurance have distinct strengths and weaknesses, and thus should be encouraged to compete side by side to attract enrollees on a level playing field that rewards plans that deliver better value and health to their enrollees. Public insurance has a better track record at reining in costs, while preserving access; it has pioneered key quality and payment innovations that have often set the standard for private plans; it is essential to set a standard against which private plans must compete to drive value and can be a source of stability for people. Private plans are a source of new benefit options, and continuing pressure for innovation in benefit design and care management strategies.

According to opinion polling, most Americans want public and private insurance competing side by side so that they can choose the best option for themselves and their families. Both should have a chance to prove their strengths and improve their weaknesses in a competitive partnership.

Go to the dedicated web page for the report here»
Listen to an MP3 of the Press Conference releasing the report here»