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December 24, 2009 for yesterday's ticker entries click here



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December 24, 2009

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    Americans
    Prefer Democratic Policies

    A new CNN/Opinion Research survey indicates that a majority of
    Americans believe that the Democratic party's policy proposals
    are good for the country, 51% to 46%

    Russian
    president optimistic on nuclear arms control deal with US

    from AP Top International News At 5:48 a... by By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV

    MOSCOW (AP) -- Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Thursday
    that nuclear arms control talks with the United States required
    some give-and-take on both sides and voiced optimism that a deal
    would be reached soon....

    
Obama
    says country near end of health care reform battle

    from CNN Political Ticker by rsinderbrand

    
Washington (CNN) – President Barack
    Obama said Thursday that the country is close to the "end
    of a nearly century-long struggle to reform America's health
    care system."

    


    Senate
    Passes Health Care Bill

    from AFL-CIO NOW BLOG by James Parks

    Senate
    health care bill passes

    from CNN.com - Video

    The U.S. Senate passes their version of the health care reform
    bill in a 60-39 vote.

    Senate
    passes landmark health reform measure

    from washingtonpost.com - Today's Highlights by Shailagh Murray

    In 60-39 party line vote, Senate approves bill that would provide
    coverage to more than 30 million and begin a far-reaching overhaul
    of Medicare.

    
VIDEO:
    Senate Maj. Leaders on Health Care Bill

    from C-SPAN Recent Video

    Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is speaking with reporters
    following the final vote on health care legislation. 

    Length: 10 min.

    
Published: Today at 8:15am (ET)

    Senate
    passes $871 billion health care bill

    from CNN Political Ticker by rsinderbrand
 

    Senate
    Passes Measure to Overhaul Health-Care System

    from BusinessWeek.com --

    The Senate approved legislation that would make the broadest
    changes to the U.S. health-care system in decades, advancing
    President Barack Obama’s top domestic priority after months
    of partisan wrangling.

    
The
    Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

    
Summary

    The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will ensure that
    all Americans have access to quality, affordable health care
    and will create the transformation within the health care system
    necessary to contain costs. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO)
    has determined that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care
    Act, as amended, is fully paid for, will provide coverage to
    more than 94 percent of Americans while staying under the $900
    billion limit that President Obama established, bending the health
    care cost curve, and reducing the deficit by $132 billion over
    the next ten years, with additional deficit reductions in the
    following years.

    
Quality, Affordable Health Care for
    All Americans

    
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care
    Act includes immediate changes to the way health insurance companies
    do business to protect consumers from discriminatory practices
    and provide Americans with better preventive coverage and the
    information they need to make informed decisions about their
    health insurance.

    

    
Uninsured Americans with a pre-existing
    condition will have access to an immediate insurance program
    to help them avoid medical bankruptcy and retirees will have
    greater certainty due to reinsurance provisions to help maintain
    coverage.

    

    
New health insurance Exchanges will make
    coverage affordable and accessible for individuals and small
    businesses. Premium tax credits and cost-sharing assistance will
    help those who need assistance.

    

    
Insurance companies will be barred from
    discriminating based on pre-existing conditions, health status,
    and gender.

    

    
A substantial investment in Community Health
    Centers will provide funding to expand access to health care
    in communities where it is needed most.

    

    
The Role of Public Programs

    The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act expands eligibility
    for Medicaid to include all non-elderly Americans with income
    below 133 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), with substantial
    assistance to States for the cost of covering these individuals.

    

    
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care
    Act maintains current funding levels for the Children's Health
    Insurance Program (CHIP) for an additional two years, through
    fiscal year 2015.

    

    
Improving the Quality and Efficiency
    of Health Care

    Congress is committed to protecting
    and strengthening the Medicare program for America¡¦s
    seniors. Medicare is a sacred trust with seniors and people with
    disabilities, and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care
    Act will ensure that trust is preserved. The cost of inaction
    is unacceptable for seniors and the Medicare program that serves
    them; without action, the Medicare hospital insurance trust fund
    is expected to go broke in just over seven years. The Patient
    Protection and Affordable Care Act will make Medicare a stronger,
    more sustainable program.

    

    
Medicare currently reimburses health care
    providers on the basis of the volume of care they provide rather
    than the value of care. For each test, scan or procedure conducted,
    Medicare provides a separate payment, rewarding those who do
    more, regardless of whether the test or treatment contributes
    to helping a patient recover. The Patient Protection and Affordable
    Care Act includes a number of proposals to move away from the
    a la carte Medicare fee.for.service system toward paying for
    quality and value and reducing costs to America's seniors.

    

    
Preventing Chronic Disease and Improving
    Public Health

    The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act promotes preventive
    health care and improves the public health to help Americans
    live healthy lives and help restrain the growth of health care
    costs over time. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
    will eliminate co-pays and deductibles for recommended preventive
    care, including preventive care for women, provide individuals
    with the information they need to make healthy decisions, improve
    education on disease prevention and public health, and invest
    in a national prevention and public health strategy.

    

    
Health Care Workforce

    Currently, 65 million Americans live in communities where they
    cannot easily access a primary care provider, and an additional
    16,500 practitioners are required to meet their needs. The Patient
    Protection and Affordable Care Act will address shortages in
    primary care and other areas of practice by making necessary
    investments in our nation¡¦s health care workforce.
    Specifically, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
    will invest in the National Health Service Corps, scholarship
    and loan repayment programs to expand the health care workforce.
    The bill also includes incentives for primary care practitioners
    and for providers to serve underserved areas.

    

    
Transparency and Program Integrity

    The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will provide consumers
    with information about physician ownership of hospitals and medical
    equipment as well as nursing home ownership and other characteristics.
    The bill also includes provisions that will crack down on waste,
    fraud, and abuse in Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP and private insurance.
    Finally, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will
    establish a private, non-profit entity to identify priorities
    for and provide for the conduct of comparative outcomes research.

    

    
Improving Access to Innovative Medical
    Therapies

    The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will establish
    a regulatory pathway for FDA approval of biosimilar versions
    of previously licensed biological products. The Patient Protection
    and Affordable Care Act will also expand the scope of the existing
    340B drug discount program, so that patients at children¡¦s
    hospitals, cancer hospitals, rural hospitals and in other underserved
    communities have access to medicines at lower cost.

    

    
Community Living Assistance Services
    and Supports (CLASS)

    The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will make long-term
    supports and services more affordable for millions of Americans
    by providing a lifetime cash benefit that will help people with
    severe disabilities remain in their homes and communities. CLASS
    is a voluntary, self-funded, insurance program provided through
    the workplace. For those whose employers participate, affordable
    premiums will be paid through payroll deductions.Participation
    by workers is entirely voluntary. The Congressional Budget Office
    confirms that the program, which has been revised from earlier
    versions, is actuarially sound.

    
Revenue Provisions

    The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is fully paid
    for and reduces the deficit in the next ten years and beyond.
    The revenue provisions in the bill focus on paying for reform
    within the health care system. This is accomplished by tightening
    current health tax incentives, collecting industry fees, and
    slightly increasing the Medicare Hospital Insurance tax for individuals
    who earn more than $200,000 and couples who earn more than $250,000.
    This increase will not only help fund health care reform, but,
    when combined with other provisions in the bill, will also extend
    the solvency of the Medicare Trust Fund by nine years to 2026.
    The bill also includes a fee on insurance companies when they
    sell high cost health insurance plans, designed to generate smarter,
    more cost-effective health coverage choices. Changes to health
    care tax incentives include capping FSA contributions, conforming
    definitions of deductible medical expenses and changing penalties
    for HSA spending that is not devoted to health care. The industry
    fees reflect responsible contributions from industries who have
    long profited from health care and who will benefit from the
    expanded coverage of millions of additional Americans under health
    care reform. The bill also assesses a small excise tax on indoor
    tanning services.

    
Together, these revenue provisions represent
    a balanced, responsible package of proposals that bend the health
    care cost curve by putting downward pressure on health spending.

    
The
    Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

    
Immediate Benefits

    The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act includes health
    insurance market reforms that will bring immediate benefits to
    millions of Americans, including those who currently have coverage.
    The Managers¡¦ Amendment to the bill includes even
    more early benefits for Americans, and the following benefits
    will be available in the first year after enactment of the Patient
    Protection and Affordable Care Act.

    

    
Access to Affordable Coverage for the
    Uninsured with Pre-existing Conditions

    The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will provide $5
    billion in immediate federal support for a new program to provide
    affordable coverage to uninsured Americans with pre-existing
    conditions. This provision is effective 90 days after enactment,
    and coverage under this program will continue until new Exchanges
    are operational in 2014.

    

    
Access to Quality Care for Vulnerable
    Populations

    The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act makes an immediate
    and substantial investment in Community Health Centers to provide
    the funding needed to expand access to health care in communities
    where it is needed most. This $10 billion investment begins in
    2010 and extends for five years.

    

    
No Pre-existing Coverage Exclusions
    for Children

    The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act eliminates pre-existing
    condition exclusions for all Americans beginning in 2014, when
    the Exchanges are operational. Recognizing the special vulnerability
    of children, the Managers¡¦ Amendment prohibits
    health insurers from excluding coverage of pre-existing conditions
    for children, effective six months after enactment and applying
    to all new plans.

    

    
Re-insurance for Retiree Health Benefit
    Plans

    The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will create immediate
    access to re-insurance for employer health plans providing coverage
    for early retirees, effective 90 days after enactment. This re-insurance
    will help protect coverage while reducing premiums for employers
    and retirees.

    

    
Closing the Coverage Gap in the Medicare
    (Part D) Drug Benefit

    The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will reduce the
    size of the "donut hole¨ raising the ceiling on the
    initial coverage period by $500 in 2010.

    The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will also guarantee
    50 percent price discounts on brand-name drugs and biologics
    purchased by low and middle-income beneficiaries in the coverage
    gap, beginning July 1, 2010.

    

    
Small Business Tax Credits

    The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will offer tax
    credits to small businesses beginning in 2010 to make employee
    coverage more affordable.

    

    
Tax credits of up to 35 percent of premiums
    will be immediately available to firms that choose to offer coverage;
    later, when Exchanges are operational, tax credits will be up
    to 50 percent of premiums. The full credit will be available
    to firms with 10 or fewer employees with average annual wages
    of $25,000, while firms with up to 25 or fewer employees and
    average annual wages of up to $50,000 will also be eligible for
    the credit.

    

    
Ensuring Value for Premium Payments

    The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will establish
    standards for insurance overhead and require public disclosure
    to ensure that enrollees get value for their premium dollars.
    The Managers Amendment tightened these standards, requiring plans
    in the individual and small group market to spend 80 percent
    of premium dollars on clinical services and quality activities,
    and 85 percent for plans in the large group market. Health insurance
    plans that do not meet these thresholds will provide rebates
    to their policyholders. This provision takes effect in 2011 and
    applies to all plans, including grandfathered plans, with the
    exception of self-insured plans.

    

    
Patient Protections

    The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act protects patients¡¦
    choice of doctors by allowing plan members to pick any participating
    primary care provider, prohibiting insurers from requiring prior
    authorization before and woman sees an ob-gyn, and ensuring access
    to emergency care. This provision takes effect six months after
    enactment and applies to all new plans.

    

    
Extension of Dependent Coverage for
    Young Adults

    The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will require insurers
    to permit children to stay on family policies until age 26. This
    provision takes effect six months after enactment and applies
    to all new plans.

    

    
Free Prevention Benefits

    The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will require coverage
    of prevention and wellness benefits and exempt these benefits
    from deductibles and other cost-sharing requirements in public
    and private insurance coverage. This provision takes effect six
    months after enactment and applies to all new plans.

    

    
Beginning on January 1, 2011, Medicare
    beneficiaries will receive a free, annual wellness visit and
    will have all cost-sharing waived for prevention services.

    

    
No Lifetime Limits on Coverage

    The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will prohibit
    insurers from imposing lifetime limits on benefits. This provision
    takes effect six months after enactment and applies to all new
    plans.

    

    
Restricted Annual Limits on Coverage

    The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will tightly restrict
    insurance companies¡¦ use of annual limits to ensure
    access to needed care, effective six months after enactment for
    all new health plans. These tight restrictions will be defined
    by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. When the Exchanges
    are operational, the use of annual limits will be banned.

    

    
Protection from Rescissions of Existing
    Coverage

    The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will stop insurers
    from rescinding insurance when claims are filed, except in cases
    of fraud or intentional misrepresentation of material fact. This
    provision takes effect six months after enactment and applies
    to all new plans.

    

    
Prohibits Discrimination Based on Salary

    The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will prohibit
    group health plans from establishing any eligibility rules for
    health care coverage that have the effect of discriminating in
    favor of higher wage employees. This provision takes effect six
    months after enactment and applies to group health plans.

    

    
Public Access to Comparable Information
    on Insurance Options

    The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will enable creation
    of a new website to provide information on and facilitate informed
    consumer choice of insurance options.

    

    
Health Insurance Consumer Information

    The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will provide assistance
    to States in establishing offices of health insurance consumer
    assistance or health insurance ombudsman programs to assist individuals
    with the filing of complaints and appeals, enrollment in a health
    plan, and, eventually, to assist consumers with resolving problems
    with tax credit eligibility. This provision is effective beginning
    with fiscal year 2010.

    

    
Appeals Process

    Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, all new
    health plans will implement, within six months of enactment,
    an effective process for appeals of coverage determinations and
    claims. And, states will provide an external appeals process
    to ensure an independent review.

    Obama
    comments on year-end issues

    from Reuters Video: Top News

    Dec 24 - U.S. President Barack Obama tells PBS Newshour that
    he is happy with the healthcare bill and that he understands
    disappointment over the outcome of the Copenhagen climate summit.

    Senate passes
    $871 billion health care reform bill
    


    



    
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