U.S. May Not Be Prepared For Public Health Crises, Says New Report

By Chingyu Wang-Talk Radio News Service

According to a report issued by Trust For America's Health (TFAH), an organization based around disease prevention, many states are not prepared for a possible public health crisis.

"13 states have purchased less than 50% of their share of federally-subsidized antiviral drugs to stockpile for use during an influenza pandemic," said Jeffrey Levi, the organizations director.

Levi also pointed out that 27 states cut funding for public health in FY 2008-09 due to the recession.

The report states that the H1N1 flu outbreak highlights possible problems with the U.S.'s ability to respond to public health crises. Partial blame can be attributed to the lagging state of the economy, TFAH contends.

Democratic Health Bills Don't Offer Americans Enough Freedom To Choose, Say GOP'ers

By Chingyu Wang - Talk Radio News Service

Members of the GOP Solutions Group blasted the White House's health reform proposal during a conference call with reporters on Thursday.

"The new plan looks a lot like the old plan, and every time when they are talking about the old plan I think Democrats lost this debate," said Group Chairman Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.). "We'd like to see a plan that reduces costs, increases access and doesn't cripple the states."

Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.), a physician himself, slammed a provision within both Democratic health bills that would require Americans to purchase health insurance. Price said the question of who should decide what kind of medical care individuals receive is one of the main factors dividing Republicans and Democrats on the issue of healthcare reform.

A proposal by the Republicans would allow Americans "To truly shop across state lines to purchase the insurance that you want for yourself or your family," said Price, adding that the Democrats' bills would allow the "government to dictate [your insurance policy] for you."

"Democrat solutions come down on the side of larger government [and] integrated bureaucracy." he argued.

Democrat Pingree: Public Option Is The Key To Health Reform

By Chingyu Wang - Talk Radio News Service

Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) and leaders from the organizations Democracy for America and Progressive Change Campaign Committee argued Thursday that the majority of Americans would prefer having the controversial 'public option' be a part of healthcare reform.

"New Research 2000 polling shows voters in state after state hate the current Senate bill, overwhelmingly support the public option, and want senators like Tom Harkin, Byron Dorgan, Claire McCaskill, Jim Webb, and others to fight harder for the public option," said Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) Co-Founder Adam Green.

According to a recent New York Times poll on public option, 59% of Americans support the public option, Green added.

Pingree said he believes the public option, essentially a government-administered insurance plan, is necessary to reduce the nation's deficit, as well as to inject competition in the marketplace. The combination of a public option plan and a repealing of the antitrust exemption for health insurance companies will greatly improve things, added Pingree.

"It's important for this bill for reducing the deficit, and for really injecting competition into a field," she said. "The House took its historical vote yesterday on repealing the antitrust provision -- the exemption that insurance companies have had; we took an important step but the public option will take it all the way."

Weiner said he was hopeful that the public option would be discussed during Thursday's healthcare summit involving Members of Congress and the President, stating his desire that the politically poisonous provision wouldn't be neglected in the name of bipartisanship.

"We have to not see this urge for bipartisanship as being a substitute for our elective responsibility to make good law," said Weiner. "The Republicans have expressed their imperatives, which is to try to stop the President from being successful."

Anthem Customers Say Their Provider Began Raising Premiums In 2009

By Chingyu Wang - Talk Radio News Service

WellPoint, Inc., California's largest individual health insurer, as well as the parent company of Anthem Blue Cross, was accused of profiteering during a hearing on Wednesday before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Though the news that Anthem Blue Cross in California had decided to raise premiums broke recently, several witnesses from the state of California testified that their provider has been raising its premiums since March 2009.

"In March 2009, Anthem raised those premiums to $231 per month, or $2772 or year - an increase of 26%," said Jeremy Arnold, a self-employed writer from Los Angeles. "In January 2010, Anthem informed me that my rates were going up again, to $319 per month, or $3828 per year - a further increase of 38%."

Committee Members expressed alarm over the fact that WellPoint increased some rates as much as 64% to help pay for large executive salaries and employee retreats.

"Between 2007 and 2008, WellPoint spent over $27 million to host 103 executive retreats," said Congressman Gene Green (D-Texas). "In 2008, during the high of the recession, WellPoint paid over $1.3 million to host 360 attendees at the Four Season Hotel in San Diego."

The committee cited data showing that WellPoint paid its top executives over $347 million in 2007 and 2008 combined. In 2008, WellPoint paid $115 million to 85 senior executives, according to the data.

WellPoint President/CEO Angela Braly, who received stock compensation valuing $8.5 million, and a salary of $1.1 million in 2009 alone, defended the rate increases, attributing them to market conditions.

"The increases in premium costs are driven by prices charged by clinicians, hospitals, medical device manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies and other suppliers in health care that are accelerating much faster than general inflation," Braly said.

Braly also invoked the struggling economy during her defense of the rate hikes, explaining that because younger and healthier policyholders have dropped their insurance, "there are fewer policyholders among whom to spread risk, and those remaining have higher health care costs. The result is higher premiums for those left in the pool."

House Will Strip Antitrust Protection For Health Insurance Companies, Says Pelosi

By Chingyu Wang - Talk Radio News Service

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Tuesday that she and other Democrats in the House will try to pass the Health Insurance Industry Fair Competition Act tomorrow. The bill would remove antitrust protections for the major health insurance companies.

"This bill is about restoring competition, fairness, and choice to the health insurance industry. After 65 years, it is now time for the unfair advantage insurance companies have held over American families and small businesses to end," said Pelosi. "We have set a better legislation. It's about affordability for the middle class, it's about accessibility of many more people to health care, and affordability is central to that."

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said he is optimistic about the bill's chances of passing when it is brought to the House floor tomorrow.

"I'm confident it'll pass, and I surely hope that it passes with a significant bipartisan vote," said Hoyer.

Former insurance executive Wendell Potter viewed the legislation as a major step toward ending what he described as the profit domination of seven major companies in the health insurance field.

"In my view it's a beginning comprehensive reform that will benefit average Americans, working individuals and families more than the big insurance companies," said Potter.