New HHS Report Gives GOP Ammo To Blast Senate Healthcare Bill

By Travis Martinez - University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

A new report issued by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has revealed that the Democratically-backed Senate health care bill would have a negative impact on the cost, accessibility and quality of the American health care system, according to Sen. Mike Johannns (R-Neb.).

“This is a roundhouse blow to the Senate health care bill,” said Johanns in a news conference Friday.

In response to a letter written by Johanns and other Republicans, Richard Foster, the Chief Actuary at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, a branch of HHS, released a report which found that under the bill, the proposed reductions in Medicare payment updates for providers, the actions of the Independent Medicare Advisory Board and the excise tax on high-cost employer-sponsored health insurance would have significant downward impacts on future health care cost growth rates.

Johanns said that the White House has misleadingly used the report to garner support for the bill when in fact, he said, the report should be viewed as being damaging to the chances that legislation will pass.

Johanns read a key section of the report which states the following: “During 2010-2019, however, these effects would be outweighed by the increased costs associated with the expansions of health insurance coverage. Also, the longer-term viability of the Medicare update reductions is doubtful. Other provisions, such as comparative effectiveness research, are estimated to have relatively small effect on expenditure growth rates.”

Linda Douglass, Communications Director for the White House's Office of Health Reform, responded to Johanns' remarks on Friday, posting the following statement in defense of the bill to the White House's website: "They cherry-picked total expenditures at a singular, fixed point in time – ignoring the overall rate of cost growth, the impact on Medicare and America’s seniors, and the fact that millions of more Americans will be covered."

Senators Try To Heal Veterans' “Invisible Wounds”

By Joseph Russell - Talk Radio News Service

Senators Max Baucus (D-Mont.), Mike Johanns (R-Nev.), and Jon Tester (D-Mont.) hosted a discussion on the prevention of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and suicide in returning veterans, often referred to as “invisible wounds.” A panel comprised of doctors and military personnel highlighted the need for an increase in treatment alongside prevention. The members agreed that the current model of assessing veteran mental health is insufficient due to a lack of access and outreach.

Dr. Saralyn Mark, president of SolaMed Solutions, asserted that PTSD is a major issue, noting that the suicide rate among sufferers is at a critical level. She claimed the suicide rate among returning veterans is higher now than during Vietnam. “Everybody comes back changed,” Mark said. It is “not ethically or morally acceptable to send soldiers to war without being properly equipped.”

There have been advancements in providing mental health care to returning veterans, but more needs to be done, said Colonel Jeff Ireland, Director of Manpower and Personnel for the Montana National Guard. It is adamant that progress is made in education, access, and outreach, he said.

Ireland said “the bottom line is the continued emphasis on education and awareness so that we can help to change the way people look at PTSD and mental health issues. ... If we as a society can accept that, it becomes easier for us to openly discuss it.”