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The reformation of our health care system is an important topic. Much information on this subject will become available over the next year. Here we will list documents, web sites, etc in an effort to keep you informed. The Santa Cruz County Medical Society's Tenets of Health Care Reform. NEW 8/18/10 - 2 timelines which visually help to understand when and what is supposed to happen with the health care reform act. Each timeline is spit into sections, i.e. 'Insurance Reforms', 'Medicare', 'Medicaid', 'Prescriptions', etc. 2011-2018 Health Reform Timeline from the San Diego County Medical Society Kaiser Family Foundation Timeline http://www.kff.org/
Stay informed with up-to-date information on Health Care Reform from the Kaiser Family Foundation (not related to Kaiser Permanente). Read these documents for more indepth information on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010. (All in PDF) Independent Payment Advisory Board 2011 Medicare Physician Payment Proposed Rule Medicare payment adjustments made for 2010 How health reform will affect physician practices Medicare savings under health reform How health reform affects patients Employers Health Care Reform Guide 3/29/10 The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590) contains a number of key provisions for patients. Read the AMA's summary and timeline. Late in the evening on Nov. 7, 2009 the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 3962, the "Affordable Health Care for America Act," by a vote of 220-215. According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the legislation would raise the percentage of legal, non-elderly American residents with insurance coverage from the current 83 percent to 96 percent. It also includes insurance market reforms that would eliminate exclusions for pre-existing conditions and lifetime limits on total health care spending, and it would provide subsidies for low-income Americans to help them purchase coverage in a health insurance exchange. Earlier in the day, the House approved a rule for considering both the health system reform bill and H.R. 3961, the "Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act of 2009." The vote was 242-192, with all but 15 Democrats voting in support and all Republicans voting against. While the rule set parameters for debate on both bills, the imminent congressional recess for the Veterans Day holiday prevented a floor vote on H.R. 3961. That legislation would repeal the sustainable growth rate (SGR) physician payment formula and replace it with a new payment update system with two more generous spending targets. The House is expected to take up H.R. 3961 during the week of Nov. 16. Read the CMA letter and comments to Congress on HR 3961 and HR 3962 dated 11/6/09. Organized medicine responds to Senator Baucus and the Senate Finance Committee regarding their bill, America's Healthy Future Act of 2009 Read the AMA letter to Senator Baucus The California Medical Association and Texas Medical Association sent a joint letter to Senator Baucus (CMA/TMA letter) The CMA and TMA were joined by the Massachusetts Medical Society on a letter to Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) opposing her "value modifier" amemdment. This is an attempt by some Senators to negate the higher cost of providing Medicare services in the coastal states. If approved, this modifier will take away money from states on all coasts (east, west, and south)and move it into the center of the country. (CMA/TMA/MMS letter) On September 16, 2009 the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance released their "America's Healthy Future Act". You can download the 223 page report plus all the amendments from the Finance committee's web site. On August 13, 2009 David Axelrod, President Obama's Senior Advisor, sent out an email to the public simply stating the administration's position and reasoning for health care reform. The other link is to the Council of Economic Advisors report " Economic Case for Health Care Reform". On November 12, 2008 Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, released an 89-page outline of his comprehensive vision for health care reform. Listed below are links to his full white paper, an Executive Summary of the paper, and an AMA analysis of the key provisions. Call to Action White Paper by Senator Baucus (109 pages) Executive Summary by Senator Baucus (4 pages) Analysis of Key Provisions by AMA Staff (3 pages) For problems/suggestions about this web site contact the webmaster. |
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