Comments on: Report: New Public Plan Will Control Health Care Costs http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2008/12/17/public-plan-report/ Thu, 26 Nov 2009 16:42:01 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: jps http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2008/12/17/public-plan-report/comment-page-1/#comment-3282 jps Wed, 17 Dec 2008 18:58:14 +0000 http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2008/12/17/public-plan-report/#comment-3282 Marcie the Legislative Assistant in Stark's office called me back and we had a very encouraging exchange of ideas. I was reminded that budget reconciliations can't be filibustered in the Senate, requiring only a majority to pass. How could I have forgotten reconciliations?!? I am still looking for an attorney to call Susan Whitman or Alan Miller in the Office of Personnel Management's Office of General Counsel's Benefits Group to see if they can poke any holes in the nominally-remunerated-lifetime-appointments-pending-legislation method of getting everyone on the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program as per page 154 of Daschle's book. A penny per appointment would only be half a million dollars to get all those uninsured out of the emergency room. Marcie the Legislative Assistant in Stark’s office called me back and we had a very encouraging exchange of ideas. I was reminded that budget reconciliations can’t be filibustered in the Senate, requiring only a majority to pass.

How could I have forgotten reconciliations?!?

I am still looking for an attorney to call Susan Whitman or Alan Miller in the Office of Personnel Management’s Office of General Counsel’s Benefits Group to see if they can poke any holes in the nominally-remunerated-lifetime-appointments-pending-legislation method of getting everyone on the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program as per page 154 of Daschle’s book. A penny per appointment would only be half a million dollars to get all those uninsured out of the emergency room.

]]> By: stateofthedivision http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2008/12/17/public-plan-report/comment-page-1/#comment-3274 stateofthedivision Wed, 17 Dec 2008 17:33:50 +0000 http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2008/12/17/public-plan-report/#comment-3274 I visited my primary care doctor for an injured shoulder. He said private insurers were shifting to pay for performance, i.e. they pay based on outcomes. He said providers would drop the chronically ill from their patient panels and serve healthy people. Pay for performance gave us a Wall Street where no one trusts investing. It could give us a health care system that shuns the sick. I visited my primary care doctor for an injured shoulder. He said private insurers were shifting to pay for performance, i.e. they pay based on outcomes.

He said providers would drop the chronically ill from their patient panels and serve healthy people.

Pay for performance gave us a Wall Street where no one trusts investing. It could give us a health care system that shuns the sick.

]]> By: jps http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2008/12/17/public-plan-report/comment-page-1/#comment-3272 jps Wed, 17 Dec 2008 17:33:29 +0000 http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2008/12/17/public-plan-report/#comment-3272 I just called Stark's office to see what he thinks about an emergency executive order pending legislation to place the uninsured on the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program through nominally remunerated lifetime appointments. I was transfered to a Legislative Assistant named Marcie who just stepped out, so I left a voicemail. I just called Stark’s office to see what he thinks about an emergency executive order pending legislation to place the uninsured on the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program through nominally remunerated lifetime appointments. I was transfered to a Legislative Assistant named Marcie who just stepped out, so I left a voicemail.

]]> By: stateofthedivision http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2008/12/17/public-plan-report/comment-page-1/#comment-3270 stateofthedivision Wed, 17 Dec 2008 17:31:26 +0000 http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2008/12/17/public-plan-report/#comment-3270 It will take time to shake out, but providers will watch closely who pays the best and shift their patient population in that direction. Many physicians in my town don't accept Medicaid and won't take new Medicare patients. 30% of citizens have no health insurance. To see a doctor they must put down a $100 deposit. Many communities don't have enough primary care physicians. Doctors will optimize their income under any new system. How the public vs. private insurers pay will be a huge factor. It will take time to shake out, but providers will watch closely who pays the best and shift their patient population in that direction.

Many physicians in my town don’t accept Medicaid and won’t take new Medicare patients.

30% of citizens have no health insurance. To see a doctor they must put down a $100 deposit.

Many communities don’t have enough primary care physicians. Doctors will optimize their income under any new system. How the public vs. private insurers pay will be a huge factor.

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