CAUSA HEALTH & HEALTHCARE NEWS in 2008

January

Health-care economics - Comparison shopping - From the ECONOMIST

Bush Endorses Association health plans - From the State of the Union Address

February

How much is too much to pay? - From the Boston Globe

Running for Cover? Will mandating the purchase of health insurance lead to universal coverage? - From the ECONOMIST

March

Red States and Rosier Views on U.S. Healthcare - From US NEWS & WORLD Report

For Knee Pain, It Could Pay to Ask for an X-ray, Not an MRI - From US NEWS & WORLD Report

RIGHTING HEALTHCARE REFORM Despite national attention for the 2006 reform plan, healthcare in Massachusetts has reached a crisis point - From the Boston Globe

Medical Home Model Holds Promise - From the Society for Healthcare Consumer Advocacy

April

Wealth Lowers Stroke Risk, No Surprise - From US NEWS & WORLD Report

May

Where have all the doctors gone? - From the Boston Globe

Senator Leahy Announces Agreement on Privacy Provisions in Health IT Bill - From the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)

June

Fixing Health Care: What Women Want When it comes to health care, American women are unhappy; so says a poll conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP).

Massachusetts' health plan shows strain The greatest success of Massachusetts' sweeping health care reform has also exposed its biggest shortcoming. Two years after the package's passage, hundreds of thousands more residents have insurance coverage, but the flood of card-carrying beneficiaries has cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars more than expected. The program is a victim of its own remarkable success. - From POLITICO.com

Does the Leapfrog Program Help Identify High-Quality Hospitals? - From the Commonwealth Fund

July

Study Examines Parity in State Health Coverage Initiatives for Mental Illness - From the Society for Healthcare Consumer Advocacy

Long-Term Care Insurance: Not Always a Good Buy - From US NEWS & WORLD REPORT

August

6 emergency-room survival tips - 6 emergency-room survival tips - From the July 2008 issue of Consumer Reports on Health for future needs. Last year, 12 percent of all employers said they were "very likely" to implement such a plan by 2009.

September

Study: Workers to pay more for health care
NEW YORK (AP) — Get ready for another hike in copays and deductibles.
A survey being released Thursday by the Mercer consulting firm found 59 percent of companies intend to keep down rising health care costs in 2009 by raising workers' deductibles, copays or out-of-pocket spending limits.

"We know that 80% of the uninsured live in wage earning households, and that half of this group is offered insurance by an employer, but does not accept it, often because of an inability to afford the employee's share of the premiums."

The HEALTHCARE LEADERSHIP COUNCIL