Health stories in the news

Healthcare reform expected to boost company wellness programs

New York Times reporter Robert Pear writes today that Congress is planning ”to give employers sweeping new authority to reward employees for healthy behavior, including better diet, more exercise, weight loss and smoking cessation.”

Currently “a web of federal rules limits what employers and insurers can do now,” Pear writes.

Supporters say employer wellness programs will cut healthcare costs by reducing chronic diseases linked to smoking, sedentary lifestyles and bad diets.

“Critics say that holding people financially responsible for their health behavior is potentially unfair and that employers have no business prying into their employees’ private lives,” Pear writes.

• To learn more read Pear’s article: Congress Plans Incentives for Healthy Habits

Hospitals punished for providing better care

Reed Abelson writes in the New York Times that several hospitals that initiated programs to provide better care to heart patients so they don’t have to be readmitted to the hospitals are finding they’re being financially punished for their efforts.

“…because insurers typically pay hospitals to treat patients — not to keep them away by keeping them healthy — hospitals can actually lose money by providing better care. Empty beds mean lost revenue,” Abelson writes.

As Congress debates health care, some policy experts say no meaningful improvement can be made without changing the payment system so medical centers have more financial incentive to help people stay out of the hospital.

• To learn more read Abelson’s article: Hospitals Pay for Cutting Costly Readmissions

Many gay couples find it difficult to get health insurance

Walecia Konrad writes in a New York Times’ “Patient Money” column about the difficulties many same-sex couples face when trying to obtain health insurance and provides tips on ways they can find coverage.

• To learn more read Konrad’s article: For Gay Couples, Obstacles to Health Insurance

Columnist calls on Democrats to act boldly on healthcare reform

In Saturday’s Seattle Times syndicated columnist Froma Harrop calls on Democrats to act boldly and pass a comprehensive healthcare reform plan that isn’t hobbled by compromise and dealmaking. 

A camel, the old saying goes, is a horse made by committee. We don’t want a camel health reform. We don’t want Washington lawmakers debating whether it should have one hump or two. We want a horse — a sleek machine that performs with efficiency.

• To learn more read Harrop’s column: Saddle up for health care (but leave the camel in the barn)

Tags: Health Insurance, Health-care Reform, Healthcare Policy, Insurance, News

Category: Health Insurance, Health-care Policy, Insurance