Healthcare
7/19/2010 | Healthcare, Taxes
Step Right Up and Get Your Free Health Care...
CNS News
The Obama administration on Wednesday issued regulations requiring new, private health plans to cover preventive services without charge -- no co-payments, deductibles, or coinsurance. The free preventive services will include counseling to quit smoking and "counseling to address obesity and help children maintain a healthy weight."
The new rules requiring free, preventive health care will give Americans easier access to services such as blood pressure, diabetes, and cholesterol tests; many cancer screenings; routine vaccinations; pre-natal care; and regular wellness visits for infants and children, the Health and Human Services Department said in a news release.
First Lady Michelle Obama and Jill Biden, the vice president's wife, joined Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius in announcing what Mrs. Obama called "an unprecedented step."
Recommended Guests:
Michael Barry, Director of Pastoral Care, Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Phila.Twila Brase, President and Co-founder, Citizens' Council on Healthcare FreedomMarjorie Dannenfelser, President and Chairman of the Board, Susan B. Anthony ListColin Hanna, Colin Hanna, President, Let Freedom Ring USAGrover Norquist, President, Americans for Tax Reform (ATR)7/16/2010 | Governmental Control, Healthcare
Obesity Rating for Every American Must Be Included in Stimulus-Mandated Electronic Health Records, Says HHS
CNS News
New federal regulations issued this week stipulate that the electronic health records--that all Americans are supposed to have by 2014 under the terms of the stimulus law that President Barack Obama signed last year--must record not only the traditional measures of height and weight, but also the Body Mass Index: a measure of obesity.
The obesity-rating regulation states that every American's electronic health record must: “Calculate body mass index. Automatically calculate and display body mass index (BMI) based on a patient’s height and weight.”
Recommended Guests:
Michael Barry, Director of Pastoral Care, Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Phila.Twila Brase, President and Co-founder, Citizens' Council on Healthcare FreedomChuck Colson, Prison FellowshipMarjorie Dannenfelser, President and Chairman of the Board, Susan B. Anthony ListTom DeLay, Former House Majority Leader, United States House of RepresentativesWilliam Devlin, National President, Redeem The VoteChuck Donovan, Senior Research Fellow-DeVos Center for Religion a, The Heritage FoundationSteve Elliott, President, Grassfire.orgJoseph Farah, CEO, Founder, WorldNetDailyFrank Gaffney, Founder and President , Center for Security PolicyJames Gelfand, Senior Manager of Health Policy, U.S. Chamber of CommerceRick Green, President, Torch of Freedom FoundationColin Hanna, Colin Hanna, President, Let Freedom Ring USACliff Kincaid, President, America's Survival, Inc.Jennifer Marshall, Director of Domestic Policy Studies, The Heritage FoundationGary Marx, Executive Director, Judicial Confirmation NetworkRyan Messmore, William E. Simon fellow in Religion and a Free Soc, The Heritage FoundationJoe Murray, Columnist, The BulletinGrover Norquist, President, Americans for Tax Reform (ATR)Phyllis Schlafly, President and Founder, Eagle ForumTony Strickland, Taxpayer AdvocateLorianne Updike, President & Executive Director, The Constitutional Sources Project7/12/2010 | Healthcare
Berwick's the man for healthcare rationing
CNS News
A pro-life spokesman has some well-founded concerns about Barack Obama's choice for America's new Medicare/Medicaid "czar."
While members of Congress were on vacation last week, President Obama made a controversial but constitutionally permissible recess appointment, choosing Dr. Donald Berwick to head up the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Under that appointment -- which has been criticized by both sides of the political aisle -- Berwick could serve through next year without Senate confirmation.
Recess appointments are not uncommon. In fact, Barack Obama's four predecessors took that route more than 600 times combined. But the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) believes President Obama chose this route for Berwick so the 63-year-old Harvard professor could avoid close inspection during a confirmation process.
Recommended Guests:
Michael Barry, Director of Pastoral Care, Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Phila.Twila Brase, President and Co-founder, Citizens' Council on Healthcare FreedomMarjorie Dannenfelser, President and Chairman of the Board, Susan B. Anthony ListColin Hanna, Colin Hanna, President, Let Freedom Ring USA7/2/2010 | Healthcare
Virginia Challenges Feds in First Health Care Lawsuit Hearing
Fox News
The Obama administration is trying to have its cake and eat it too by arguing that the federal government is not taxing people to pay for health care, but then says state must comply with the new law because they can't avoid paying taxes, Virginia's attorney general's office argued in federal court Thursday.
In a hearing to determine whether Virginia has the standing to go forward with it lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Affordable Health Care Act, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Ian Gershengorn argued for the federal government that the Commonwealth of Virginia did not have the right to ignore the federal law because of the minimum coverage standard provision.
In brief, the provision says that if people don't buy health care insurance they must pay a fine. Gershengorn argued that the provision is a tax, which states can not ignore.
Recommended Guests:
Michael Barry, Director of Pastoral Care, Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Phila.Twila Brase, President and Co-founder, Citizens' Council on Healthcare FreedomMarjorie Dannenfelser, President and Chairman of the Board, Susan B. Anthony ListColin Hanna, Colin Hanna, President, Let Freedom Ring USA6/21/2010 | Healthcare
Senate Fails to Spare Doctors from Medicare Cuts
Associated Press
The Senate passed legislation Friday to spare doctors a 21 percent cut in Medicare payments - but the last-ditch effort did not come in time.
Moments after the Senate acted, Medicare announced it would begin processing claims it has already received for June at the lower rate. The reason: the House cannot act on the fix until next week.
That means doctors, nurse practitioners, physical therapists and other providers who bill under Medicare's physician fee schedule will have to resubmit their claims if they want to be made whole, with added paperwork costs both for the providers and for taxpayers.
Recommended Guests:
Michael Barry, Director of Pastoral Care, Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Phila.Twila Brase, President and Co-founder, Citizens' Council on Healthcare FreedomMarjorie Dannenfelser, President and Chairman of the Board, Susan B. Anthony ListColin Hanna, Colin Hanna, President, Let Freedom Ring USA6/15/2010 | Healthcare
2011 Medical Costs Will Increase for Employers
Associated Press
Companies that offer employee health insurance expect another steep jump in medical costs next year, and more will ask workers to share a bigger chunk of the expense, according to a new PricewaterhouseCoopers report.
For the first time, most of the American workforce is expected to have health insurance deductibles of $400 or more, the consulting firm said in a report released to The Associated Press.
Recommended Guests:
Michael Barry, Director of Pastoral Care, Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Phila.Twila Brase, President and Co-founder, Citizens' Council on Healthcare FreedomMarjorie Dannenfelser, President and Chairman of the Board, Susan B. Anthony ListColin Hanna, Colin Hanna, President, Let Freedom Ring USA6/11/2010 | Healthcare
ObamaCare could learn from states
OneNewsNow
Grace-Marie Turner (Galen Institute)An advocate for patient-centered health reform says when it comes to healthcare, the federal government should look to lessons learned by individual states.
Grace-Marie Turner, president of the free-market think tank Galen Institute, tells OneNewsNow that as ObamaCare begins to kick in, the government must make sure it does not repeat some of the healthcare mistakes made by states -- like telling doctors what drugs they can or cannot prescribe.
"States like Georgia have found that if you have politicians deciding 'Well, we just want the doctor to prescribe the cheapest drug,' that they often wind up with higher health costs in the long run, because patients either don't comply with the medication or they wind up in the hospital or back in the doctor's office with higher health costs, because that drug didn't work for them," Turner points out.
Recommended Guests:
Michael Barry, Director of Pastoral Care, Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Phila.Twila Brase, President and Co-founder, Citizens' Council on Healthcare FreedomMarjorie Dannenfelser, President and Chairman of the Board, Susan B. Anthony ListColin Hanna, Colin Hanna, President, Let Freedom Ring USA6/1/2010 | Healthcare
Soaring costs force Canada to reassess health model
Reuters
Pressured by an aging population and the need to rein in budget deficits, Canada's provinces are taking tough measures to curb healthcare costs, a trend that could erode the principles of the popular state-funded system. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, kicked off a fierce battle with drug companies and pharmacies when it said earlier this year it would halve generic drug prices and eliminate "incentive fees" to generic drug manufacturers. British Columbia is replacing block grants to hospitals with fee-for-procedure payments and Quebec has a new flat health tax and a proposal for payments on each medical visit -- an idea that critics say is an illegal user fee. And a few provinces are also experimenting with private funding for procedures such as hip, knee and cataract surgery.
Recommended Guests:
Michael Barry, Director of Pastoral Care, Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Phila.Twila Brase, President and Co-founder, Citizens' Council on Healthcare FreedomMarjorie Dannenfelser, President and Chairman of the Board, Susan B. Anthony ListColin Hanna, Colin Hanna, President, Let Freedom Ring USA5/26/2010 | Healthcare
Democratic House Leader Says America is Already Rationing Health Care
CNS News
House Majority Leader Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said the man nominated to run Medicare and Medicaid Services, Dr. Donald Berwick, is qualified to oversee the two massive government health care programs despite Berwick’s claim that the government must ration health care. Hoyer added that health care rationing already is happening in America.
At his Tuesday briefing for reporters, CNSNews.com asked Rep. Hoyer, “Donald Berwick -- who's the administration's nominee to run Medicare and Medicaid -- said in a 2009 interview that ‘the decision is not whether or not we will ration care -- but the decision is whether we will ration with our eyes open.’ Rationing is something the Democrats were accused of wanting to do during the health care debate. I know you don't have a vote on his nomination but do you support his nomination? Do you think that he's qualified to run CMS?” (CMS is the acronym for the federal government’s Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services.)
Recommended Guests:
Michael Barry, Director of Pastoral Care, Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Phila.Twila Brase, President and Co-founder, Citizens' Council on Healthcare FreedomMarjorie Dannenfelser, President and Chairman of the Board, Susan B. Anthony ListColin Hanna, Colin Hanna, President, Let Freedom Ring USA5/18/2010 | Healthcare, Law
If Confirmed to Supreme Court, Kagan May Have To Recuse Herself in Health Care Cases
CNS News
If confirmed to the Supreme Court, Elena Kagan may have to recuse herself if the health care reform law comes before the high court. This is the case because as solicitor general of the United States in the Obama administration, Kagan may have helped craft a legal defense of the law or given advice to Congress or the White House on how to draft the statute.
Historically, Supreme Court justices recuse themselves from hearing cases in which they have previously been involved. Kagan, who as solicitor general is responsible for defending the federal government in federal court and before the Supreme Court, may have been involved in responding to lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of the health care reform.
Recommended Guests:
Michael Barry, Director of Pastoral Care, Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Phila.Twila Brase, President and Co-founder, Citizens' Council on Healthcare FreedomMarjorie Dannenfelser, President and Chairman of the Board, Susan B. Anthony ListFrank Gaffney, Founder and President , Center for Security PolicyColin Hanna, Colin Hanna, President, Let Freedom Ring USA5/14/2010 | Healthcare
Small business group joins health reform lawsuit
Reuters
An influential small business lobby group said on Friday it had joined 20 states in a lawsuit arguing insurance coverage requirements in the newly enacted healthcare overhaul are unconstitutional.
The National Federation of Independent Business announced its decision ahead of a news conference in Florida with state Attorney General Bill McCollum to discuss the lawsuit.
"The outpouring of opposition to this new law was overwhelming and our members urged us to do everything in our power to stop this unconstitutional law," NFIB President and chief executive Dan Danner said in a statement.
"Small business owners everywhere are rightfully concerned that the unconstitutional new mandates, countless rules and new taxes in the healthcare law will devastate their business and their ability to create jobs," he added.
Recommended Guests:
Michael Barry, Director of Pastoral Care, Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Phila.Twila Brase, President and Co-founder, Citizens' Council on Healthcare FreedomMarjorie Dannenfelser, President and Chairman of the Board, Susan B. Anthony ListColin Hanna, Colin Hanna, President, Let Freedom Ring USA5/11/2010 | Healthcare
Expanded Insurance Coverage for Young Adults Will Raise Premiums, Government Says
Associated Press
Letting young adults stay on their parents' health insurance until they turn 26 will nudge premiums nearly 1 percent higher for employer plans, the government said in an estimate released Monday.
The coverage requirement, effective starting later this year, is one of the most anticipated early benefits of President Barack Obama's new health care law. Many insurers have already started offering extended coverage to families who purchase their coverage directly. And employers say parents have flooded their benefits departments with questions.
Recommended Guests:
Michael Barry, Director of Pastoral Care, Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Phila.Twila Brase, President and Co-founder, Citizens' Council on Healthcare FreedomMarjorie Dannenfelser, President and Chairman of the Board, Susan B. Anthony ListColin Hanna, Colin Hanna, President, Let Freedom Ring USA4/8/2010 | Healthcare, Taxes
Rep. Wasserman Schultz Insists Health Care Law Doesn't Require Individuals to Buy Insurance
CNS News
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D.-Fla.) is insisting that the new health care law she voted for last month does not mandate that individuals buy health insurance, despite language in the law that plainly says otherwise.
At an April 5 town hall meeting in Fort Lauderdale (see video below), a constituent asked Wasserman Shultz where the Constitution authorized Congress to mandate that individuals buy health insurance. She responded that the new health care law did not require individuals to buy health insurance.
Recommended Guests:
Michael Barry, Director of Pastoral Care, Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Phila.Twila Brase, President and Co-founder, Citizens' Council on Healthcare FreedomMarjorie Dannenfelser, President and Chairman of the Board, Susan B. Anthony ListColin Hanna, Colin Hanna, President, Let Freedom Ring USAGrover Norquist, President, Americans for Tax Reform (ATR)3/26/2010 | Healthcare
Companies say health care costs hard to swallow
Associated Press
The health care overhaul will cost U.S. companies billions and make them more likely to drop prescription drug coverage for retirees because of a change in how the government subsidizes those benefits.
In the first two days after the law was signed, three major companies — Deere & Co., Caterpillar Inc. and Valero Energy — said they expect to take a total hit of $265 million to account for smaller tax deductions in the future.
Figuring out what it will mean for retirees will take longer, but analysts said as many as 2 million could lose the prescription drug coverage provided by their former employers, leaving them to enroll in Medicare's program.
Recommended Guests:
Michael Barry, Director of Pastoral Care, Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Phila.Twila Brase, President and Co-founder, Citizens' Council on Healthcare FreedomMarjorie Dannenfelser, President and Chairman of the Board, Susan B. Anthony ListColin Hanna, Colin Hanna, President, Let Freedom Ring USA3/25/2010 | Healthcare, Taxes
12 Taxes in Health Care Law Violate Obama’s Pledge Not to Increase Taxes on Households Earning Less than $250,000
CNS News
As many as a dozen taxes in the new health care law violate President Barack Obama’s campaign pledge not to raise taxes on families earning less than $250,000 and on individuals earning less than $200,000.
At least seven of these taxes directly affect health consumers regardless of income, such as the individual mandate to buy insurance, the employer mandate, the tanning tax, and limits and penalties on health savings accounts. In addition, Republicans argue that the tax impact of the law should include indirect taxes, such as the annual taxes on the health care sector that will be passed on to consumers.
Recommended Guests:
Michael Barry, Director of Pastoral Care, Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Phila.Twila Brase, President and Co-founder, Citizens' Council on Healthcare FreedomMarjorie Dannenfelser, President and Chairman of the Board, Susan B. Anthony ListColin Hanna, Colin Hanna, President, Let Freedom Ring USAGrover Norquist, President, Americans for Tax Reform (ATR)3/25/2010 | Healthcare, Law
Republican Lawmaker Expects Supreme Court to Decide Constitutionality of Health Care Law’s Individual Mandate
CNS News
Reps. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.) and Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) told CNSNews.com that the Constitution does not give Congress the authority to require individuals to buy health insurance, as mandated by the new health care bill that was signed into law on Tuesday.
Both representatives appeared with Actor Jon Voight at a Capitol Hill Tea Party rally over the March 20 weekend.
Recommended Guests:
Michael Barry, Director of Pastoral Care, Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Phila.Twila Brase, President and Co-founder, Citizens' Council on Healthcare FreedomMarjorie Dannenfelser, President and Chairman of the Board, Susan B. Anthony ListFrank Gaffney, Founder and President , Center for Security PolicyColin Hanna, Colin Hanna, President, Let Freedom Ring USA3/23/2010 | Healthcare
Obama to Sign Health Care Bill Today as GOP Challenges Constitutionality
ABC News
President Obama will sign the historic health care bill into law this morning, but Republicans are still fighting back with promises of lawsuits and heated rhetoric, including a shot from one GOP governor who blasted what he called Obama's "nanny nation approach" to government.
Minn. Gov. Tim Pawlenty discusses his party's fight over bill's legality.
Republicans across the country are specifically challenging the mandate in the health care bill that requires every individual to have health insurance, charging that it is unconstitutional.
Recommended Guests:
Michael Barry, Director of Pastoral Care, Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Phila.Twila Brase, President and Co-founder, Citizens' Council on Healthcare FreedomMarjorie Dannenfelser, President and Chairman of the Board, Susan B. Anthony ListColin Hanna, Colin Hanna, President, Let Freedom Ring USA3/23/2010 | Healthcare, Taxes
IRS to Enforce Health Reform
CNS News
The Internal Revenue Service will function as the government’s chief enforcer for health care reform, should President Obama sign the bill into law as expected, monitoring both businesses and individuals to certify whether they have the insurance coverage the government requires.
In order to carry out its new monitoring and enforcement duties, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that the IRS will need $10 billion in additional funds, funds which were not made available under the health reform bill.
Recommended Guests:
Michael Barry, Director of Pastoral Care, Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Phila.Twila Brase, President and Co-founder, Citizens' Council on Healthcare FreedomMarjorie Dannenfelser, President and Chairman of the Board, Susan B. Anthony ListColin Hanna, Colin Hanna, President, Let Freedom Ring USAGrover Norquist, President, Americans for Tax Reform (ATR)3/16/2010 | Healthcare
Nearly One-Third of Doctors Could Leave Medicine if Health-Care Reform Bill Passes, New England Journal of Medicine Says
CNS News
Nearly one-third of all practicing physicians may leave the medical profession if President Obama signs current versions of health-care reform legislation into law, according to a survey published in the latest issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
The survey, which was conducted by the Medicus Firm, a leading physician search and consulting firm based in Atlanta and Dallas, found that a majority of physicians said health-care reform would cause the quality of American medical care to “deteriorate” and it could be the “final straw” that sends a sizeable number of doctors out of medicine.
Recommended Guests:
Michael Barry, Director of Pastoral Care, Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Phila.Twila Brase, President and Co-founder, Citizens' Council on Healthcare FreedomMarjorie Dannenfelser, President and Chairman of the Board, Susan B. Anthony ListColin Hanna, Colin Hanna, President, Let Freedom Ring USA3/8/2010 | Healthcare
Susan B. Anthony List Press Teleconference, March 5, 2010 – Ohio Polling Results
Press Call from the SBA List
Thanks for joining the call today. I'm Joy Yearout with the Susan B. Anthony List. I'll be your moderator this morning. The purpose of the teleconference is to announce the results of several polls we did on abortion and healthcare in select congressional districts in Ohio. We'll discuss the results and how they're informing the Susan B. Anthony List's effort to leverage the pro-life grassroots.
CLICK ON MARJORIE DANNENFELSER'S BIOGRAPHY TO THE RIGHT TO READ THE ENTIRE TRANSCRIPT
Please install Flash® and turn on Javascript.
Recommended Guests:
Michael Barry, Director of Pastoral Care, Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Phila.Twila Brase, President and Co-founder, Citizens' Council on Healthcare FreedomMarjorie Dannenfelser, President and Chairman of the Board, Susan B. Anthony ListColin Hanna, Colin Hanna, President, Let Freedom Ring USA