Healthcare 2012

League of Women Voters^®
of La Plata County

Healthcare_2012

"Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane." -Martin Luther King Jr.
To reference 2007-2009 LWV-LPC Healthcare activities, click on our Healthcare Archive page to the left.

Upcoming Events. Legislative Alerts/News. US Healthcare Legislation/News. CO Healthcare Legislation/News. LWVUS Healthcare Positions 2011. LWVCO Healthcare Actions. La Plata actions. Member Letters. News Items. Healthcare References. Past Events.

Upcoming Events

Legislative Alerts/News

US Healthcare Legislation/News

*2/16/12 Washington Post:Lawmakers debate mandated coverage of contraceptives in health-care law By Sarah Kliff, Published: February 16
Tempers flared on Capitol Hill on Thursday as lawmakers waded into an increasingly heated debate over the mandated coverage of contraceptives under the nation's new health-care law.
Several Democrats walked out of a House hearing on the provision, accusing Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) of blocking testimony from a female witness who supports the mandate.
The stormy hearing -- and a comment from a key supporter of Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum that quickly drew fury -- provided further evidence of how the issue remains political dynamite despite the Obama administration's efforts to reach a compromise...
*1/9/12 Durango Herald:Nation hits brakes on health-care spending By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar Associated Press
WASHINGTON + Is health-care relief finally in sight?Health spending stabilized as a share of the nation's economy in 2010 after two back-to-back years of historically low growth, the government reported Monday. Experts debated whether it's a fleeting consequence of the sluggish economy, or a real sign that cost controls by private employers and government at all levels are starting to work.
The answers will be vital for Medicare's sustainability, as well as for workplace coverage. U.S. health-care spending grew by 3.9 percent in 2010, reaching $2.6 trillion, according to the report by the Health and Human Services department. That's an average of $8,402 per person + far more than any other economically advanced country.
Still, the increases for 2010 and 2009 were the lowest measured in 51 years. And health care as a share of the economy leveled off at 17.9 percent, the first time in years there's been no growth. The main reason for the slowdown was that Americans were more frugal in their use of health care, from postponing elective surgery to using generic drugs and thinking twice about that late-night visit to the emergency room.
"Although medical goods and services are generally viewed as necessities, the latest recession has had a dramatic effect on their utilization," said the report published in the journal Health Affairs. "Though the recession officially ended in 2009, its impact on the health-care sector appears to have continued into 2010."...

Colorado Healthcare Legislation/News

*1/29/12 Durango Herald:More of Colorado's children insured Increase in part because more qualify for subsidized health care By Ann Imse Colorado Public News
A campaign to provide health insurance to children is showing progress in Colorado, where two surveys show the number of uninsured kids is down to 8 to 10 percent. That's a drop from the 13 to 14 percent rates of just a few years ago.
The group All Kids Covered estimates that 112,000 to 124,000 children in the state remain without health insurance.
The counties with the highest number of uninsured children are Jackson, Moffat, Rio Blanco, Garfield and Routt counties. The overall rate of people in Colorado without health insurance is 16 to 17 percent.
One major reason for the rising number of children who are covered by health insurance is high unemployment, which is dropping families into lower incomes that qualify them for free or subsidized insurance from the government...
*1/10/12 Durango Herald:Colorado legislators to face bevy of health-care bills By Erika Gonzalez Colorado Public News
Colorado lawmakers expect to consider numerous health-care issues this session, from tougher "truth in advertising" requirements for medical providers to imposing more stringent standards on food sold in public schools.
But with Colorado's rising Medicaid costs already devouring a third of the state budget, don't expect to see many health-care measures aimed at funding new programs or expanding services. Instead, legislators are focused on cutting costs to meet current obligations as they gear up for the new session, which starts Wednesday.
"Everybody is asking tough questions about how we find more cost-efficiencies," said state Sen. Kevin Lundberg, R-Berthoud...

LWVUS Healthcare Positions 2011

LWVCO Healthcare Actions

LWV-La Plata Actions

*1/29/12 LWVLPC: CIVHC: CENTER FOR IMPROVING VALUE IN HEALTH CARE supplied by Jill Patton, Chair of LWVLPC Healthcare Committee
This organization came into being as the brainchild of the 2008 Blue Ribbon Commission for Health Care Reform. Originally part of state government, it transitioned to a nonprofit in 2011, and now receives funding from a number of foundations. Local provider Karen Zink is a member of the board of directors, along with representatives of the business community, insurance companies, hospitals, providers and others.

Letters from our Members

*1/30/12 LWVLPC: Update on Health Care Issues in La Plata County from Jill Patton, Chairperson for LWVLPC Health Care Committee
Back in 2009, the local Citizens Health Advisory Council (CHAC) was among those instrumental in applying for and receiving a grant from the Colorado Health Foundation (CHF) to hire Julie Thompson to analyze health care needs in La Plata County and to develop recommendations to meet those needs. The main focus was to be on people without access to reliable, quality health care + particularly those with no or inadequate insurance. In 2010, Julie made eight recommendations. Her recommendations can be found on the CHAC website ...

News Items

Healthcare References

*2/13/12 NYTimes Book Review: Cartoon That Cuts Through the Health Care Brambles By CORNELIA DEAN
If you have been following the so-called debate over the Affordable Care Act of 2010 -- often referred to by critics as Obamacare -- you may be confused about what has changed so far and what it may mean in the future. You may even occasionally wish someone would draw you a diagram.
Now someone has done that, offering an easy-to-understand cartoon walk through the health care policy landscape. In "Health Care Reform," readers see patients, workers, employers and others confront some of the legislation's knotty issues, especially the mandate requiring everyone to have health insurance, the chief issue the Supreme Court will take up in March when justices hear challenges to the bill...
*Colorado Health Care Law Blog QUICK READS: Healthcare Law In the News

Past Events

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