One of the major flaws of the Affordable Care Act is that underinsurance will become the new standard for health insurance in the United States.
For more than 20 years, PNHPās Senior Health Policy Fellow Don McCanne, M.D. wrote a daily health policy update, taking an excerpt or quote from a health care news story or analysis and commenting on its significance to the single-payer movement.
PNHP has archived Dr. McCanneās listserv below; to read current daily analysis on a broad range of health justice topics, please visit the McCanne Health Justice Monitor website.
WellPoint walks away from sick patients
WellPoint's Profit, Membership ShrinksBy Anjali AthavaleyThe Wall Street Journal, April 25, 2012WellPoint Inc. reported a 7.6% decline in first-quarter earnings and a decrease in members,
WellPoint walks away from sick patients
What is a private commercial insurer to do when when one or more of their plans has thousands of members with expensive health issues? Walk
Richard Gottfried’s response to insurers cheating on out-of-network payments
Let New York Health help pay the billsBy Richard N. Gottfriedtimesunion.com, April 1, 2012You buy a health insurance policy that covers care by "in-network" doctors
Richard Gottfried's response to insurers cheating on out-of-network payments
Let New York Health help pay the billsBy Richard N. Gottfriedtimesunion.com, April 1, 2012You buy a health insurance policy that covers care by "in-network" doctors
Richard Gottfried's response to insurers cheating on out-of-network payments
Yesterday's Quote of the Day message explained how, in a legal settlement, private insurers were required to develop a new program - FAIR Health -
Insurers dodge intent of Ingenix settlement
Insurers Alter Cost Formula, and Patients Pay MoreBy Nina BernsteinThe New York Times, April 23, 2012Despite a landmark settlement that was expected to increase coverage
Insurers dodge intent of Ingenix settlement
One of the many reasons that private insurers lost their credibility as being a fair arbiter of our health care dollars is the story of
GAO denounces giveaway to private Medicare Advantage plans
G.A.O. Calls Test Project by Medicare Costly WasteBy Robert PearThe New York Times, April 22, 2012Medicare is wasting more than $8 billion on an experimental
GAO denounces giveaway to private Medicare Advantage plans
When we need to reinforce the traditional Medicare program and provide it for everyone, the Obama administration has given more of our tax money to
For-profit health care in Alberta a dud
Delivery Matters: the high costs of for-profit health services in AlbertaBy Diana GibsonParkland Institute, April 2012In Alberta and across Canada, the private for-profit healthcare sector
Is the Basic Health Program option a good idea?
The Role of the Basic Health Program in the Coverage Continuum: Opportunities, Risks and Considerations for StatesBy Deborah Bachrach, Melinda Dutton, Jennifer Tolbert and Julia