Medical Health Animation

Obama Appoints Former Sen. Daschle As HHS Secretary, Democratic Officials Say
Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) has accepted an offer from President-elect Barack Obama to become the new HHS secretary, according to Democratic officials, the AP/San Francisco Chronicle reports (Freking, AP/San Francisco Chronicle, 11/19).

Michigan Attorney General Says Lawmakers Should Not Pass Health Insurance Legislation In Lame-Duck Session
Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox (R) and consumer advocates on Tuesday asked the state Legislature to abandon plans to approve legislation in the upcoming lame-duck session that would allow Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, the state's insurer of last resort, to restructure, the

Average Annual Deductible For Individual Employer-Sponsored PPO Now Over $1,000, According To Survey
The increasing cost of health care in the U.S. has prompted more U.S. employers to shift a larger portion of the expenses to their workers, pushing the average annual PPO deductible in 2008 for a single worker to more than $1,000, according to a study released on Wednesday by Mercer , the

AHIP, BCBS Say They Support Guaranteed Coverage For People With Pre-Existing Health Conditions, As Long As All Individuals Required To Obtain Cover
America's Health Insurance Plans and the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association in separate announcements on Wednesday said that they would support guaranteed health coverage for people with pre-existing health conditions, as long as lawmakers also approve an enforceable requirement that all U.S. residents obtain coverage, the

Analysis Examines Cost Of Employer-Sponsored Health Coverage; Report Looks At Medicare Part D Plan Changes; More
"Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance -- A Comparison of the Availability and Cost of Coverage for Workers in Small Firms and Large Firms," Kaiser Family Foundation: The analysis, part of the Foundation's online

President-Elect Obama Likely To Pick CBO Director Orszag As Director Of U.S. Office Of Management And Budget
President-elect Barack Obama reportedly plans to name Congressional Budget Office Director Peter Orszag as director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, the AP/Miami Herald reports (Taylor, AP/Miami Herald, 11/19).

Board Adopts Recommendations To Overhaul Oregon Health Care System
The Oregon Health Fund Board on Monday unanimously adopted recommendations to overhaul the state's health care system and provide coverage to all state residents by 2019, the Oregonian reports.

Automaker Bankruptcies Would Require Taxpayers To Pay $3B Annually For Health Care, UAW President Gettelfinger Says
Taxpayers would have to pay at least $3 billion annually in the event that the Big Three automakers -- General Motors, Chrysler and Ford -- have to file for bankruptcy and no longer pay for retiree health care,

Most Massachusetts Physicians Surveyed Practice 'Defensive Medicine,' Which Could Be Driving Up State Health Care Costs
Eighty-three percent of physicians surveyed in Massachusetts say they practice so-called "defensive medicine" because they are concerned they might be sued by patients, a trend that adds at least $1.4 billion annually to state health care costs, according to a report by the Massachusetts Medical Society, the

Open Season For Medicare Part D Enrollment
From November 15th to the end of December is "open season" for American senior citizens to sign up for another year to benefit from the federal government program known as Medicare Part D designed to help eligible older Americans pay for prescription drugs.

Sen. Kennedy Taps Senators To Lead Various Working Groups Aimed At Improving U.S. Health Care
Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chair Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) on Tuesday named committee members to lead three working groups that will target specific aspects of the health care system in writing overhaul legislation, including Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) as head of the group on insurance coverage, the Washington Post's "

AARP Hires Outside Investigator To Examine Sales Of Limited-Coverage Plans
AARP has hired an outside investigator to look into sales of its limited-benefit health insurance plans after a Senate inquiry found evidence of deceptive marketing, the New York Times reports (Pear, New York Times, 11/19). AARP last week said it would suspend marketing and sales of the plans after Sen.

Medicare Must Be Addressed Before U.S. Can Overhaul Health Care System, Opinion Piece States
"Fiscally speaking, the U.S. government has been living on borrowed time for decades" because it "has promised massively expensive benefits -- mainly Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid -- heedless of the enormous tax burdens these promises implicitly place on our children and grandchildren," according to a

Sen. Edward Kennedy Plans To Introduce Universal Health Care Bill
Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chair Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) on Monday returned to the Senate for the first time since July and reaffirmed his intentions to introduce universal health care legislation next year, the New York Times' "The Caucus" reports.

Growing Number Of Companies Provide On-Site Health Care Services For Workers
A growing number of businesses are providing workers access to on-site health clinics "that potentially can save employees hundreds of dollars a year," the Wall Street Journal reports. According to a survey by Watson Wyatt and the not-for-profit