Analysis by The Bell Policy Center Only 6 percent of Americans will become new buyers of health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. The Bell Policy Center analyzed data from the Urban Institute and found that just 2 percent of people who are now uninsured will have to buy health insurance without some sort of subsidy. An additional 4 percent of Americans will be required to buy health insurance, but their incomes will allow them to qualify for subsidies to help pay for the insurance. The remaining 94 percent of Americans already have private health insurance through work, have coverage…
Category: Archived - Part 9
By Katie Kerwin McCrimmon Do you wear a seat belt when you drive? Do you recycle? Do you think smoking is unhealthy? Its likely your answers are yes, yes and yes again. But decades ago, cars didnt have seat belts, no one bothered to recycle and once upon a time, Americans viewed smoking as glamorous, not as a killer habit to be uniformly condemned. Education campaigns over years convinced people to change their attitudes. Thats the long-term goal of a new effort that is being launched today to engage Coloradans about important health coverage and care issues. The campaign, Project…
By Dr. Chris Urbina Never have I been satisfied with average at least when it comes to report cards. Unfortunately, the results of the Colorado Health Foundations 2011 Colorado Health Report Card, to be released this week, show Colorado is generally getting above average to below average grades when compared to other states in 38 health indicators. But while the report card indicates how Colorado is doing in certain national rankings, it doesnt provide a complete picture of how the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment is working with the states 54 local public health agencies and other partners…
By Vicki Cowart Like many women across Colorado and the nation, I am outraged and perplexed about the birth control debate taking place in todays political climate. First, there was the all-male congressional hearing on the Obama Administrations new birth control benefit that ensures women have access to birth control with no costly co-pays, regardless of where they work. The Republican Congressional leaders refused to let any woman speak in support of the new birth control benefit during that hearing. In fact, they said that a woman affected by the policy wasnt appropriate or qualified to speak on the issues….
By Diane Carman Michael Pollen, one of the high priests of the trendy local, organic food movement, is brutally honest about its real impact on the American diet. As a percentage of food production, he said, its still in the single digits. Despite high-profile advocates from Chez Panisse celebrity chef Alice Waters to First Lady Michelle Obama, the industrial food production system still reigns supreme. For those who do harvest lettuce or fresh eggs from backyard gardens, buy peaches from a farmers market and cook dinner at home instead of picking it up at a fast-food drive-through, the benefits go…
Medical marijuana banned on school grounds Dont expect to see students or teachers or other staff members legally smoking or consuming marijuana on school grounds, even if they possess medical marijuana cards.The Colorado Association of School Boards certainly wont be drawing up sample model policies to permit sanctioned use of the drug on campuses, said Brad Stauffer, associate executive director. In fact, Colorado school districts have begun to adopt policies that specifically spell out the opposite. We feel the laws in place clearly support what our policies say, that is, that the use of medical marijuana is prohibited in schools,…
By Terrance R. Kelly The most important issue today in health care morality is crystal clear. It has nothing to do with birth control insurance coverage for employees of Catholic universities and hospitals, the Catholic hierarchy or Republican presidential candidates. Several cancer drugs that are the mainstay of treatment regimens used to cure several cancers,are not being manufactured in sufficient quantities to meet the life-and-death needs of cancer patients. Dr. Michael Link, the president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, states, If you are a pediatric oncologist, you know how to cure 70 to 80 percent of patients. But…
By Diane Carman Listening to the candidates vying for the Republican presidential nomination might lead your average health care consumer to think the system is on the verge of collapse. While the Affordable Care Act is not yet fully implemented and remains in large part unproven, some health care systems around the country are demonstrating the potential for significant improvements in cost control, access to care and better outcomes. They also are acting as testing grounds for such health care reform concepts as medical homes, virtual health care, electronic medical records, integrated behavioral health care and revenue pooling across care…
By Bob Semro Prescription drugs are a big part of the monthly budget for many seniors on Medicare, and provisions in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) are working to lower those costs. In 2011, 3.6 million Medicare recipients nationwide saved $2.1 billion in prescription drug costs, according to estimates released last week by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). In Colorado, 39,746 Medicare recipients saved $22.8 million on prescription drugs, or $579 per person on average, according to these estimates. HHS projects these savings will increase over time totaling nearly $4,200 for the average Medicare recipient by 2020….