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Health Care Blog

  • Health Insurance Reform & TRICARE

    Posted by Jesse Lee on August 11, 2009 at 12:58 PM EDT

    One of the President’s top priorities since coming into office has been to give our veterans "the care they were promised and the benefits that they have earned." That began with the largest single-year increase in VA funding in three decades, and with trying to initiating electronic medical records that would follow a member of the Armed Forces through their transition into VA care and stay with them forever.
    And so we have been particularly concerned with correcting any misperception that health insurance reform would have any negative effect whatsoever on veterans’ access to their care. One of the first "Reality Check" videos we made for our new page on myths about reform was with Matt Flavin, Director of Veterans and Wounded Warrior Policy:
    Viewing this video requires Adobe Flash Player 8 or higher. Download the free player.
    Yesterday in response for our call for more myths and questions that we should address, however, we got an email from a veteran in Virginia:
    "I am a 27 year Marine Corps Veteran on Tricare Prime. Will the "Proposed" or "Pending Legislation" affect in any way shape or form the current Tricare system?"
    To answer that email and others like it, we’ve just added the following to our FAQ page on WhiteHouse.gov/RealityCheck. Hope this puts his mind at ease:
    Q I am active duty military and I am worried that health reform will affect my care under TRICARE.
    A The President is committed to ensuring that America’s servicemen and women have high quality care. This was an issue he fought for when he was a United States Senator and will continue fighting for as President. You have given much to your country, and we are determined to provide you and your family with good, reliable health care.
    Health reform will only build on our commitment to military health care. TRICARE will continue to be available for all eligible servicemen and women, and their families. The health reform legislation that is being considered would enable those who are covered by TRICARE to meet the shared responsibility requirement for individuals to have insurance, thereby exempting such members of the uniformed services and dependants from being assessed penalties. If enacted, the President will ensure that this exemption is implemented aggressively. The Secretary of Defense would continue to maintain sole authority over the system and for enhancing the quality and access for all eligible members of the uniformed services.
     

    Learn more about Health Care, Veterans

  • 12.6 Million is a BIG Number

    Posted by Katherine Brandon on August 11, 2009 at 10:22 AM EDT

    12.6 million people.
    That’s how many non-elderly adults (36% of those who tried to purchase health insurance in the individual insurance market) were discriminated against because of a pre-existing condition in the past three years. You can read more alarming facts about the number of Americans being denied coverage at healthreform.gov.
    The status quo that allows for discrimination based on pre-existing conditions has real consequences: millions of Americans do not have access to adequate health care. We’ve all heard the horror stories about people behind denied the care they need because of pre-existing conditions, which is why the President recently unveiled the Health Insurance Consumer Protections. These protections show how health insurance reform will provide security for you and your family, and guarantee you will never be denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition.
    You’ve probably heard the rumors out there that the health reform will lead to "rationing" of care, or will cut funding for our seniors. These stories simply aren’t true. As Kavita Patel, M.D. points out in her video, rationing is happening in our broken health insurance system right now and reform will provide affordable access and restore control over medical decisions to patients and their doctors.
    In fact, the President’s plan will benefit all Americans by lowering costs, increasing quality of care, and providing choice. Even if you’re happy with your insurance now, health insurance reform will provide security and stability by ensuring that if you ever need to make a change you or your family members won’t face discriminating and unfair practices in the future.
    Get all the facts at whitehouse.gov/realitycheck.
     

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  • Streaming at 2:00: Stakeholder Discussion on Advanced Models of Primary Care

    Posted by Katherine Brandon on August 10, 2009 at 1:14 PM EDT

    As we move full steam ahead on health insurance reform, we’re working to provide you with accurate information about what health reform will mean for you and your family. You probably saw our new "Reality Check" site, aimed at debunking the myths and giving you the facts on comprehensive health insurance reform. You can also go to HealthReform.gov, and check out a state-by-state analysis of how health insurance reform will impact people living in your state.
    We’re also continuing our ongoing series of health care stakeholder discussions. At 2:00, Director of the White House Office of Health Reform Nancy-Ann DeParle hosts a stakeholder discussion on the potential impact of advanced models of primary care. The roundtable will include leaders of several successful practices, and the discussion will focus on identifying opportunities to strengthen our primary care system so that we can lower costs, improve quality, and increase patient satisfaction.
    [UPDATE: This event has now concluded]
     

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  • Reality Check

    Posted by Macon Phillips on August 10, 2009 at 5:00 AM EDT

    If you've tuned into the news in the past few days, it's clear that the debate about health insurance reform has heated up as Senators and Representatives return to their home states and districts. A troubling trend has also emerged: as more people become engaged in the issue, defenders of the status quo have responded by muddying the waters with more wild rumors and scare tactics.
    It's time for a reality check.
    Today the White House is rolling out a new website that focuses on what reform really means for you and your family, debunks some common myths along the way and provides you with online tools and content to share the facts with friends, family and anyone else in your social network.
    The first set of videos addresses a wide scope of topics and debunks some of those common myths:
    There is also a handy FAQ about health insurance reform.
    Moving forward, we'll use this platform to provide you with the latest "Reality Checks" and tools to combat misinformation.
    We also want to hear from you. If you have questions about health insurance reform or suggestions on what topics we should address next, please let us know.
    The road ahead will surely reveal more aggressive efforts from defenders of the status quo to confuse and scare Americans with half-truths and outright lies. We're all too familiar with the time-tested tactics that opponents of reform have used for decades to prevent the meaningful change our health insurance system needs.
    Now, with what the President calls "the best chance of reform we have ever had," it’s time for citizens across the country get the facts about reform and work on the grassroots level to add a healthy dose of reality into the national discussion on health insurance reform.
     

    Learn more about Economy, Health Care, Seniors and Social Security, Veterans

  • Weekly Address: The Necessity of Health Reform and Absurdity of the Attacks

    Posted by Jesse Lee on August 8, 2009 at 12:01 AM EDT

    The President calls health insurance reform critical to our nation's long-term economic strength and dispels the outlandish rumors being promoted by those who are defending the status quo.
    Viewing this video requires Adobe Flash Player 8 or higher. Download the free player.
    download .mp3 | download .mp4 (63.3 MB) | read the transcript

    Learn more about Economy, Health Care

  • Watch, Discuss, Engage at 1:00: Secretary Sebelius on Health Reform Myths

    Posted by Linda Douglass on August 7, 2009 at 11:30 AM EDT

    If you’ve been following the health insurance reform debate, you probably have a number of questions about how health insurance reform will help you and improve the quality of care you receive. With all the talk about health insurance reform, it can be difficult to sort out fact from fiction.
    We want to be sure you have the facts and answer your questions. Today, I’ll be moderating a webcast with Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and other top HHS officials where we’ll discuss how health insurance reform will benefit all Americans and take on some of the myths you may have heard. The webcast will begin at 1:00 PM EDT and you can watch it at www.healthreform.gov. You can also watch and discuss using the White House Facebook application.
    During the webcast, we’ll be answering your questions. Questions can be emailed to hhsstudio@hhs.gov or submitted via Twitter by using the hashtag #HCRQ.
    We look forward to answering your questions today.
    [UPDATE: This event has now concluded]
     

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