Health Care Reform – Latest Poll

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010

Most voters still favor repeal of the national health care bill, but support for repeal has fallen to its lowest level since the bill passed in March. Voters remain skeptical, however, about the impact of the plan on the deficit and on the quality and cost of health care.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 52% of voters favor repeal of the health care bill, while 40% are opposed.

A week ago, 55% favored repeal, and 40% opposed it. Voters with health insurance overwhelmingly like the coverage they have, but 44% of that group now think the health care bill is likely to make them change that coverage.

Rasmussen Reports has been tracking sentiments about repeal since the plan’s passage in March, and opposition to the legislation remains as strong since its adoption as it was beforehand. Prior to this survey, however, support for repeal since March has ranged from a low of 54% to a high of 63% in mid-May. Opposition has ranged from 32% to 42%.

The new findings include 42% who Strongly Favor repeal and 28% who are Strongly Opposed.

Thirty-seven percent (37%) of all voters believe the health care plan will be good for America, while 49% say its impact on the country will be bad.

Since March, those who rate the plan’s impact as good have ranged from 35% to 41%. In the same time period, those who predict it will be bad for the country have fallen in the 49% to 55% range.

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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters U.S. Voters was conducted on June 25-26, 2010 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Fifty-nine percent (59%) of voters believe the plan will increase the federal deficit at a time when President Obama has just agreed with other world leaders to halve the deficit by 2013. Fourteen percent (14%) say the health plan will decrease the deficit, and 17% say it will have no impact.

Only 22% think the quality of health care will improve under the health plan, while 49% say quality will get worse. Twenty-three percent (23%) expect it to stay about the same.

Fifty-two percent (52%) say health care costs will go up under the new plan. Just 17% think costs will go down, while 22% say they will stay about the same.

Democrats continue to be cheerleaders for the health care plan, while Republicans remain its strongest opponents. Sixty-eight percent (68%) of those in the president’s party say the plan is good for the country. Eighty-one percent (81%) of Republicans and the plurality (49%) of voters not affiliated with either party disagree and see it as bad for America.

Eighty-one percent (81%) of GOP voters and 54% of unaffiliateds favor repeal of the plan. Sixty-seven percent (67%) of Democrats are opposed.

Political Class voters continue to be even bigger supporters of the health care measure.  While 63% of Mainstream voters say the plan is bad for the country, 95% of the Political Class see it as good for the nation.

Two-out-of-three Mainstream voters (66%) favor repeal of the plan. Eighty-seven percent (87%) of the Political Class oppose repeal.

Supporters of the health care plan have often looked north to Canada’s nationalized system as a model for what they have in mind, but just 32% of voters nationwide say  Canada has a better health care system than the United States. Rather than looking to Canada, 57% believe more competition and less government regulation would be better for the U.S. health care system.

The number who believe Canada has a better health care system is similar to the 34% who support a single-payer health care system in the United States where the federal government provides coverage for everyone.

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Scott Rasmussen, president of Rasmussen Reports, has been an independent pollster for more than a decade.

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters U.S. Voters was conducted on June 25-26, 2010 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Survey of 1,000 Likely Voters  
June 25-26, 2010  

Health Care Reform – Positives & Negatives

Monday, May 17th, 2010

 The following summary of the Obama Healthcare reform is posted on “Nursing Influence.” The author is cited below. In order to view responses click on the link below:

http://nursinginfluence.com/obamas-healthcare-reform/

Positives in Obama’s Healthcare Reform

• Insurance for those people who have “pre-existing conditions” (someone with cancer cannot be denied healthcare coverage because of the known cost of the treatment)
• Reduction of the “donut hole” for seniors’ prescriptions (greatly reduces the cost of seniors’ medications)
• Expanded eligibility for medicaid coverage (more people will be able to sign up for medicaid assistance)
• Reduction in Medicare co-pays for preventative care (cheaper co-pays to allow/encourage people to get preventative care, such as regular check-ups, vaccinations, and cancer screenings)
• Children can stay on their parents’ insurance until their 27th birthday (reduces the number of young adults without health insurance)

But, as you take some time to read into what each of these points mean, you may see some not-so-great pieces.

Negatives in Obama’s Healthcare Reform

• Reduction in medicare payments to hospitals/physicians (meaning that hospitals/physicians may stop accepting medicare patients and patients may have a difficult time finding a provider)
• Families who currently have insurance coverage may see an increase in their deductibles (as insurers are required to cover everyone, even people with preexisting conditions, their costs will go up, as will the cost to the consumer)
• The fine for people who elect not to have health insurance (proposed at approximately $700/year) may not be enough “encouragement” for healthy people to purchase insurance. Insurance will generally cost more than $700/year for these consumers, so it may be cheaper to elect to forgo coverage, which negates the benefit of having everyone insured.
• The changes require individual states to continue or expand existing programs to receive matching federal funds. Coming from someone who lives in a state with an intense budget crisis, I don’t see how adding to each state’s budget is feasible at this time.  Governor Brewer wrote a letter to President Obama after the healthcare bill was signed, outlining the issues that the reform will create for Arizona. (Governor Brewers Letter pdf)

·         Amy Sellers, RN BSN CCRN CSC

Amy is a cardiovascular ICU nurse in the valley of Phoenix, Arizona. She graduated in 2006 from a liberal arts university in Illinois with her bachelors in nursing (BSN). After graduation, she moved to the southwest to start her career in a warmer climate.
Over the past 4 years, she has gained her CCRN and CSC certifications through AACN, become a preceptor to new graduate nurses, and has started work as a relief charge nurse in the CVICU. She has recently taken on the role of a clinical instructor for a local community

Common Questions – Health Care Reform

Monday, April 26th, 2010

Possibly the four most often asked questions asked about President Obama’s health care reform are listed below.

What Would Happen to Medicare?

The proposal would set up a board that would research and propose solution to reduce the costs of Medicare.  The board would be specifically prohibited from proposing anything which would amount to rationing care for the elderly.  Instead the proposal would focus on reducing waste and fraud while making Medicare more efficient.

What if I Can Not Afford Health Insurance?

Individuals who make between 100%-400% above the federal poverty level would be eligible to receive credits to assist them in purchasing health care insurance.  The amount of credit would generally go down the more income an individual made.  For the poorest the credit may pay for all of their health care premiums.

Would Employers Be Forced to Provide Insurance?

Maybe.  If a business has over 50 full-time employees they will be forced to offer health care coverage or face a $750 fee per employee.  Businesses with less than 50 employees would be exempted from providing coverage.

What About Medicaid?

Medicaid would be expanded to cover all individuals under the age of 65 who make less than 133% of the federal poverty level.  Currently the poverty level is around $18,000 for a family of three.

Ref: Ryan Witt  -  Political Buzz Examiner

Health Care Reform – Impact for Employer-Sponsored Health Care Plans

Monday, April 12th, 2010

According to Lockton Companies, the following is the immediate financial impact considerations for employer-sponsored health care plans:

Pre-Existing Condition Restrictions

Detail: Plans must remove pre-existing exclusions for children under the age of 19

Impact: Minimal

Lifetime Benefit Maximums

Detail: Plans cannot apply lifetime dollar limits on “essential benefits.”

Impact: Modest, for plan’s claims cost (.05-1.5%) Potentially dramatic for stop-loss premiums

Coverage of Adult Children

Detail: Dependent children remain eligible for coverage until age 26 regardless of student and marital status (prior to 2014, only if the child doesn’t have access to other employer-based coverage).

Impact: Modest. Potential increases to plan’s costs range fro .1-4.1%.

Trend in Plan’s Cost

Detail: Other factors in or related to the health reform bill will impact plan costs, such as increased administrative requirements, delays in generic-drugs coming to market and “Fear Factors” (i.e., reserve build-up by carriers and increased utilization by members)

Impact: Modest to significant, depending on the circumstances

WHAT HEALTH CARE REFORM MEANS TO YOU

Monday, April 5th, 2010

What Health Care Reform Means for You

If you have:

Health insurance through your employer

Very little will change. Some new benefits include no lifetime dollar limits on policies, elimination of co-pays for some preventive care, and older children may stay on their parents’ policies until age 26.

Individual/family insurance you purchase on your own

You will be able to purchase health insurance through a state “exchange” starting in 2014. Although the exchanges have yet to be designed, they are intended to provide more affordable and subsidized individual and small business plans.

Medicare coverage

The “doughnut hole” in prescription drug benefits you currently receive will be gradually filled. If you have a gap in coverage this year, you will receive a $250 rebate check.

Medicaid (Healthy Options) coverage

Medicaid coverage is expanded to cover more people. Adults without children will be eligible for the first time in 2014.

No coverage

You may be eligible for expanded enrollment in Medicaid. By 2014 you will be able to purchase affordable coverage in an “exchange.” Those who do not purchase coverage in 2014 will pay a penalty.