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International Action Needed To Combat Epidemic Of Noncommunicable Diseases
IDF, WHF and UICC join forces
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Sebelius: Single-Payer Health Care Not In Plans
In an interview with NPR, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius stressed that talk of a public plan doesn"t mean that a single-payer option is a possibility. "This is not a trick. This is not single payerò€¦ That"s not what anyone is talking about - mostly because the president feels strongly, as I do, that dismantling private health coverage for the 180 million Americans that have it, discouraging more employers from coming into the marketplace, is really the bad, you know, is a bad direction to go," she said. Sebelius added that a public insurance option would pressure private insurance companies to lower costs, which she says is "a good thing for the American public. Medicare right now has lower overhead than private insurers." Some Republicans have argued that Americans currently in private plans would flee to the public option, but Sebelius countered that expanding health insurance would potentially create "50 million-plus new insurance customers, whether you"re talking about a private plan or public option."
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Proposed House Amendment Would Impact Needle Exchange Programs In Washington, D.C.
A proposed amendment to Washington, D.C."s federal appropriation for 2010 "would prohibit the city from using federal funds to distribute needles for the "injection of illegal drugs ò€¦ within 1,000 feet of a public or private day care center, elementary school, vocational school, secondary school, college, junior college, university, public swimming pool, park, playground, video arcade or youth center,"" the Washington Post reports. Local HIV/AIDS advocates "are concerned that [the] proposed amendment ò€¦ would drastically reduce public funding for needle exchange programs and take away a weapon in the fight against HIV and AIDS," according to the Post. A companion bill in the Senate does not contain language prohibiting the use of federal dollars for needle exchange programs. "Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D) urged her colleagues to fight the amendment which is before the full House this afternoon," the article states. The district has provided $700,000 in the past year to four non-profit organizations for needle exchange programs (Fears, 7/16).
Health Insurance

Association of American Medical Colleges Supports Hospital Agreement On Health Care Reform

AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges) President and CEO Darrell G. Kirch, M.D., issued the following statement on the agreement reached by the hospital community, the Obama administration, and the Senate Finance Committee in support of health care reform: "The AAMC strongly supports the agreement announced today and believes it moves our nation closer to achieving meaningful health care reform. U.S. teaching hospitals provide 71 percent of all hospital-based charity care and are often the only of specialized services in their communities. We greatly appreciate the thoughtful approach this agreement takes to guarantee that the safety net remains intact during the transition to a better system. This accord helps to fulfill two key principles that the AAMC established for health care reform last year, namely that all Americans should have health care coverage, and that existing safety net mechanisms be supported and preserved until new ones are in place. By voluntarily accepting reduced market increases in hospital payments over the next decade, hospitals will contribute $100 billion toward the funding needed to provide all Americans with health insurance. We also are pleased that this agreement takes appropriate steps to ensure that new coverage mechanisms are in place before any reductions are made to Disproportionate Share payments. Congress and the administration will need to continually evaluate the effects of coverage expansion before making any cuts that could jeopardize the safety net for the uninsured and underinsured. The nation"s teaching hospitals are working hard to help expand access to health care while maintaining an environment where clinical care, discovery, and the training of the next generation of health professionals can occur-and will continue to make sacrifices as long as patient care comes first. As the Obama administration and Congress move forward with health care legislation, the AAMC and its members stand ready to make the positive changes needed for successful reform." Association of American Medical Colleges


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