CMS Report Forecasts Rise In Healthcare Spending.

The Los Angeles Times (9/9, Levey) reports, "Pushed by a dramatic increase in the number of Americans who will get insurance under the new healthcare law, total US medical spending will continue to gallop upward, consuming nearly 20% of the economy by 2019, according to a new government estimate." Yet, "because new savings in the law offset most of the cost of extending insurance to more people, the nation's total healthcare bill is not expected to be substantially larger than it would have been without the overhaul." Said Andrea M. Sisko, "the lead author of the closely watched study by independent economists at" CMS, "It appears that the Affordable Care Act will have a moderate effect on health spending growth."

        Similarly, the Wall Street Journal (9/9, Adamy, subscription required) reports that health reform will not have significant impact on healthcare costs during the next 10 years, but quotes Sisko as saying, "The underlying impacts on coverage and financing are more pronounced." The Journal adds that, according to the White House, the healthcare law will lower overall costs for insured Americans because they will no longer be subsidizing coverage for uninsured people.

        The New York Times (9/9, A16, Pear) adds that the report "undermines the claims of the law's fiercest critics and some of its biggest champions." The report, being published online on Thursday in Health Affairs, also "foresees an abrupt increase in private health insurance spending" in 2014, and "predicts that some workers will have to pay more out of pocket as many employers scale back coverage in 2018 to avoid the tax on high-cost plans." The AP (9/9, Alonso-Zaldivar), Reuters (9/9, Heavey), Kaiser Health News (9/9, Weaver), McClatchy (9/9, Pugh) and Modern Healthcare (9/9, subscription required) also cover the story.

        Companies Expect 5.9% Increase In Healthcare Costs Next Year. The Wall Street Journal (9/9, Hobson, subscription required) Health Blog reports that according a survey conducted by Mercer, employers expect health coverage to cost about 5.9% more on average next year, and some of this cost is attributed to new requirements in the healthcare law. Meanwhile, a recent Kaiser Family Foundation survey found that employees are paying approximately 14% more to cover their families this year, and 57% of employers say that they plan to shift a greater share of healthcare costs to employees next year.

        WSJournal Says Healthcare Law Will Expand Federal Control Through State Programs. The Wall Street Journal (9/9, subscription required) says in an editorial that the healthcare law tries to expand federal control over healthcare by offering billions for new state-level programs. Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty has issued an order forbidding any part of the state government from seeking grant funding or applying for demonstration projects without getting approval from his office. Pawlenty says the provisions of the law are meant to hook states into a "new initiative or a new commitment or new spending that is federally directed," and then later leave the state governments to foot the bills.

Role Of Insurance Agents Touted As Even More Necessary Under Healthcare Reform.

Janet Trautwein, CEO of National Association of Health Underwriters writes in Kaiser Health News (9/9), "The supposed demise of the insurance agent has been greatly exaggerated. ... And with the new health reform law set to make the insurance market even more complicated, consumers will need the expert advice of agents and brokers more than ever." Trautwein concludes, "The new health reform law aims to lower health costs for consumers. Agents have decades of experience doing exactly that for their customers. It's no wonder that the National Association of Insurance Commissioners has explicitly stated that health reform must 'protect the indispensable role that licensed insurance professionals play in serving consumers.'"

In Ads, GOP Attacks Healthcare Law; Dems "Shy Away" From It.

The AP (9/9, Kuhnhenn) reports, "With the country sharply divided over the sweeping new insurance law, Republicans and their allies are taking to the airwaves to attack it as elections near, often resorting to exaggeration and omissions to make their points," while "Democrats generally shy away from even talking about the subject, unless it's to distance themselves from it." Nevertheless, reform advocates are attempting "to draw attention to the most immediate provisions, ignoring the biggest -- and most contentious -- parts of the expanded health care law that are still four years away."

Obama, HHS Launch Spanish-Language Site To Tout Healthcare Reform.

The Hill (9/9, Pecquet, 21K) reports, "The Obama administration on Wednesday announced the launch of the Spanish-language version of its HealthCare.gov insurance portal in an effort to tout the law's benefits for Latinos -- a key Democratic constituency." The new site, www.CuidadoDeSalud.gov, launched "by the Department of Health and Human Services, was accompanied by an op-ed from President Obama in which he called the reform law a 'crucial turning point for healthcare in the Latino community.'" That "op-ed ran Wednesday in several Spanish-language newspapers, including New York's El Diario La Prensa and La Opinion in Los Angeles."

Op-Ed: Healthcare Law Has Gutted Medicare.

Peter Ferrara, director of entitlement and budget policy at the Institute for Policy Innovation and Larry Hunter, president of the Social Security Institute, write in a Wall Street Journal (9/9, subscription required) op-ed that although Democrats are accusing Republican candidates of planning to drastically cut Medicare, it is they who have already done so through health reform. Ferrara and Hunter cite an analysis by Richard Foster, Medicare's chief actuary, which indicates that the healthcare law will cut a total of $1.05 trillion from Medicare by 2023, and $4.95 trillion by 2033. They argue that such drastic cuts will place Medicare physician reimbursement at levels below even Medicaid, which in turn, will cause doctors to refuse to accept Medicare patients.

New Group Launches Campaign Against Healthcare Law.

CQ HealthBeat (9/9, Norman, subscription required) reports, "Opponents of the health care law announced their latest 'repeal and replace' ad blitz Wednesday, saying they'll spend 'in seven figures' on TV ads targeting at least a dozen unnamed House Democrats who voted for the law." Notably, "Former New York Gov. George Pataki said at a news conference that he's part of a new advocacy group called RevereAmerica.org that's attempting to collect a million signatures on petitions to kill the law. Pataki, a Republican who's been traveling around the country blasting the overhaul, said the group is named for the patriot Paul Revere and also because 'we revere this country.'"

        The Hill (9/9, Lillis) reports in its Healthwatch blog, "Revere America...will spend more than $1 million targeting roughly a dozen Democrats from conservative-leaning districts who voted in favor of the law," although "Pataki on Wednesday declined to reveal which lawmakers the group will go after." Pataki stated, "It's a bad law. ... The American people know it's a bad law, and we're going to remind them."

        Rand Paul Attacks Healthcare Law In Ad. CBS News (9/9, Montopoli) reports in its Political Hotsheet blog, "Kentucky Republican Senate candidate Rand Paul is out with his first general election ad, 'Gift of Sight,' which focuses on his career as an ophthalmologist and includes an attack on the health care reform overhaul bill." According to the ad, "Paul 'opened his door' to patients after Medicare stopped serving them (it is not clear to what this refers) and also says that Paul 'always puts patients first,'" which is "why he opposes the Obama-Pelosi health care scheme, which puts Washington bureaucrats in charge, destroying the doctor/patient relationship."

        Dems, GOP Spending Millions On Health Reform Ads Contrary To Predictions. Kate Pickert wrote in the Time (9/8) Swampland blog, "Despite earlier predictions that health care might not be the central component in this year's congressional campaigns, candidates and outside groups are investing millions in TV ads touting and vilifying the new law. Two new ad campaigns each reportedly costing $2 million launched today." Pickert went on to discuss the Pataki ad, and another one disseminated "by the pro-reform group the Health Information Campaign."

Gov. Schwarzenegger Urged To Veto Bill To Create Health Insurance Exchange.

John R. Graham, director of health care studies at the Pacific Research Institute, writes in the San Francisco Examiner (9/9), "Anticipating repeal, states are using a variety of tactics to oppose Obamacare, but in California, the Legislature is trying to rush it into existence. That should concern every Californian, especially Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger," because it "will require every American not dependent on government health plans like Medicaid or Medicare, or enjoying employer-based benefits, to purchase health insurance in a state-based 'exchange' as of January 2014." Graham says that the exchange will limit choices available to purchasers and "limited choice means higher costs." Therefore, Graham urges Schwarzenegger to veto the current bill which would create an exchange.

CBO Says Medical Liability Protections For Volunteers Would Cost $18 Million Over Five Years.

The Hill (9/9, Pecquet) reports, "A bill extending federal medical liability protections to community health center volunteers would cost about four times more than bill advocates anticipated, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The Family Health Care Accessibility Act, which cleared the Energy and Commerce Committee in late July, would cost about $18 million over five years, according to CBO," up from an earlier estimate of $1.5 million by bill co-sponsors Reps. Tim Murphy (R-PA) and Gene Green (D-TX). "The bill would amend the Federal Tort Claims Act, which provides liability protection to employees and contractors of certain health centers" to "grant that protection to healthcare professionals who volunteer at those centers."

US Healthcare Experts To Study German Insurance Model For Help In Developing Exchanges.

The Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal (9/9, Hammerand) reports, "Healthcare experts from Minnesota and Washington, DC, will meet in Berlin next month to study the German health insurance model, the University of Minnesota said in a news release." The experts, under the auspices of the University of Minnesota's Center for German and European Studies, "will compare Germany's nonprofit statutory health insurers to the state-based health insurance exchanges required under new federal regulations."

Editorial Urges Florida To Enroll All Eligible Children In KidCare.

Florida Today (9/9) says in an editorial, "The Space Coast has tough challenges ahead due to the recession and end of the space shuttle program, portending thousands of job losses and financial woes for local families. One challenge linked to that economic upheaval can be met, however, if local and state agencies and the Legislature step up: Making sure all uninsured Brevard County children who are eligible for KidCare are enrolled." Meanwhile, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is urging Florida, California and Texas "to get moving on extending coverage to all who qualify."

Athenahealth CEO Examines How Healthcare Reform Will Impact Small Businesses.

The New York Times (9/9, Mandelbaum) reports in its You're the Boss blog on Jonathan Bush, the founder and CEO of Athenahealth, who examines some of the arguments regarding "whether the health care overhaul enacted into law this year is good for small business." While Bush believes that "the overhaul is good for small companies that want to insure their workers but presently cannot afford to," he says that "the additional coverage will increase total health care spending." The Times adds that "a study by the nonpartisan RAND Corporation suggests that the number of small companies providing insurance will grow under the changes enacted into law this year" from 60 percent to 86 percent because "businesses will buy insurance for employees on the new health insurance exchanges created by the law."

Athenahealth CEO Discusses Firm's Role In EMR Industry.

The New York Times (9/9, B10, Mandelbaum) reports, "In the world of healthcare innovation, the founder and chief executive of Athenahealth has an outsize name. In part, that's because his name is Jonathan Bush, and he is the nephew of one former president and the cousin of another," although "it's also because his company has mastered the intricacies of the doctor-insurer relationship and become a player in the emerging medical records industry." The Times adds that "Athenahealth offers a suite of administrative services for medical practices. It collects payments from insurers and patients, and it manages electronic health records and patient communication systems." The rest of the piece focuses on an interview with Bush, who discusses his views on healthcare economics.

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