Rural Health Reform resources related to rural health and human services, with information provided by the Rural Assistance Center Copyright 2009 Rural Assistance Center http://www.raconline.org/info_guides/hot_topics/health_reform/ Kaiser Health News reports that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Thursday the Senate will vote Saturday on a procedural move to begin debate on the Senate's health care reform bill. http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Daily-Reports/2009/November/19/Senate-Democrat-Rally.aspx Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:48:43 CST http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Daily-Reports/2009/November/19/Senate-Democrat-Rally.aspx Kaiser Health News article reports that Democratic leaders in the Senate unveiled their proposal on Wednesday for overhauling the health care system, outlining landmark legislation that they said would cover most of the uninsured while reducing the federal budget deficit. http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Daily-Reports/2009/November/18/CBO-Score-senate-bill.aspx Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:07:40 CST http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Daily-Reports/2009/November/18/CBO-Score-senate-bill.aspx Reviews the full range of individual state activity on health reform during 2008 and provides facts about the number and percent of uninsured Americans. -- Robert Wood Johnson Foundation http://www.academyhealth.org/files/publications/SCI_SoS09.pdf Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:30:28 CST http://www.academyhealth.org/files/publications/SCI_SoS09.pdf The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Trust for Americas Health have released a new poll showing that 71 percent of Americans favor an increased investment in disease prevention and that disease prevention is one of the most popular components of health reform. http://www.rwjf.org/newsroom/product.jsp?id=51652 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:46:43 CST http://www.rwjf.org/newsroom/product.jsp?id=51652 Vail Daily, (CO) article tells of the Community Paramedics program where you take a resource that is already available in the community, link it with existing health care services and provide expanded patient care including treatment delivered directly to patients in their homes. http://www.vaildaily.com/article/20091115/NEWS/911129982/1062/RSS Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:56:08 CST http://www.vaildaily.com/article/20091115/NEWS/911129982/1062/RSS Robert Wood Johnson Foundation article discusses that as Congress and the Obama Administration search for ways to reform health care, a new report demonstrates that rationing and price controls are not the only ways to control health care costs. http://www.rwjf.org/newsroom/product.jsp?id=37449 Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:36:04 CST http://www.rwjf.org/newsroom/product.jsp?id=37449 Kaiser Health News article reports that bad as most health measures appear in lower Appalachia, there are enduring models in places like Hazard that could prove instructive to rebuilding healthy communities across the nation, both rural and urban, according to Dr. Forest Callico, former director of the Appalachian Regional Hospitals and a rural health advisor to both the Clinton and second Bush administrations. http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2009/November/13/rural-health-care-kentucky.aspx Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:50:04 CST http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2009/November/13/rural-health-care-kentucky.aspx As the nation marks American Diabetes Month, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius released a new report today, Preventing and Treating Diabetes: Health Insurance Reform and Diabetes in America. http://www.raconline.org/news/news_details.php?news_id=12536 Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:44:52 CST http://www.raconline.org/news/news_details.php?news_id=12536 Daily Yonder article tells of the Wilson Health Planning Cooperative, now forming in an 11-county region of western North Dakota, and how it is what Sen. Kent Conrad of North Dakota had in mind when he insisted that the health care reform bill in Congress contain provisions for medical co-ops? http://www.dailyyonder.com/what-rural-medical-co-op-could-be/2009/11/08/2440 Mon, 09 Nov 2009 09:01:32 CST http://www.dailyyonder.com/what-rural-medical-co-op-could-be/2009/11/08/2440 Daily Yonder article reports that Congressional legislation to reshape the U.S. health insurance system, H.R. 3962, passed by a tiny five-vote margin late Saturday night, as 39 Democrats most of them representing rural districts -- broke with the president and opposed the sweeping bill. http://www.dailyyonder.com/democrat-defectors-rural-districts/2009/11/09/2441 Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:57:19 CST http://www.dailyyonder.com/democrat-defectors-rural-districts/2009/11/09/2441 Kaiser Health News reports that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., says she will have enough votes to pass Democratic health care legislation by Saturday, and the American Medical Association and AARP also announced they will support the health reform bill. http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Daily-Reports/2009/November/05/Pelosi-votes-ama-aarp.aspx Fri, 06 Nov 2009 07:35:29 CST http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Daily-Reports/2009/November/05/Pelosi-votes-ama-aarp.aspx National Rural Health Association article reports that two amendments that were a positive step in ensuring rural America's seat at the table when developing our nation's Medicare and health care payment decisions were stripped by House leadership in the final version of health reform legislation. http://www.raconline.org/news/news_details.php?news_id=12499 Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:10:00 CST http://www.raconline.org/news/news_details.php?news_id=12499 Kaiser Health News article reports that the House is moving toward a floor vote Saturday on its big health care overhaul, after Democratic leaders worked to nail down votes from some of their members who want stronger anti-abortion language in the bill. http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Daily-Reports/2009/November/04/Managers-amendment.aspx Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:58:08 CST http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Daily-Reports/2009/November/04/Managers-amendment.aspx A new Commonwealth Fund survey of primary care physicians in 11 countries reveals that the United States lags far behind its peers in key measures of access, quality, and use of health ITundermining doctors' efforts to provide timely, high-quality care. http://www.commonwealthfund.org/Content/News/News-Releases/2009/Nov/International-Survey-of-Primary-Care-Physicians-News-Release.aspx Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:22:11 CST http://www.commonwealthfund.org/Content/News/News-Releases/2009/Nov/International-Survey-of-Primary-Care-Physicians-News-Release.aspx Kaiser Health News reports that House Republicans unveiled their 219-page health care overhaul legislation Tuesday night asserting it would lower health care premiums for families and small businesses and that it would be a far less costly and intrusive approach to helping the uninsured than the Democratic proposals in the House and Senate. http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Daily-Reports/2009/November/04/Few-GOP-Surprises-health-bill.aspx Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:38:58 CST http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Daily-Reports/2009/November/04/Few-GOP-Surprises-health-bill.aspx Center for Rural Affairs article reports that a poll of 4,000 Americans shows that 74 percent of rural Americans believe that improving access to health care and making health care more affordable should be a high or top priority for our nation's elected officials. http://www.cfra.org/newsrelease/2009/11/03/polling-shows-support-rural-us-health-care-reform Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:18:10 CST http://www.cfra.org/newsrelease/2009/11/03/polling-shows-support-rural-us-health-care-reform This data brief contains summarized results from a survey of leaders in health care and health care policy on the topics of Medicare and legislative reform measures. -- Commonwealth Fund http://www.commonwealthfund.org/~/media/Files/Publications/Data%20Brief/2009/Nov/1335_Stremikis_HCOL_Medicare_Reform_112.pdf Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:48:26 CST http://www.commonwealthfund.org/~/media/Files/Publications/Data%20Brief/2009/Nov/1335_Stremikis_HCOL_Medicare_Reform_112.pdf Center for American Progress article discusses how targeted policy changes, such as expanding the National Health Service Corps, can begin to strengthen and expand the primary care heath workforce, which is the backbone of the health care system. http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2009/11/primary_care_shortage.html Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:29:44 CST http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2009/11/primary_care_shortage.html Commonwealth Fund article reports that in the latest Commonwealth Fund/Modern Healthcare Health Care Opinion Leaders survey, the experts surveyed favor sweeping changes to Medicare—reforms that would help control program costs and support broader health system reform. http://www.commonwealthfund.org/Content/News/News-Releases/2009/Nov/Experts-Favor-Broad-Medicare-Reforms-to-Control-Costs-and-Foster-Health-Care-Innovations.aspx Tue, 03 Nov 2009 07:12:20 CST http://www.commonwealthfund.org/Content/News/News-Releases/2009/Nov/Experts-Favor-Broad-Medicare-Reforms-to-Control-Costs-and-Foster-Health-Care-Innovations.aspx Kaiser Health News reports that for all the controversy over a government-run insurance option, the program outlined in health overhaul legislation likely would play a minuscule role in efforts to expand health care coverage, according to many health care experts and lawmakers. http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2009/October/31/health-insurance-public-option-negligible.aspx Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:27:54 CST http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2009/October/31/health-insurance-public-option-negligible.aspx Reports that rural residents have a higher uninsured rate than their urban counterparts, and describes health care reform initiatives that can help improve coverage of rural Americans. -- Rural Policy Research Institute (RUPRI) Rural Health Panel http://www.rupri.org/Forms/Health_ReformBrief_Oct09.pdf Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:39:20 CST http://www.rupri.org/Forms/Health_ReformBrief_Oct09.pdf Argues through statistical analysis and research that health insurance reform will lower premiums for small businesses and lead to additional benefits. -- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/smallbusiness2/smallbusiness2.pdf Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:14:19 CST http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/smallbusiness2/smallbusiness2.pdf House Committee on Ways and Means reports that yesterday, in conjunction with comprehensive health reform legislation, House leaders introduced a bill that would permanently reform the Medicare physician payment system. http://waysandmeans.house.gov/News.asp?FormMode=release&ID=960 Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:32:54 CST http://waysandmeans.house.gov/News.asp?FormMode=release&ID=960 HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today released a new report, Lower Premiums, Stronger Businesses: How Health Insurance Reform Will Bring Down Costs for Small Businesses, that outlines the many ways health insurance reform will lower health care costs for small businesses. http://www.raconline.org/news/news_details.php?news_id=12457 Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:19:26 CST http://www.raconline.org/news/news_details.php?news_id=12457 Details issues facing rural Americans in the Health Care reform debate through researched feature reporting and interviews. -- Center for Rural Affairs http://files.cfra.org/pdf/Sweet-the-Bitter-Drought.pdf Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:03:53 CST http://files.cfra.org/pdf/Sweet-the-Bitter-Drought.pdf Describes how the economic downturn may increase many of the health and access disparities that are already a problem in rural communities. Presents possible health insurance reform solutions. -- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/ruralamerica/ruralmorechoicesmorecoverage.pdf Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:59:11 CST http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/ruralamerica/ruralmorechoicesmorecoverage.pdf CNN Politics article reports that House Democratic leaders unveiled a sweeping $894 billion health care reform bill Thursday that includes a more moderate version of the government-run public health insurance option. http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/10/29/health.care/index.html?section=cnn_latest Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:33:10 CST http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/10/29/health.care/index.html?section=cnn_latest Robert Wood Johnson Foundation article reports that the Network for Multicultural Research on Health and Healthcare has produced a special supplement of the Journal of General Internal Medicine examining Latinos and health care, shedding light on important issues that have been left out of the health care reform debate. http://www.rwjf.org/newsroom/product.jsp?id=50628 Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:23:37 CST http://www.rwjf.org/newsroom/product.jsp?id=50628 Highlights some of the potential benefitsand costs to the states associated with Medicaid expansion in the reform proposals. -- Kaiser Family Foundation http://www.kff.org/healthreform/upload/8005.pdf Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:25:54 CST http://www.kff.org/healthreform/upload/8005.pdf Salt Lake Tribune, (UT) article reports that HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius unveiled the new report, "More Choices, Better Coverage: Health Insurance Reform and Rural America," in a conference call with journalists Tuesday, and said health-care reform legislation now making its way through Congress would provide more choices and affordable care to 50 million Americans who live in rural areas. http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_13654293 Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:46:38 CST http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_13654293