Healthcare

Antitrust Laws A Hurdle To Health Care Overhaul

May 27, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- President Obama’s campaign to cut health costs by $2 trillion over the next decade, announced with fanfare two weeks ago, may have hit another snag: the nation’s antitrust laws. Among the groups that say they have joined together to rein in health costs, besides the hospital and medical associations, are America’s Health Insurance Plans and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. Jamie Court, the president of Consumer Watchdog, an advocacy group, said he was wary of such joint efforts. "When companies that control the health care system get together to change it, there is a serious risk that they are doing it to stifle competition at the expense of consumers,” Mr. Court said.

Patents Leave Science Pending

May 25, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

Each side says it's waiting for the other to make an offer, but things may be moving backward. On Jan. 23, Dethlefs sent out a memo explaining to researchers that because of the "unresolved legal issue," it wouldn't be distributing cell lines that might come under the StemCells patents for the foreseeable future. The memo was posted last month by John M. Simpson, a stem cell policy advocate, on his blog at consumerwatchdog.org.

Baucus, Obama Say Single-Payer Not Achievable

May 19, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

HELENA, MT -- At a town hall meeting last Thursday in Rio Rancho, N.M., the first question directed to President Barack Obama came from a woman in the audience who wanted to know why Democratic lawmakers in Washington, D.C. refuse to discuss the idea of single-payer health care.

MSNBC on Healthcare Reform

May 15, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> ED SCHULTZ, HOST: I'm Ed Schultz. Welcome back to THE ED SHOW. Now, remember on Monday when the bigwigs from the insurance and hospital industries did a photo-op after a meeting with the president outside the White House? Now, joining me now is Jerry Flanagan. He's a health care policy director for Consumer Watchdog. Mr. Flanagan, good to have you with us tonight. I was skeptical from day one. You've got the foxes who have been guarding the hen house, are going to the White House to say, hey, we`re really going to work with you now, we're going to keep these costs down. Is this a signal early on that we`re not going to be able to trust these organizations that have really nailed us with double-digit increases year after year?<br /> <br /> JERRY FLANAGAN, CONSUMER WATCHDOG: Well, when can we ever really trust these guys? I mean, this is the insurance industry, this is the hospital association. These are the folks that have driven up costs that have largely created the problem. And, you know, really what the insurance companies are trying to do right now -- and the hospitals -- are trying to turn reform into a bailout. </p>

False promises on reducing health care costs

May 15, 2009  ·  Carmen Balber

<p> Health insurers won't even put a fake number on their <a href="http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/patients/articles/?storyId=27230">fake committment</a> to reducing costs. It's all in today's New York Times... </p>

Despite Settlements, Rescission Victims Lack Relief

May 14, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<strong>Rescission Victims Still Lack Coverage, Payments Despite Legal Settlements</strong><br />  <br /> Advocates who applauded California's effort to reinstate patients said not enough was done to acknowledge the low numbers and fix them. Jerry Flanagan, a health advocate for Santa Monica-based Consumer Watchdog, said the department should have done more than just mail settlement offers of new insurance. Though he criticized the deals' reimbursement process, he said new coverage was crucial for sick people. "If the department takes on the role of reinstatement, they really have to do it. That's more than just sending out a mailer," he said.<br />

SHHH! … Today’s secret Senate Finance Committee hearing on health care

May 14, 2009  ·  Jerry Flanagan

<p> No prying public eyes.  No media.  No Congressional Record.  That's the reality of today's "closed" Senate Finance Committee hearing.  The secret meeting is not even noticed on the committee website.  According to the rules committee, closed committee sessions are very rare except for discussions of national security.  See the rule below -- there does not appear to be any basis for today's private hearing, other than that the committee members don't want you to know what they're saying. </p>

DC Dispatch: There’s a health care crisis in this town

May 13, 2009  ·  Carmen Balber

<p> <em>Stand up, don't sit down, There's a health care crisis in this town! </em>That was one of the many chants from the crowd of nurses I marched to the Capitol building with this afternoon. They were in DC to rally for safe nurse to patient staffing ratios and affordable, quality health care for all. Senator Max Baucus was the unintentional villain of the event... </p>

INSURING HEALTH – Medical Mutual Finds It’s Good Business To Provide Its Customers With Veggies Fresh From The Chef’s Garden Farm

May 12, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> Cleveland-based Medical Mutual offers the produce to those with employer-provided insurance as well as to those who buy its individual plans. As good as the program is, Jamie Court, president of the nonprofit Consumer Watchdog, reminds people shopping for health insurance to be conscientious consumers and look beyond wellness programs. "The bottom line - the real question - is what are the costs of the premiums you're paying and the benefits you're getting if you're sick?" Court says. </p>

Medical/Insurance complex gets a big hug

May 11, 2009  ·  Judy Dugan

<p> My brain is sprained from trying to figure out the big White House meeting today between medical/insurance industry execs and President Obama. One upside: The execs who went onstage with Obama, nodding about the need for reform, won't be able to walk away easily later. The broad cost-cutting ideas mentioned--more efficiency, less paperwork, better preventive and chronic care--are worthy. But the lack of detail or accountability--or really, of anything new--shows the distance to go and loopholes to be opened. </p>

DC Dispatch: Health reform in Obama’s first 100 days

April 29, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

I was asked by a local TV station to participate in today’s talk-fest on the Obama administration’s first 100 days in office, and specifically about his progress on health care reform...

46 Health Care Professionals Linked To Substance Abuse

April 26, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> One doctor traded prescriptions for sex. A pharmacist illegally popped pain pills while filling prescriptions. And a dentist huffed nitrous oxide until he lost the feeling in his fingers. When it comes to labeling a doctor as dangerous, Virginia law leaves Department of Health Profession investigators and board members empty-handed. The board has not developed any guidelines on how to make that call. It’s left to the person in charge of either the investigation or the board hearing. Jerry Flanagan, of Consumer Watchdog, finds the law too gray. “You need an objective standard that is consistently applied, and that the public knows, so… you know what the line is,” he said.<br /> <br /> <br /> </p>