health care

By Jean Dubofsky
Boulder Daily Camera
March 28, 2010

Colorado Voices for Coverage is exactly that – a conversation, a sharing of ideas, goals, opinions and research, all aimed at increasing access to quality, affordable health care in Colorado.

The organization will hold its annual conference Dec. 3 at the Colorado History Museum. The Bell works with the lead organizations in Colorado Voices for Coverage, along with many others, on issues related to increasing access to health care, and we wanted to make our supporters aware of the gathering.

A newly released study makes perhaps the strongest, most detailed case yet for health care reform.

Based on the study, we think it is safe to say that Colorado can hardly afford not to have health care reform.

Colorado has the seventh-highest health care costs in the nation, and those costs are expected to continue going up, placing an increasing burden on state residents, businesses and governments.

Posted Oct. 12, 2009, on Huffington Post-Denver

The excise tax on so-called Cadillac plans is a central feature of the Senate Finance Committee's health bill. Most often, Cadillac plans are described as the "overly generous" or "gold-plated" plans offered to Goldman Sachs employees and other Wall Street types. The idea is that levying a tax on these gold-plated plans will encourage lower spending and help slow the growth rate of health insurance and health care costs.

Apologies to Neil Diamond, but I couldn’t help but think of his “traveling salvation show” when President Barack Obama came to town last week.He was here to spread the word. His scary sermons of a potential economic “catastrophe” evaporated as quickly as your 401(k) once he landed here. This was the Obama who preaches hope, not fear. With a $787 billion economic stimulus bill in his pocket, he promised we were at “the beginning of the end” of our nation’s dark hours.

Robin Baker quoted in a story about HB 1355 and small businesses and health care coverage. Lead of story: Small business owners and their employees who have been staggering under constantly increasing health care costs are again facing an uncertain new year as a bill passed in 2007 takes full effect.

The Bell outlines its priorities for the 2008 legislative session; Lawmakers agree with the Bell, defeat effort to deny stipends for basic skills; Center for Responsible Lending urges 36 percent payday cap/Other states tackle payday 'debt trap' with interest rate cap; States continue to enact and expand Earned Income Tax Credits

Tax-exempt HSAs have been available since 2004, and research is starting to emerge on their effects. The evidence indicates that HSAs and associated high-deductible health plans have thus far missed their mark, failing to make health insurance more affordable for low-income families that lack health insurance.

A new analysis of health savings accounts from the Bell Policy Center shows that the tax-advantaged accounts work well for healthy, high-income workers but are too risky for low-income families. ???HSAs may be useful for some consumers, but they are by no means a solution to the major problems in today???s health care system,??? said Blair Woodbury, author of the Bell issue brief, ???Health Savings Accounts and High-Deductible Health Plans.???

A new analysis of health savings accounts from the Bell Policy Center shows that the tax-advantaged accounts work well for healthy, high-income workers but are too risky for low-income families. ???HSAs may be useful for some consumers, but they are by no means a solution to the major problems in today???s health care system,??? said Blair Woodbury, author of the Bell issue brief, ???Health Savings Accounts and High-Deductible Health Plans.???