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Weekly News Digest
More Americans, Including Insured, Forgo Medical Care Due to Cost
A report from the Center for Studying Health System Change shows that "an increasing array of Americans, many with health insurance, are delaying or forgoing medical care because of concern about cost," reports the Wall Street Journal.
Source(s): Rubenstein, Wall Street Journal, 6/26/08
New Jersey Moves Closer to Universal Health Care
A bill supported by Democratic State Senator Joseph Vitale that requires all New Jersey children to have health insurance and expands coverage to more low-income parents was passed in the State Senate and the Assembly last week and is expected to be signed into law by Democratic Governor Jon Corzine, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Source(s): Lu, Philadelphia Inquirer, 6/27/08
California Health Groups Say Schwarzenegger’s Budget Cuts Will Increase Uninsured
A coalition of California health care groups is protesting Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposed budget cuts, arguing they "would swell the number of uninsured people by 1 million by the end of his term," reports the Los Angeles Times.
Source(s): Rau, Los Angeles Times, 6/26/08
Massachusetts Plan Decreased Number of Uninsured, but Costs Remain High
On the one-year anniversary of when Massachusetts began requiring residents to buy health care coverage or face a penalty, the state has succeeded in slashing the percentage of uninsured adults from 13 percent to 7 percent, but the plan still "faces a huge challenge--costs," reports USA Today.
Source(s): Appleby, USA Today, 6/30/08
Ohio Insurance Law Doesn’t Help Those With Pre-Existing Conditions
An article in the Akron Beacon Journal addresses the problems many Ohioans face getting affordable health insurance when they have a pre-existing condition or change jobs, despite the state law that requires health insurers to offer coverage to anyone who applies during an annual open enrollment period.
Source(s): Wheeler, Akron Beacon Journal, 6/24/08
OPINION: Republican-Led Pennsylvania Senate Thwarts Plan to Cover Uninsured
In an effort to bypass Democratic Governor Ed Rendell’s plan to provide coverage to Pennsylvania’s uninsured residents, Republican leaders in the State Senate have offered a "patchwork of health-care proposals" that provide only "a sedative, not a cure" to the state’s 800,000 uninsured adults, according to a Philadelphia Inquirer editorial.
Source(s): Editorial, Philadelphia Inquirer, 6/25/08
OPINION: Congress Using Troops Funding Bill to Avoid Curbing Medicaid Abuse
In an effort to "avoid an honest debate about the way Medicaid is being abused," congressional leaders are using the defense spending bill to pass a moratorium on the seven new rules proposed by the Bush administration to curb funding abuse and save taxpayer dollars, writes Dennis G. Smith, former director of the federal Center for Medicaid and State Operations and a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation's Center for Health Policy Studies, in a Washington Times op-ed.
Source(s): Smith, Washington Times, 6/25/08