Reform bills would benefit Indian Health Service
Filed under: Government, Health care reform, Health policy
Mark Trahant, writing for InvestigateWest, points out that, because it’s in both the House and Senate versions of the bill and thus safe in conference committee, the reauthorization and extension of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act will pass as long as the larger reform package does.
The Parker Indian Health Services Hospital in Parker, Ariz. Photo by churl via Flickr.Originally enacted in 1976, the IHCIA has, in various iterations, been the primary vehicle for the delivery of health care to the country’s American Indians and Alaska Natives.
The latest version of the bill would adjust the Indian Health Service budget to account for medical inflation and population growth, increase efforts to recruit and retain health care professionals, introduce coverage for long-term care, improve youth suicide prevention programs and encourage innovation that will help provide easier access to health facilities.
We have public options now. Are they any good?
Filed under: Government, Health care reform, Hot Health Headline
ProPublica’s Sabrina Shankman reviews America’s existing “public options” for health care, finding mixed results and limited utility. In addition to Medicare and Medicaid, Shankman reviews a few less prominent institutions:
- The armed forces Tricare plan: Covers all active members of the military, retirees and their families, regardless of preexisting conditions. If you stick to military treatment facilities, it’s cheap.
- Veterans Health Administration: Veterans who meet its standards are guaranteed high quality care, but funding is tight at the VA right now.
- Indian Health Service: Allows American Indians and Alaska Natives free access to reservation clinics… until the service’s funding runs out, as it does about halfway through each year.
- Healthcare Group of Arizona: It was founded to provide afforable insurance to certain small businesses, but a lack of funds and climbing deductibles mean that many employers will be better off looking to the private market anyway.
Reuters has a handy summary of the key provisions of the latest bill likely to be considered by the House of Representatives.
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