Prescription for Change

Refuting the anti-reform myths

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 15:09:20 -0500

Heard health reform will destroy Medicare or bust our budget? Think we should 'slow down?' Get the facts about these and other myths that the opposition is using to scare Americans away from real change.

How insurance rate increases really work--and why they are so high!

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 08:59:45 -0500

Insurers blame their shockingly high premium increases on rising medical costs, but they aren�t telling us the whole story. Insurance companies engage in some ruthless practices that "justify" rate increases far larger than medical inflation.

Health insurance didn't start out this way

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:47:47 -0500

Health insurance hasn't proven to be the best market for head to head competition. Rather than improving price and service, companies began to increase profits by picking the healthy and shedding the sick.

Getting a divorce just to get health care

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:37:06 -0500

Today, loving families struggling to pay big medical bills sometimes have to consider divorce as the only means to cover a sick child or spouse.

Insurance execs sit on bags of money, while policyholders feel the pinch

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 15:07:56 -0500

States can�t even keep health insurance rates down when the insurance company is sitting on piles and piles of surplus cash (and investments).

In case you were wondering, we've been at this a year now

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 18:21:43 -0500

Those who say we should scrap the health reform bill and start over have yet to say what would happen differently the next time. It took a year to get to this point--with efforts to reach compromises large and small dating back to this time last year.

In the alternative, fund high risk pools?

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 11:01:29 -0500

Rather than try and insure everyone, perhaps we should just try and insure the sick people. The problem is, states have been trying that idea for years and it's time we learn from failure.

Breathtaking cost savings claims are nothing but hot air

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 09:10:31 -0500

In Sunday's New York Times, Newt Gingrich announced that tort reform would save the health care system $600 billion a year--a breathtaking number, but unfounded.

Free markets? Compete across state lines? They alone won't solve our health insurance problems

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 10:46:42 -0500

As Washington tries to come together on a health reform plan, opponents are still throwing out the same old �solutions� that they claim will lower costs and get more folks health coverage. The only problem is, they don�t.

Empty threats--Agencies probably can't stop Anthem rate increase

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 11:09:47 -0500

California insurance regulators, federal agency heads and Congress are all responding to Anthem's huge rate increases with, well, saber rattling. Because the rate increase is probably perfectly legal under existing insurance law--a law that works great for insurance companies and not so great for people. That's why so many millions of Americans desperately need Congress to finish and pass health reform.

Simple ideas turn out to be pretty complicated after all

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 17:34:00 -0500

Would a few simple changes to the way health insurance works fix our health care system? Consumer Reports is looking at the ideas now circulating. See what our investigations come up with.

Afraid of health care legislation?

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 11:23:33 -0500

If so, relax. You�re probably all worked up about four of the myths polluting this debate.

Top priority: Making sure insurance is affordable

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 13:36:56 -0500

Health insurance must be affordable for American families if we are all to buy it. So how do we get there?

It�s not sexy, but the new �insurance exchange� could be the key to good health reform

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 14:07:59 -0500

You probably haven�t heard much about the proposed �insurance exchange� in the health reform bills. It doesn�t make sexy fodder for political talk shows. But it very well could be one of the most important things Congress does to get health reform right � and the Senate and House bills take different approaches to the exchange. How they�re combined in the final bill could make all the difference to health reform�s success.

Fighting for the best possible final health reform bill

Mon, 04 Jan 2010 17:03:50 -0500

The next few weeks we�ll see furious work in Washington on a final health reform bill, as both House and Senate leaders attempt to merge their respective bills into one measure that gives all Americans access to affordable, reliable health coverage.