Prescription for Change http://www.prescriptionforchange.org/ en Copyright 2010 Wed, 03 Feb 2010 17:34:00 -0500 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/?v=3.2 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Simple ideas turn out to be pretty complicated after all 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.

]]> http://www.prescriptionforchange.org/2010/02/simple_ideas_turn_out_to_be_pr_1.html http://www.prescriptionforchange.org/2010/02/simple_ideas_turn_out_to_be_pr_1.html Blog Post Wed, 03 Feb 2010 17:34:00 -0500 Afraid of health care legislation? If so, relax. You’re probably all worked up about four of the myths polluting this debate.

]]> http://www.prescriptionforchange.org/2010/01/afraid_of_health_care_legislat.html http://www.prescriptionforchange.org/2010/01/afraid_of_health_care_legislat.html Blog Post Wed, 13 Jan 2010 11:23:33 -0500 Top priority: Making sure insurance is affordable Health insurance must be affordable for American families if we are all to buy it. So how do we get there?

]]> http://www.prescriptionforchange.org/2010/01/the_insurance_must_be_affordab_1.html http://www.prescriptionforchange.org/2010/01/the_insurance_must_be_affordab_1.html Blog Post Tue, 12 Jan 2010 13:36:56 -0500 It’s not sexy, but the new ‘insurance exchange’ could be the key to good health reform 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.

]]> http://www.prescriptionforchange.org/2010/01/its_not_sexy_but_the_new_insur.html http://www.prescriptionforchange.org/2010/01/its_not_sexy_but_the_new_insur.html Blog Post Thu, 07 Jan 2010 14:07:59 -0500 Fighting for the best possible final health reform bill 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.

]]> http://www.prescriptionforchange.org/2010/01/fighting_for_the_best_possible.html http://www.prescriptionforchange.org/2010/01/fighting_for_the_best_possible.html Blog Post Mon, 04 Jan 2010 17:03:50 -0500 No insurance and too young to qualify for Medicare? How health reform would fill the gap As Consumer Reports senior editor Nancy Metcalf points out, losing your health coverage in middle-age can be a real disaster because most people in "mid-life" have some kind of pre-existing condition that makes insurance companies shun them. Or if they are lucky enough to get coverage, the costs of the policies are simply outrageous.

]]> http://www.prescriptionforchange.org/2009/12/no_insurance_and_too_young_for.html http://www.prescriptionforchange.org/2009/12/no_insurance_and_too_young_for.html Blog Post Tue, 08 Dec 2009 11:40:41 -0500 Senate will vote to begin debate; expect to hear a lot about the public option This weekend the Senate will vote to begin debate on its health reform bill -- needing 60 votes just to begin talking about the issue on the floor and allowing amendments.

]]> http://www.prescriptionforchange.org/2009/11/post_39.html http://www.prescriptionforchange.org/2009/11/post_39.html Blog Post Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:22:25 -0500 Reasons why the House bill is a workable solution to our health care problems Any proposal that addresses one-fifth of our economy, and deals with an issue as important to Americans as their health care, deserves our careful reading and intense scrutiny. With that firmly in mind, and with our decades of experience analyzing incremental health reforms at the state and federal levels, Consumers Union supports H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act. We believe this bill contains workable solutions to the critical problem that so many Americans face right now – namely, the inability to afford dependable, quality health care.
To read about our reasons why, click here.

]]> http://www.prescriptionforchange.org/2009/11/reasons_why_the_house_bill_is_1.html http://www.prescriptionforchange.org/2009/11/reasons_why_the_house_bill_is_1.html Blog Post Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:39:00 -0500 American women -- it's time you knew what the health insurance industry is doing to you American women, it’s time to wake up to what the health insurance industry has been doing to you -- discriminating against you simply because you're a woman. This dirty little business practice, called "gender rating" by the insurance industry, allows insurers to charge women more than men for simply having reproductive parts. And health reform bills would put a stop to it.

]]> http://www.prescriptionforchange.org/2009/10/post_29.html http://www.prescriptionforchange.org/2009/10/post_29.html Blog Post Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:26:14 -0500 Insurance company red tape, and the toll it takes on families Mark Gendernalik just wishes he could focus on being a dad instead of having to constantly fight insurance company red tape to get the medical care his daughter needs.

]]> http://www.prescriptionforchange.org/2009/09/post_37.html http://www.prescriptionforchange.org/2009/09/post_37.html Blog Post Tue, 22 Sep 2009 12:47:54 -0500 As President talks to Congress about health care, some specific answers for you As President Obama addresses Congress about his health care goals, many Americans still have questions about what it will mean to them. What if I already have decent coverage through my job? What if I can't get insurance now? What will happen to my Medicare? And how much will this cost us?

]]> http://www.prescriptionforchange.org/2009/09/as_president_talks_to_congress.html http://www.prescriptionforchange.org/2009/09/as_president_talks_to_congress.html Blog Post Wed, 09 Sep 2009 14:08:37 -0500 How would your area benefit from health reform? The House Energy and Commerce Committee has released a district-by-district analysis of the health reform bill and its impact on every House district in the country. Look at your home town!

]]> http://www.prescriptionforchange.org/2009/08/how_would_your_area_benefit_fr_1.html http://www.prescriptionforchange.org/2009/08/how_would_your_area_benefit_fr_1.html Blog Post Thu, 27 Aug 2009 16:37:33 -0500 Rally Saturday at the Fargodome for health reform! Join us! http://www.prescriptionforchange.org/2009/08/rally_for_health_reform_this_w.html http://www.prescriptionforchange.org/2009/08/rally_for_health_reform_this_w.html Blog Post Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:56:28 -0500 Want a reason for reform? How about buying insurance and ending up $100,000 in medical debt We've heard a lot this past month from health reform opponents that our health care system is just fine. If you believe that, then take a minute and listen to the story of Catherine Howard so you can get a better understanding of what insurance companies really are doing -- and how much you are at risk.

]]> http://www.prescriptionforchange.org/2009/08/want_a_reason_for_reform_how_a.html http://www.prescriptionforchange.org/2009/08/want_a_reason_for_reform_how_a.html Blog Post Wed, 26 Aug 2009 11:47:10 -0500 How will lower-income families fare in the new health exchange? Affordability Credits are available to lower the cost of coverage purchased through the exchange. Information about a family's income and size is used to determine whether the family qualifies for the credits and if so, what type of contribution the family is expected to make.

]]> http://www.prescriptionforchange.org/2009/08/how_will_lowerincome_families.html http://www.prescriptionforchange.org/2009/08/how_will_lowerincome_families.html Blog Post Wed, 19 Aug 2009 10:11:00 -0500