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Massachusetts, Tennessee Health Plans Might Offer Ideas On U.S. Health Care System Overhaul
Congressional lawmakers who are crafting a plan to overhaul the U.S. health care system might be able to look to state health insurance programs in Massachusetts and Tennessee for ideas, the AP/Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. Health reform legislation modeled after Massachusetts" near-universal health insurance law "is likely to emerge" in Congress, "although details remain unsettled," the AP/Star Tribune reports. The plan also could include components of Tennessee"s CoverTN program, which charges beneficiaries who smoke or are overweight higher premiums. Lawmakers in the Senate already have discussed a lifestyle tax funding mechanism, such as taxes on alcohol and sugary beverages. According to AP/Star Tribune, Massachusetts "chose to cover virtually everyone," while Tennessee "chose to get just a few more people bare-bones insurance at a budget price with limits on how much plans would pay for hospital stays."Alan Weil of the National Academy for State Health Policy said, "The belief that we should all have health insurance coverage is broadly held," but "there are tremendous differences around the country in beliefs on how to achieve that goal." He added, "We learn from Massachusetts that a bold objective matters. If it can be sustained, that"s terrific," and "[i]t would be nice if you had a southern state that had achieved universal coverage and did it in a different way, but we don"t have that" (Johnson, AP/Minneapolis Star Tribune, 5/28).

Our Psychological Well-Being Is Reflected In The Stories We Tell About National Trauma
A new study by psychologists at the University at Buffalo and the F. W. Olin College of Engineering finds that in the aftermath of national trauma, the ability to make sense out of what happened has implications for individual well-being and that the kinds of stories people tell about the incident predict very different psychological outcomes for them.
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Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis Study Finds Living Near Fast Food Outlet Not A Weighty Problem For Kids
A new study by Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) researchers contradicts the conventional wisdom that living near a fast food outlet increases weight in children and that living near supermarkets, which sell fresh fruit and vegetables as well as so called junk food, lowers weight.
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A Selection Of Opinions And Editorials

Obama"s Health Cost Illusion Wall Street Journal The President"s main case for reform is rooted in false claims and little evidence (6/8). Paying For Universal Health Coverage New York Times For Congress and the administration to keep the promise of comprehensive health care reform, they will have to find the political will to pay for universal coverage and other investments that are needed right away but will not produce quick savings. The cost could reach $1.5 trillion over the next decade (6/6). Study: Maternity Leave Offers Economic Benefits Miami Herald A new study suggests that providing mothers with pay and job security both before and after childbirth could bestow economic benefits upon us all (Brett Graff, 6/7). Harry And Louise Have Changed Washington Post Many have expressed amazement that the interest groups historically opposed to fixing the health system seem ready to work with the reformers. Their public-spiritedness reflects enlightened self-interest: The health system is so unstable that even the drug industry and the insurance companies are worried that it will crash on top of them (E.J. Dionne, Jr., 6/8). A Healthy Debate Philadelphia Inquirer President Obama has demonstrated that on the most heated political issues, he can be shrewdly pragmatic, often to the frustration of both liberals and conservatives. That is certainly the case as Obama adjusts his game plan for what he calls a "make or break period" in moving health-care legislation through Congress over the second half of this year (6/8). Debunking Canadian Health Care Myths Denver Post It is becoming increasingly more difficult to dispute the fact that Canada spends less money on health care to get better outcomes (Rhonda Hackett, 6/7). A Few Symptoms Washington Post President Obama laid down more specific markers than he had previously about his preferences for health care reform... Given the high stakes involved in an overhaul of this magnitude, it would be unfortunate indeed if health reform were to be a one-party endeavor (6/8). This information was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with kind permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives and sign up for email delivery at kaiserhealthnews.org. © Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.


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