The November 2009 issue of Health Care News reports that citizen protests—including the September 12 March on Washington, which attracted hundreds of thousands of participants—have caused the White House to reconsider their support for a controversial “public option” plan in the national health care overhaul bill.
Also in this issue:
* Will health care reform save money, or make the rising federal budget deficit even worse?
* As states struggle to combat fraud, a nationwide cap is proposed on Medicare reimbursements for treating in-home patients.
* The slow federal response to H1N1 vaccine needs is worrying southeastern states—and raising doubts about government-run health care in general.
* Private health insurers will have to compete with the federal government if a public option is imposed.
* As Senate proposals shift from public option plans to state health co-ops, questions arise as to how the new idea will work.
* Politicians in both parties have been leaning on prevention as a cost-cutting measure, but experts in health care economics say it won’t work.
