Daily News Updates - Health Insurance News

Obama Keeping Step with America’s Health Pulse, Pt.3 – What needs to be done.

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As if the “Flip-Flop Label Co.” was looking to scare up business, Ms. Patel was confronted with the innuendo that Mr. Obama was ‘reversing himself’ by considering a campaign point of a former adversary. Dr. Kavita quickly dissolved the confusion by explaining that Mr. Obama had never opposed ‘individual mandate’, but opposed it being part of his rudimentary health insurance/care campaign. These details are better ‘fleshed-out’ as closer health insurance specifics are brought into play. He neither endorses nor opposes ideas based on politics. He simply works with good ideas based on their own merit, as appropriate. Mr. Obama has committed to work with Mrs. Clinton on health insurance/care issues to synthesize the best good for our nation. He continues to stay “in touch with former Clinton health-care advisers,” Ms. Patel concludes.

In summaries, Ms. Ignagni expressed praise for Dr. Patel’s thoughtfulness and openness on the ‘individual mandate’ issue. However she warned that “a compromise between Obama and the insurance industry may still prove elusive.” Speaking for Health Care for America Now, leader Richard Kirsch shared with ABC News at another time that his liberal organization would be ‘hard-pressed’ to accept this ‘individual mandate’ without some commitment from the health insurance industry. The commitment must include ‘guaranteed issue’ without “variations in premiums on the basis of age, gender, or pre-existing conditions.” Mr. Kirsch doesn’t have much faith that these changes will come about easily nor “by playing footsie with the industry." His feeling is, if the health insurance industry accepts the changes, it would be great. But, in likelihood, it may require coercion.