'I don't sense any appetite whatsoever to invoke reconciliation.'

While this is what Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-CT) said this morning in response to the news that Democrats will include health care reform in a reconciliation bill if a consensus hasn't been reached by Oct. 15, the HELP committee member also stated that "there's even less of an appetite to lose the health care debate at the end because a handful of people decided they were going to oppose this and make it impossible to get to the conclusion of all of this."

When invoked, reconciliation allows the majority party in Congress to push tax or spending measures through without being blocked by filibuster, which means a bill can pass with 51 votes instead of the usual 60.

Dodd told reporters at a Kaiser Family Foundation breakfast that he hopes health care reform legislation will pass with 70 to 75 Senators' approval. "That's not only important in terms of passing something, I think it's critically important to developing the kind of support that we'll have to sustain with the American public if we're going to deal with the issue," he said.

What do you think are the odds of a 75% approval of health care legislation? Share your thoughts below.

April 29: Mark Your Calendars

That's the day the Senate Finance Committee will hold a closed-door session to hash out the details of a health care reform proposal. The foundation for the proposal will be a white paper released by Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) in November 2008, he told reporters at a breakfast this morning.

Baucus said a public option plan still remains on the table, but "it might be a bit on the side of the table."

Media reports show that Baucus also said the health insurance system should be more nationally uniform, much like the connector system that has been instituted in Massachusetts with a minimum level of benefits. "You can't have benefits one level in one state and another level in other states," he said.

Baucus's bill will later be combined on the Senate floor with a separate bill written by Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee Chairman Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA). Stay tuned.

Health agents find the hot seat yet again.

Last week it was DeParle, this week it's House Education and Labor Subcommittee Chairman Robert Andrews (D-NJ) getting rough with the universe of benefit advisers.

NAHU's EVP and CEO Janet Trautwein tried to stand her ground, but Andrews wasn't going to let her dodge the question: How is America going to pay for health care reform? Specifically, he was looking for her to praise or diss two proposals: 1) higher taxes on top-earners, and 2) ending subsidies for private medicare plans.

Not really what Trautwein came to talk about, but she did offer the idea of further hiking the tax on cigarettes. Not going to happen, according to Andrews.

We caught up with Trautwein afterward. Check it out and share your thoughts.

Health Legislation Ready In Six Weeks, Say Senate Leaders

Health care reform legislation will be ready for mark-up in early June, say Senators Max Baucus (D-MT) and Edward Kennedy (D-MA), chairmen of the Senate Finance Committee and Senate HELP Committee, respectively, in a joint letter sent to the President. Highlights of the letter, sent April 20, include:

Both committees plan to mark-up legislation in early June. Our intention is for that legislation to be very similar, and to reflect a shared approach to reform, so that the measures that our two committees report can be quickly merged into a single bill for consideration on the Senate floor.

We must act to contain the growth of health care costs to ensure our economic stability; to help American businesses deal with the health care challenge; and to make sure that we are getting our money’s worth. With your continued leadership and commitment, and working together, we remain certain that our goal of enacting comprehensive health care reform can be accomplished with the urgency that the American people rightly demand.

What do you think about this promise? Will the legislation be ready by June? Share your thoughts below.

May Issue Preview

Watch as we give a sneak peak at some of the top stories in EBA's May issue. Then, share your thoughts with us, here or through e-mail:
robert.whiddon@sourcemedia.com or elizabeth.galentine@sourcemedia.com.
We want to know what's on your mind.

William Gallagher's Chris Nadeau takes issue with DeParle's public plan reasoning

It didn't quite resound throughout the country, but some benefit advisers did take notice of, and objection to aspects of the White House reform czar's recent comments. Listen in as Chris Nadeau, EB practice leader for William Gallagher Associates and chairperson of CIAB's Council of Employee Benefit Executives, offers his take on what was said and what it means for benefit brokers and advisers.

Called out: Obama's health reform czar draws attention broker-less option

With all the talk of a public plan option swirling around health care reform initiatives, Nancy-Ann DeParle, director of the White House's new Office of Health Reform was asked for her own definition of a public plan during a Q&A with reporters this morning:

“A public plan is something that’s sponsored by the government and therefore has very low or almost non-existent administrative costs compared to others — doesn’t have the need to have brokers out selling, it wouldn’t have the need to have a lot of cost and profits the way private plans would, so it has that advantage ... ” she said.

Sure, a broker may not be as necessary with a public plan than a private one, but considering this White House representative brought up brokers of her own volition (no one had asked a question raising the issue) and specifically called their absence out as a top-of-the-mind advantage to a public plan, does this make you nervous about the White House's perception of a broker's role in the future of health care?

Share your thoughts below, or e-mail elizabeth.galentine@sourcemedia.com

An Employer's Perspective On Cost Saving, Wellness

After a Blue Cross and Blue Shield press conference announcing the expanded use of generic drugs, Diane Mohorter, senior benefits manager for Birds Eye Foods, took a moment to share how the "Generics are Real" program, as well as other wellness initiatives, has helped Birds Eye's bottom line while keeping employees happy.

Defining Involuntary

The DoL has added to the Q&A section of it's Web site explaining the COBRA subsidies. This includes a link to the IRS's further explanation of what it means to be "involuntarily" terminated.

So, involuntary or not? Here's a simplified sample. Be sure to visit the Web site directly for full details.

YES: the employer doesn't renew a contract when it expires.

NO: divorce or a dependent child becoming independent.

NO: the death of an employee or absence from work due to illness or disability.

YES: reduction to zero hours (lay-off, furlough, etc.) that results in lost coverage.

YES: voluntarily quitting in response to an employer imposing reduced hours.

Public Plan Option Would Reduce Private Plan Participation By The Millions

A public health insurance option as proposed by the President (limited to small employers, individuals and the self-employed) that assumes Medicare payment levels, would lead to a 32 million-person decline in private plan participants, according to a study released yesterday by The Lewin Group. If private payer reimbursement levels are used, 10.4 million people are estimated to switch.

If the public plan is open to all employers at Medicare payment levels, Lewin estimates a two-thirds reduction in private insurance enrollment. Participation would decrease from 170 million people to 119.1 million. Using private payer levels, enrollment in private plans would decline by 12.5 million.

What do you think of these results, are they what you would expect from a public plan? Share your thoughts below.