Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius says during a conference call Tuesday that healthcare reform is necessary because the current system does not offer equal access to coverage for all Americans. (0:24)
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced Friday that an additional $33 million in Recovery Act funds will be allocated toward expanding the number of health care professionals in the U.S.
“65 million Americans currently can’t see a primary care provider today due to a shortage in their home community,” Sebelius said during a conference call with reporters. “We can’t wait for Congress to act to start filling the critical need that we have in the health care workforce.” (0:21)
By Laura Woodhead – Talk Radio News Service
The public option is still on the table Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Tuesday. Speaking at the US Administration on Aging’s annual Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) conference, Secretary Sebelius said that her comment Sunday that the public option was “not an essential element” of health care reform, was misrepresented by the media.
“All I can tell you is that Sunday must have been a very slow news day, because here’s the bottom line: absolutely nothing has changed,” she said. “We continue to support the public option that will help lower costs, give American consumers more choice and keep private insurers honest.”
The Secretary went on to address the scare tactics that she said opponents of health care reform were using in order to frighten the elderly into not supporting the administrations’ proposed changes.
“Lots of information has been circulated causing fear among some seniors about cutting valuable medicare services or rationing care,” Sebelius said. “Nothing could be further from the truth.”
The comments came at the end of the Secretary’s speech on how the administration is taking steps to tackle Medicare fraud. In any system were there was over $600 billion circulating, “you know that there are people around who want to get their mitts on the cash” Sebelius said. Efforts by the SMP would help “save medicare dollars” and cut waste within the health care system but it was reform that would make the real difference.
“Absent health care reform, doctors providing medicare are scheduled to be cut 21%,” she warned. “You talk about losing your doctor. That will happen [unless we pass reform].”
By Courtney Ann Jackson-Talk Radio News Service
A focus on prevention and wellness is key to quality health care reform, according the the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and three top HHS officials participated in a webcast Friday to clarify the Obama administration’s health care reform message.
“This is a public health opportunity, not just a physician opportunity. We believe prevention should occur not just between a doctor and a patient and not just at an individual level, but at the family level, the neighborhood level, the community level,” said Dr. David Blumenthal, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. “Public health and prevention is now a major theme for every person in this country and we all have an investment in it.”
Howard Koh, Assistant Secretary for Health, said what seems like simple steps, such as, immunization or counseling for an addiction, can save money in the long-term.
The officials also highlighted aspects that the administration claims are essential to comprehensive health reform including: reducing long-term growth of health care costs, a guaranteed choice of doctors and health plans, improved patient safety and quality of care, affordable quality coverage, and the ability to maintain coverage when you change or lose your job.
“We’re not just focusing on saving costs, but saving lives,” Sebelius said.
Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan read to elementary school children as part of the “Read to the Top” summer initiative.
Courtney Costello-Talk Radio News Service
Grant applications are now available through the Health and Human Services Department for organizations and state and local governments to receive between $25 thousand and $1 million to help uninsured children receive health care.
During a conference call with reporters, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, announced that that the funding will be coming from Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA), which was passed in February. It will provide $40 million in grants this year and a total of $100 million in grants over the next four years.
“This grant opportunity is going to be a great help to states and communities that are working hard to ensure kids and families are getting health care that they need even in the down turn,” said Colorado Governor Bill Ritter.
According to Sebelius, the grants will be primarily awarded towards cities and rural areas where there are high populations of uninsured children. Sebelius predicts the program will also allow states to reach out to over 4 million children who are currently uninsured.
By Mariko Lamb, Talk Radio News Service
On Tuesday, Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of the Department Health and Human Services spoke to the Senate Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Eduacation, and Related Agencies about issues concerning her department’s FY 2010 Budget.
According to Sebelius, the Health and Human Services Budget priorities include: health reform, improving oversight over Medicare and Medicaid fraud, improving the quality of healthcare, combating healthcare disparities among U.S. populations, providing funds for the Health Resources and Services Administration and preparing for future outbreaks and pandemics.
Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) expressed his concern about PAYGO, a pay-as-you-go program, applying to the Healthcare Reform Bill. According to Alexander, a full analysis of the costs and details of PAYGO must be evaluated before supporting the proposition.
Sebelius and Chairman Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) agreed to re-evaluate additional concerns of the committee such as the the effective management of overlapping Health and Human Services and Department of Agriculture responsibilities, the use of a previously-tested Senior Care Program, and a strategy to ensure healthcare in rural communities.
Bureau Chief Ellen Ratner and White House Correspondent Victoria Jones will be attending a White House briefing with White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs
The Washington Bureau will also be covering:
-Constitution Subcommittee hearing on “The Legal, Moral, and National Security Consequences of ‘Prolonged Detention”
-Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner testifies to the Senate Appropriations Committee Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee hearing on proposed budget estimates for FY2010 for the Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service
-Joint Economic Committee hearing on “TARP (Troubled Asset Relief Program) Accountability and Oversight: Measuring the Strength of Financial Institutions
-Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ testifies to the Senate Appropriations Committee Defense Subcommittee hearing on the proposed budget estimates for FY2010 for the Defense Department
-HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius testifies to the Senate Appropriations Committee Labor, HHS, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee hearing on the proposed budget estimates for FY2010 for the Health and Human Services Department
-House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) weekly pen and pad news briefing
-The Center for American Progress (CAP) discussion on “Stopping Pakistan’s Militants: How to Support Pakistan’s Civilian Government”
-Discussion on “The Future of Employer-Provided health care” at the Heritage Foundation
By Justin Duckham-Talk Radio News Service
In its first 100 days, $500 million of the $787 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has been allocated to improve and expand the operations of Community Health Centers across the country. The allocation of the funds was praised today by Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services.
“The Recovery Act grants and the funding we have released are key investments that will help deliver care to millions of Americans,” said Sebelius during a telephone conference with reporters.
An additional $300 million is set to be alloted toward the National Health Service Corps, a segment of HHS, with the goal of increasing the available workforce in Community Health Centers across the Country. HHS expects the amount of available clinicians to double by 2011.
$2 billion was initially provided by ARRA to be spent on Community Health Centers over the next two years. The remaining funds will go toward updating medical technology, renovating equipment and constructing additional centers.
By Michael Combier – Talk Radio News Service
Attorney General Eric Holder and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced the formation of a new interagency effort, the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT), to fight against Medicare and Medicaid fraud around the country. Holder and Sebelius also announced this afternoon the expansion of the Strike Force Team to Detroit and Houston. This Strike Team was already operating in South Florida and Los Angeles to fight Medicare fraud on a local level.
“This is part of the administration’s ongoing commitment to fiscal responsibility and accountability and putting the best minds and resources together to combat fraud and return much needing dollars into the United States’ Treasury”, said Attorney General Holder adding that when “individuals and corporations cross the line and defraud the public, we will hold them accountable.”
“The Obama administration and the American people will not stand by while criminals and health care fraud perpetrators steal from the Medicare and the Medicaid programs”, said Secretary Sebelius. “A Small but significant number of criminals and bad operators are cheating the system and costing taxpayers billions of dollars.”
Senior officials from the Department of Justice (DOJ) and HHS will integrate the HEAT team to strengthen the existing programs fighting against fraud. HEAT will not only go against unlawful practices but will also prevent fraud, waste and abuse from happening the first place. The new program will be helped by a joint DOJ-HHS Medicare Fraud Strike Force teams which have successfully fought against fraud perpetrators in South Florida and Los Angeles. In the former, the Strike Force convicted 146 defendants and succeeding in securing $186 million while in the latter, started in May 2008, 37 individuals have been charged with criminal health care fraud offenses resulting in $55 million being restored to the Medicare program.
The Attorney General and the HHS Secretary pointed out that HEAT will work with Congress to work on legislation making it more difficult for fraud perpetrators to use the taxpayers money. The American taxpayers are called upon by Sebelius “to blow the whistle on thieves and criminals who are stealing from all of us.”
