The Ensign Healthcare Loophole

The Nation by Greg Kaufmann | Jan. 9, 2010 (Investigative Report)

Taken at face value, Senator John Ensign's amendment which was included in the final Senate healthcare bill sounds pretty decent: by meeting "wellness" standards people can receive discounts on their employer-based healthcare premiums. Stop smoking--pay less. Hit a certain weight--pay less. Meet a cholesterol target--you get the idea. Dems probably should have stopped and realized since the amendment was offered by Ensign it probably wasn't motivated by ... Full Story »

Posted by Vincent Caminiti - via NewsRack (Health Care), The Nation

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Subjects: U.S., Politics, Health
Topics: Health Care
Member Tags: health care reform, Insurance industry
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# Tweets: 1 (as of 2010-01-08)
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Posted by: Posted by Vincent Caminiti - Jan 8, 2010 - 2:03 PM PST
Reviewed by: Vincent Caminiti (review), Dwight Rousu (review), Chris Finnie (review), Richard Riehl (review)
Content Type: Article
Edit Lock: This story can be edited
Edited by: Dwight Rousu - Jan 9, 2010 - 4:37 PM PST
Related Comments: Health Care (8)

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Vincent Caminiti
4.2
 by Vincent Caminiti - Jan. 11, 2010

This story deals with facts with a subscript of how it overlays a political strategy. It analyzes the public facing sound-bite value vs. the actual intent of Ensign's amendment. It is well sourced and well written, delivering a lot of information in a quick read.

These are daily occurrences in the theatrical performance / Magic Show that our representative government has become. One can hang a sign on a horse's neck that reads 'Cow' but eventually the milk pails will be empty. Yet another reason to push campaign finance reform. Many of our Congressional leaders are little more than marionettes lead by green stained fingers - often referred to as the Invisible Hand of the Market. It seems to me that with all the marketing dollars, ... More »

Vincent posted this story.
See Full Review » (19 answers)
Richard Riehl
4.0
 by Richard Riehl - Jan. 11, 2010

This is an excellent journalistic "catch" of what lies behind the amendment. It lacks balance, of course, and I wish it would have included a response to the criticism, even though retaining the same slant.

See Full Review » (19 answers)
Chris Finnie
4.6
 by Chris Finnie - Jan. 11, 2010

First I've heard of this, and I've worked on the issue a lot. So kudos for the scoop. And thanks for the information to take action.

See Full Review » (11 answers)
Dwight Rousu
4.6
 by Dwight Rousu - Jan. 11, 2010

This is a good exposure of a hidden stink-bomb provision in the senile Senate bill to take care of the health of the insurance companies.

Ensign suffers from pre-existing corruption.

Remember a central promise of healthcare reform—even the watered down version—how people with preexisting conditions weren’t supposed to be denied ... More »

See Full Review » (15 answers)

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