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Wednesday 14, Apr 2010 | 12:27am

Health Reform Blog
Making Health Reform a Reality for You: Small Business Tax Credits Posted April 10, 2010   |  Jenny Backus, Acting Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs

One of the most important benefits in the new law is relief for small businesses from the high cost of providing care. Small businesses are saddled with especially high costs when it comes to providing care for their employees. On average, their premiums are 18 percent higher than large businesses for the same coverage.

The new health insurance reform law helps make coverage more affordable for small businesses so they can provide health care for their workers. Effective immediately, millions of small businesses are eligible to receive a tax credit to cover up to 35 percent of premiums. In 2014, the credit will increase to 50 percent, saving businesses $40 billion by 2019.

This tax credit will be overseen by the Department of Treasury.

• Available Immediately. The tax credit is effective January 1, 2010. As a result, small businesses that provide health care for their workers will receive immediate help with their premium costs, and additional firms that initiate coverage this year will get a tax cut as well.
• Broad Eligibility. The Council of Economic Advisors estimates that 4 million small businesses are eligible for the credit if they provide health care to their workers. Qualifying firms must have less than the equivalent of 25 full-time workers (e.g., a firm with fewer than 50 half-time workers would be eligible), pay average annual wages below $50,000, and cover at least 50 percent of the cost of health care coverage for their workers.
• Substantial Benefit. The credit is worth up to 35 percent of a small business’s premium costs in 2010. On January 1, 2014, this rate increases to 50 percent.
• Non-Profits Eligible. Tax-exempt organizations are eligible for a 25 percent tax credit in 2010. In 2014, this rate increases to 35 percent. (The credit rates are lower for non-profits to ensure that the value of the credit is approximately equal to that provided to for-profit firms that cannot claim a tax deduction for the amount of the credit claimed.)
• Gradual Phase-Outs. The credit phases out gradually for firms with average wages between $25,000 and $50,000 and for firms with the equivalent of between 10 and 25 full-time workers.
• Premium Cost Eligibility. To avoid an incentive to choose a high-cost plan, an employer’s eligible contribution is limited
  Here are a few important things you need to know about these tax credits:
   to the average cost of health insurance in that state. To learn more about the small business tax credit, you can also visit IRS.gov.

Making Health Reform a Reality for You: Creating Temporary High Risk Pools Posted April 9, 2010   |  Julia Eisman, New Media Communications Director

Taking our first step to implement the new health insurance reform law, HHS reached out to states to create temporary high risk pools for people living with pre-existing conditions. Many Americans are uninsured because they have a pre-existing condition, rendering them unable to qualify for health coverage in the private insurance market. The new health insurance reform law seeks to expand coverage to these individuals through temporary high risk pool programs.

Last week, HHS took an important first step toward the creation of these temporary high risk pools. In a letter to Governors and Insurance Commissioners last Friday, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius asked if states were interested in temporary high risk pool program established by the new health insurance reform law.

In the letter, she told the leaders that states may choose whether and how they participate in the program. She stressed that by working with states to establish temporary high risk pool programs, we can all ensure that more Americans get the coverage they need for themselves and their families.

As the letter says:

As you are aware, on March 23, 2010, the President signed into law H.R. 3590, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Public Law 111-148).  As the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) begins the monumental task of implementing this historic legislation, I look forward to working in partnership with you as we transform the nation’s health care system.  I would like to draw your attention to one of the immediate changes that will be implemented this year.   Section 1101 of the new law establishes a “temporary high risk health insurance pool program” to provide health insurance coverage to currently uninsured individuals with pre-existing conditions. The law directs HHS to carry out the program directly or through contracts with states or private, non-profit entities. 

We are interested in building upon existing state programs in this important initiative to provide expanded access to health coverage for individuals who cannot otherwise obtain health insurance. To that end, I am writing you today to request an expression of your state’s interest in participating in this temporary high risk pool program, consistent with one of the implementation options described below.  

Health Reform and You: Reinsurance Program for Early RetireesPosted April 7, 2010   |  Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services

For millions of Americans ages 55-64, retiring early also means giving up their health security.  Fewer and fewer employers provide coverage for these early retirees. And purchasing coverage in the individual market is not a viable option for many in thisgroup, either because it’s unaffordable or because they have a preexisting condition like high blood pressure or diabetes.

But thanks to the new health insurance reform law, help is on the way.  Starting in about three months, a new retiree reinsurance program will bring support for needed employer-based coverage for retirees.

Tomorrow at 1:00 PM EDT, I’ll be discussing this topic during our second in a series of webchats about the new health reform law and you.  We’ll also be answering your questions.

You can view the webcast at www.hhs.gov/live.  Email your questions in advance to Healthreform@hhs.gov.  We’ll answer as many questions as we can on the webcast, and address others on our website in the days ahead.

The retiree reinsurance program provides $5 billion in temporary financial assistance so that employer plans can continue to provide valuable coverage to certain retirees.  It will make it easier for employers to give benefits to the workers who made their companies strong, and give retired workers the peace of mind that comes with quality health insurance.  You can learn more about the reinsurance program for early retirees by checking out this fact sheet (pdf).

The retiree reinsurance program is just one of the many ways early retirees will benefit from health insurance reform.  Reform also helps to control costs, improves the quality of care for everyone, and strengthens Medicare.

Join us tomorrow at www.hhs.gov/live to talk about this and other ways the new health insurance reform law will help seniors.  Again, submit your questions to Healthreform@hhs.gov.

Cross-posted at whitehouse.gov.

Health Reform and You: How the New Law Will Increase Your Health Security Posted April 6, 2010   |   Julia Eisman, New Media Communications Director

In a speech today at the National Press Club, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius spoke about how the new health insurance reform law will give Americans more benefits and choices, leading to greater security for you and your family.

Read the full speech here, and excerpts of her speech below.

***
When the conversation about reforming our health insurance system began nearly a year ago, there were some pundits who thought the days of America solving big problems were over.  They wondered whether transformative legislation like Social Security and Medicare was part of a bygone era like soda fountains and five cent matinees.  Last month, those pundits got a definitive answer.  After decades of asking, “When are we going to fix our broken health insurance system?” – we finally have an answer: “starting now.”

***
But our work didn’t end when President Obama put down his pen.  In some ways, it’s just begun. 

We have a great law.  Now, we have to carry it out effectively. 

To do that, we’ll need to communicate clearly with the American people.  Many of our friends and neighbors still have questions about this law.  That’s understandable.  Given the complexity of our health care system, which makes up one sixth of our economy, it would be surprising if they didn’t.  And it didn’t help that they were bombarded by nearly two hundred million dollars in ads over the last year, many of which were intentionally misleading.

For these Americans, our department will serve as a nationwide health insurance reform Help Desk.  If you have questions, we’ll have answers.  If you aren’t sure what to believe, we’ll have the facts. 

We know that the only way this law will achieve its full potential is if Americans understand and take advantage of all the new benefits and choices that will be available to them.

***
For years, Americans have struggled with a health insurance system that was opaque, unnecessarily confusing, and often overwhelming to navigate.  Our goal as we implement this law is to be the opposite of that – to be as clear and transparent as possible.  As soon as we know something, we’re going to tell you. 

But ultimately, we recognize that actions speak louder than words.  No matter how good a job we do educating Americans about the benefits for them in the bill, it won’t be much use unless we also implement those policies responsibly and effectively.  As the President has said many times, we need to get this right.  And as the letters I get every day make clear, we have no time to waste.

So in the week since President Obama signed this law, we’re already acting.  We’ve restructured the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services so that it’s better prepared to take on its new responsibilities under health insurance reform.  Last Friday, we began working with states to create a new high risk pool program that will help uninsured Americans with pre-existing conditions get coverage.  Yesterday, we sent new guidance to Medicare Advantage plans, which includes stronger cost sharing protections for seniors.  And later this week, we’ll open new Medicaid options to cover low-income adults. 

***Our goal is to put these Americans back in charge of their health care.  We will provide information and education if it’s needed; set basic guidelines that will help foster a competitive insurance market; serve as an umpire to make sure insurance companies treat Americans fairly; and provide targeted resources to help empower consumers.  But ultimately, this isn’t about us.  It’s about you.  It’s about giving Americans more choices, more security, and more control.

Taking Your Questions on Health Reform Posted April 2, 2010   |   Jenny Backus, Acting Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs

Thank you for taking part in our first weekly web chat on the new health insurance reform law with Secretary Sebelius and Karen Mills, the Administrator of Small Business Administration. If you missed it on Wednesday, you can watch it again any time on demand.  This was the first in a series of online discussions we are hosting each week to talk about how the new health reform law will help you get higher quality care at a lower cost.

As we prepared for the web chat, we asked you to submit questions to help us guide our conversation, and we got an amazing response. More than 600 of you emailed in your questions. Thank you. In the months ahead, we will continue answering your questions, whether it’s live online or right here at www.healthreform.gov.

While we covered a variety of topics during the chat, one area we focused most on was how small businesses will benefit under the new law.

Small businesses spend, on average, 18 percent more for the same coverage than large businesses. But thanks to the new law, many new affordability provisions will be in place to help small business owners cover their employees. Here are six ways in which reform will help small businesses.

Here are a few more examples of the great questions that you asked and some of the topics that we covered:

Maria from California asked: “My family and I already have health insurance through my employer.  How will this Health Reform Bill affect me?”

Secretary Sebelius: The coverage will stay in place through your employer, and all the plans are going to have preventive care with no co-pays. So as the plan gets renewed, the insurance companies will redesign the plan to make sure that preventive coverage will be provided. Hopefully you’ll see less taken out of your pocket over time because comprehensive health reform will help lower costs for everybody [and] take some of the administrative overhead out of insurance costs. It should be a benefit and stabilize the plan you have.

Larry asked: “I am a senior who is already in the gap in Medicare prescription drug coverage known as the donut hole.  Will the rebate of $250 be sent to me automatically or must I apply for it and how?”

Secretary Sebelius: We’re developing the specific rules right now, but this year, the $250 rebate will be sent the quarter that you hit that gap in coverage. So if I understand it correctly, if you’re already there, and we’re only in March, by June you will get a $250 check…For those who may hit later in the year, there will be additional checks going out in September that will take care of that, and over time, the “donut hole” will be completely closed so you won’t be facing that kind of gap any longer. Next year, about a 50% decrease in the brand name drugs in the donut hole takes effect.

THE HYSTORY OF THE WHITE HOUSE: For more than 200 years, the White House has been more than just the home of the Presidents and their families. Throughout the world, it is recognized as the symbol of the President, of the President's administration, and of the United States.

About the Building For two hundred years, the White House has stood as a symbol of the Presidency, the United States government, and the American people. Its history, and the history of the nation's capital, began when President George Washington signed an Act of Congress in December of 1790 declaring that the federal government would reside in a district "not exceeding ten miles square…on the river Potomac." President Washington, together with city planner Pierre L’Enfant, chose the site for the new residence, which is now 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. As preparations began for the new federal city, a competition was held to find a builder of the "President’s House." Nine proposals were submitted, and Irish-born architect James Hoban won a gold medal for his practical and handsome design.

Construction began when the first cornerstone was laid in October of 1792. Although President Washington oversaw the construction of the house, he never lived in it. It was not until 1800, when the White House was nearly completed, that its first residents, President John Adams and his wife, Abigail, moved in. Since that time, each President has made his own changes and additions. The White House is, after all, the President’s private home. It is also the only private residence of a head of state that is open to the public, free of charge.

The White House has a unique and fascinating history. It survived a fire at the hands of the British in 1814 (during the war of 1812) and another fire in the West Wing in 1929, while Herbert Hoover was President. Throughout much of Harry S. Truman’s presidency, the interior of the house, with the exception of the third floor, was completely gutted and renovated while the Trumans lived at Blair House, right across Pennsylvania Avenue. Nonetheless, the exterior stone walls are those first put in place when the White House was constructed two centuries ago.

Presidents can express their individual style in how they decorate some parts of the house and in how they receive the public during their stay. Thomas Jefferson held the first Inaugural open house in 1805. Many of those who attended the swearing-in ceremony at the U.S. Capitol simply followed him home, where he greeted them in the Blue Room. President Jefferson also opened the house for public tours, and it has remained open, except during wartime, ever since. In addition, he welcomed visitors to annual receptions on New Year’s Day and on the Fourth of July. In 1829, a horde of 20,000 Inaugural callers forced President Andrew Jackson to flee to the safety of a hotel while, on the lawn, aides filled washtubs with orange juice and whiskey to lure the mob out of the mud-tracked White House.

After Abraham Lincoln’s presidency, Inaugural crowds became far too large for the White House to accommodate them comfortably. However, not until Grover Cleveland’s first presidency did this unsafe practice change. He held a presidential review of the troops from a flag-draped grandstand built in front of the White House. This procession evolved into the official Inaugural parade we know today. Receptions on New Year’s Day and the Fourth of July continued to be held until the early 1930s.

• There are 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms, and 6 levels in the Residence. There are also 412 doors, 147 windows, 28 fireplaces, 8 staircases, and 3 elevators.
• At various times in history, the White House has been known as the "President's Palace," the "President's House," and the "Executive Mansion." President Theodore Roosevelt officially gave the White House its current name in 1901.
• Presidential Firsts while in office... President James Polk (1845-49) was the first President to have his photograph taken... President Theodore Roosevelt (1901-09) was not only the first President to ride in an automobile, but also the first President to travel outside the country when he visited Panama... President Franklin Roosevelt (1933-45) was the first President to ride in an airplane.
• With five full-time chefs, the White House kitchen is able to serve dinner to as many as 140 guests and hors d'oeuvres to more than 1,000.
• The White House requires 570 gallons of paint to cover its outside surface.
• For recreation, the White House has a variety of facilities available to its residents, including a tennis court, jogging track, swimming pool, movie theater, and bowling lane.

Michael J Fox foundation for Parkinson's  health care research

J.K. Rowling Reads from "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" April 05, 2010 | 13:37
Author J.K. Rowling reads from her book "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" at the 2010 White House Easter Egg Roll.

Public Domain