Another example: There’s a provision guaranteeing as of last January that a patient denied coverage by his insurance carrier not only can appeal to the insurance company (which must respond within specific deadlines) but also has the right, as the law puts it, to an “effective external review process that meets minimum standards established by the Secretary.” What does that mean, and how is it being implemented? Our family recently contested a rejected claim and we were not told of any right to appeal to an outside, independent party. If this requirement has not been implemented, that’s a great story, too.
Obamacare will have sweeping effects on a larger sector of our economy and a broader swathe of our population than any law in recent history. It’s time to switch from solely focusing on the political and legal battles surrounding it to how it’s actually working and going to work.
Steve, I totally agree that the media need to get busy explaining important provisions and implications of the Affordable Care Act (which they should have been doing for the last two years and generally did not). But I wish you would urge the media to do something they have done even less of -- explain to the public what Mitt Romney and congressional Republicans are proposing instead of the Affordable Care Act. Romney has outlined some proposals, albeit brief and very light on key details such as financing. But his proposals have gotten almost no coverage except for a good Noam Levey piece in the LA Times, my piece in Medscape, and a lame recent NYT piece. In addition, congressional Republicans, including Tom Coburn and Tom Price, presented several fairly comprehensive bills in 2009, which also got almost no coverage (I wrote two analyses in the Chicago Sun-Times and The Health Care Blog). On top of that, Romney and Paul Ryan and company have proposed radical changes in Medicare and Medicaid, capping and privatizing those programs. These proposals likewise have not been well explained by the media. All these GOP proposals would entail quite radical changes in how Americans get their health care and coverage. Americans need to understand the stark choice that's involved between the Affordable Care Act and these GOP proposals. But all I hear from reporters at major news organizations is that there's nothing to report on since Romney and the GOP congressional leadership have not coalesced behind one bill and pushed it. That's nonsense.
#1 Posted by Harris Meyer, CJR on Tue 10 Jul 2012 at 01:13 PM
Harris,
Agree completely.
Steve Brill
#2 Posted by Steven Brill, CJR on Tue 10 Jul 2012 at 03:08 PM
We, the free and independent press, must show the rubes why ObamaCare is so good; else, our Dear Leader may lose the polling edge on his Republican twin.
#3 Posted by Dan A., CJR on Wed 11 Jul 2012 at 06:12 PM
Minnesota Public Radio has been covering what's in the law for about two years now. See this in particular on the labels...
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/08/17/new-rules-help-minimize-guesswork-when-choosing-healthcare-plans/
Here's a link to our coverage
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/collections/special/ongoing/health-care-reform/
Elizabeth
#4 Posted by Elizabeth Stawicki, Correspondent Minnesota Public Radio, CJR on Fri 13 Jul 2012 at 02:19 PM