LEADS
1. Energy: Oil Market: Prices Increase Without Reducing Demand2. Government: Michael Mukasey, Nominee for Attorney General
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ROUNDUP: MANDATORY HEALTH INSURANCE
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton is unveiling asweeping health care proposal that would require everyone to carry healthinsurance and offer federal subsidies to help reduce the cost of coverage. Thecenterpiece of Clinton's plan is the so-called "individual mandate," requiringeveryone to have health insurance -- just as most states require drivers topurchase auto insurance. Following are experts who can comment:
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**1. DONALD LAVANTY, JD, professor of business and chair of the Health CareManagement, HR and Legal Administration Department at MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY,can discuss whether an "individual mandate" is too financially burdensome formost Americans, even with a federal tax subsidy: "'Yes' is the short answer.But it will force employees to demand that employers pick up part of theburden. Otherwise, the premium will be prohibitive. So, we're back to squareone. Government subsidies will be needed, or many people will again be leftout, unable to afford any of the options. The sides are so far apart, it'slike trying to build a tributary between the Amazon and the Nile." Lavanty wasa presenter to the Washington Intelligence National Health forum on healthissues in the 109th Congress, and will be presenting to the forum on Oct. 11before the 110th Congress. He regularly speaks on the political aspects ofhealth care at the Naval School of Health Sciences. In one of his recentclasses at Marymount University, he had students analyze the plans being putforward by the presidential candidates. In 2004-05, he was a consultant withgroups on the current reimbursement policy for imaging procedures underMedicare and the issue of physician self-referral. In 2003, he worked onChanges in the Medicare Rx Drug Improvement Act to deal with the physicianpayment formula, co-payment procedures for clinical lab services underMedicare, and the development of the Medicare Advantage program. News Contact:Laurie Callahan, [email protected] Phone: +1-703-284-1648(9/19/07)
**2. PAUL KECKLEY, executive director of the DELOITTE CENTER FOR HEALTHSOLUTIONS in Washington, D.C., is a national authority on health care reformissues. He has developed a working analysis of all of the major candidates'health plans and can speak intelligently and quite quotably, not only on theClinton plan, but how it stacks up in terms of her rivals for the Democraticnomination, as well as the leading Republican candidates. Keckley has done ananalysis of her new proposals and believes they are highly strategic plansthat effectively place her in the middle of the presidential pack on thisissue: "Clinton's stand is both politically savvy and highly practical. Sheincludes health plan providers in the process, understanding that the industryneeds to be a part of the solution. What she learned from Harry and Louise isit's best not to go toe-to-toe with health plans. You collaborate. They becomea health plan partner. She's hitting on all cylinders, but not forcing a pay-for-play mandate or an individual employer mandate. She's leaving room forstates to implement. It's a real calculated, middle-of-the-road health carestrategy. She's simply learned from the past that you have to work within asystem that's flawed to achieve reform." News Contacts: Scott Ladd,[email protected] Phone: +1-917-301-5249, or Debbie Etchison,[email protected] Phone: +1-202-944-1979 (9/19/07)
**3. THOMAS C. ROYER, M.D., president and CEO of CHRISTUS HEALTH, currentlyleads a health care system composed of more than 40 hospitals and other healthcare ministries in over 60 communities in the U.S. and Mexico. He can discusshealth care reform: "I agree that the health care system in th
