• Lesley Russell

24 February 2010This week's summit aims to save the embattled healthcare overhaul through the power of persuasion, writes Lesley Russell in Inside Story

HEALTHCARE REFORM is back on the agenda in Washington this week and in a big way. Since things came to an unexpected and screeching halt after the Massachusetts election, which cost the Democrats their super-majority in the Senate, the daily news on spiralling health costs has helped to drive the recognition that reform is imperative. To give one example: WellPoint’s Anthem Blue Cross in California, one of the largest health insurers in the state, announced early this month that it was about to hike health insurance premiums by as much as 39 per cent for individuals. A recent survey by the Center for American Progress shows double-digit hikes in insurance premiums implemented or pending in at least ten other states.

Meanwhile, the five biggest health insurance companies in the United States have collectively reported a record profit for 2009, even as they covered fewer customers. The economic crisis is making it increasingly difficult for middle-class families to keep up their health insurance payments. Chairman Henry Waxman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee is set to hold hearings on this issue on 24 February...

Read the full article

Photo: Talk Radio News