health insurance

by Holly Heinrich, Texas Tribune

Catholic churches and affiliated organizations in Texas say they won't stand for a new federal law that would require many employers to provide contraception coverage in their health insurance plans.

Although churches are exempt, other religiously affiliated institutions such as hospitals and universities are not.

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AP - Starting in 2012, the government will charge a new fee to your health insurance plan for research to find out which drugs, medical procedures, tests and treatments work best.

But what will Americans do with the answers?

AP - The cost of employer-sponsored health insurance surged this year, snapping a trend toward moderate growth, but experts say these increases may slow again in 2012.

At the heart of the Republican plan is a proposal to give everybody in the program a subsidy to buy private health insurance.

Its supporters say it would reduce health care spending. But critics contend it allows the government to spend less on Medicare by making patients pay more — potentially a lot more.

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After a messy Senate burial late last year, the government-run health insurance plan may be back. Proponents cite continued wide support and the fact that this time it needs fewer votes to pass in the Senate.

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After weeks of wrangling, the vote in the Senate went strictly along partisan lines. The bill aims to extend coverage to some 31 million Americans who lack health insurance.

The Senate measure must still be reconciled with a House version. Lawmakers hope to complete the process by early February.

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