Peter Harbage

Peter Harbage in San Jose Mercury News | 'Committee Kills Health Plan'

Communications — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 15:28:00 -0500

New America in the News:

Senate committee kills health care reform plan (San Jose Mercury News)

"California had a major opportunity," said Peter Harbage, an independent health care consultant affiliated with the New America Foundation think tank. "This would have been one of the biggest reform efforts in the nation in a very long time, really since the Clinton effort" in the mid-1990s.

Why the Budget Gap Shouldn't Derail Health Care Reform

adminn — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 15:06:00 -0500

As Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has released his budget threatened by $14 billion of red ink, many are asking whether California can afford the ambitious health care reforms that passed the state Assembly in December. Given the social and economic costs of leaving as many as 6.5 million Californians uninsured, the better question may be: Can we afford not to? Those worried by the possible impact of the budget gap on health reform include Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, whose chamber must vote for the health reform bill for it to move forward. Perata's concerns must be taken… more

Why the State's Budget Gap Shouldn't Derail Health Care Reform

Health Policy — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 14:47:00 -0500

On January 15, 2008, the San Francisco Chronicle featured an opinion piece authored by Leif Wellington Haase and Peter Harbage of the New America Foundation. The article, titled “Why the state’s the budget gap shouldn’t derail health reform,” presented several statistics on the importance of health reform. This background and analysis document offers the underlying support for the statistics used in their argument.

New America Welcomes Historic Vote on California Health Reform

Jerry Irvine — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 20:42:00 -0500

Len Nichols, Director of the Health Policy Program at the New America Foundation, made the following statement today after the California Assembly voted to approve health care legislation that would cover all Californians. New America has provided policy and communications advice to Governor Schwarzenegger, his staff, and to Democratic leaders throughout the reform debate. Many of New America’s core health reform principles, including an individual mandate, are included in the proposal:

“Today is an exciting day for Californians, and for all Americans. This historic Assembly vote encourages us to believe that creating a system of coverage for all… more

Peter Harbage Interviews with KCRW's Which Way, L.A.?

Communications — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 05:33:00 -0400

New America in the News:

In January, Governor Schwarzenegger made national headlines by proposing universal health insurance in California and there was talk of creating a national model. After months of wrangling in Sacramento, he offered a legislative proposal yesterday. It would still require that every Californian buy health insurance. It would change the formulas for employer participation. The big news has to do with the state lottery. ... $37 billion could be raised by it and some of the money could be allocated to healthcare.

"... Everyone is still looking for ways to keep healthcare affordable. ....The lottery is another piece of that debate," said Peter Harbage, a Senior Program Associate of the Health Policy Program at New America Foundation.

"... The only way to achieve universal coverage is by having an individual mandate. ... The individual can't be alone in this, there needs to be shared responsiblity. ... There need to be a lot of changes to the system in order to have insurance. ..."

To listen to the show, please click on the Mp3 attachment below, or visit KCRW's website.

Peter Harbage in Sacramento Bee on Bush's Veto of SCHIP

Communications — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 08:42:00 -0400

New America in the News:

President Bush's veto of a bill that would have allowed California to achieve near-universal health care for children comes at a critical juncture in the state.

Employer-based coverage is decreasing, enrollment in the state's Healthy Families program is increasing and efforts by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Democrats to overhaul the health care system have not yielded a solution a month into a special legislative session.

Moreover, new Bush administration rules would make it harder for California to enroll children from middle-income families in Healthy Families.

"For Schwarzenegger and (Democrats), Healthy Families is a big part of health reform," said Peter Harbage, a consultant who has prepared a study for the California Healthcare Foundation on the possible impact of reduced funding from the federal State Children's Health Insurance Program.

SCHIP provides $2 for every $1 the state spends on its Healthy Families program for children. But a $60 billion, five-year extension of SCHIP approved by Congress with bipartisan support was vetoed last week by the president...

Peter Harbage is a Senior Program Associate at New America Foundation. For a direct link to this article, please visit the Sacramento Bee website.

New America Foundation Releases a Paper on Key Health Reform Component

Communications — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 15:03:00 -0400

The New America Foundation today released "Coverage Without Gaps: Implementing Seamless Health Insurance Coverage," a policy report on its model of seamless health insurance that would create a health insurance system where, once coverage is affordable and accessible, Californians would be required to purchase it. Seamless coverage would make universal health coverage a reality in California.

A requirement to purchase insurance is an active part of the ongoing health care reform debate in California. It is a key feature of Governor Schwarzenegger's proposal, and it will likely be a key issue considered… more

Coverage Without Gaps

Health Policy — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 08:24:00 -0400

In America’s fragmented health care system, too many individuals and families lack continuous access to health insurance. Overwhelming evidence shows that lacking health insurance leads to decreased access to quality care and reduces health status. The widely shared social and economic losses from these problems compound the cost of thousands of lives lost every year due to lack of health insurance and consequently access to care. In this context, health reform that ensures every individual and family seamless health insurance is more a matter of stewardship than of charity.

The goal of California health reform should be seamless, universal coverage,… more

L.A. Times Reports on Hospitals' Embrace of New America's Plan

Communications — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 12:06:00 -0400

New America in the News:

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger won an important ally Thursday in his effort to overhaul the state's healthcare system, as California's private hospital industry agreed to a $1.7 billion tax on itself.

The tax, which would require voter approval, would help cover the cost of providing health insurance for all Californians, which the governor said was his goal for the year.

The tax money, along with federal funds and a $600-million tax on public hospitals, would create a $4-billion pot of money that would then be returned to hospitals based on how many poor people they treat.

Most hospitals would end up with more money than they paid in the tax, although some would end up with less.

"It's a very significant deal," said Peter Harbage, a senior program associate with the New America Foundation, a think tank with offices in Washington, D.C., and Sacramento. Schwarzenegger based his proposal on some of the ideas endorsed by the foundation...

For the complete article, please visit the Los Angeles Times web site.

Harbage in the Ventura County Star on Schwarzenegger's Health Reforms

Communications — Sat, 18 Aug 2007 05:26:00 -0400

New America in the News:

SACRAMENTO — There are 4.1 million New Yorkers who get healthcare coverage under Medicaid, the federal safety net for the poor. For each of them, Uncle Sam spends an average of $5,891 a year.

In California, there are 6.5 million low-income people who rely on the same program. For each of them, Uncle Sam spends just $3,419.

Who makes up the difference?

To a large degree, health policy experts say, it is Californians with private insurance: They pay higher premiums to backfill the losses incurred by doctors and hospitals that lose money by treating poor patients insured by the government.

The clock is ticking toward the deadline for enacting major healthcare reforms before the Legislature adjourns next month. New attention is being focused on one element of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposed reforms that has been largely overlooked — tapping into a pool of up to $2 billion in federal money that could help reinvigorate what the governor calls the state's "broken healthcare system."

"The money's there, if the Legislature acts," said Health and Human Services Secretary Kim Belshé.

There is, however, a catch: In order to access the money, the state would have to match it dollar for dollar.

To do that, Schwarzenegger has proposed a prime-the-pump approach: Impose a fee on healthcare providers, drop that money in the well, and then pull out twice as much to give back to many of the same doctors and hospitals who paid the initial fee.

A similar fee was imposed on nursing homes several years ago, which allowed the state to tap into additional federal funds and substantially increase Medi-Cal — the California version of Medicaid — fees to nursing homes.

"Other states have done it — Illinois is the most recent example, and there are lots of others," said healthcare consultant Peter Harbage, whose work with the New America Foundation has helped drive the California healthcare reform debate. "It's a logical approach."

But there is also another catch: Federal regulations require provider fees be structured in such a way that not everyone who pays becomes a net winner.

"That means," Harbage said, "that for some hospitals, the fee will cost them money, and for others, they will make money..."

For the complete article, please visit the Ventura County Star web site.