http://www.benemax.com/blog As the oldest and 12th largest Consumer Directed Health Care company in the U.S., Benemax has a responsibility to inform members of our Community on the current health care reform debate and to represent the shared values of that Community in the public forum. We neither support nor oppose health care reform per se. Our goal is to ensure that any reform maintains a free and competitive market both for health care and health benefits. Sun, 30 May 2010 09:28:32 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Two months ago, when the first Republicans began talking about trying to "repeal the Health Care Reform bill", the idea sounded a bit crazy. After all, the bill had just passed Congress with a comfortable margin in the Senate and the sitting President was the bill's #1 proponent. How could ... http://www.benemax.com/blog/?p=191 In a recent analysis of the new Health Care Reform law, Tower Watson conclued that by 2018, 60% of all employers will be force to pay the so-called "Cadillac Tax". This excise tax levies a 40% nondeductible tax on the annual value of health plan costs for employees that exceed $10,200 ... http://www.benemax.com/blog/?p=189 As predicted here, the passage of Health Care Reform legislation in March marked the beginning, not the end, of the health care debate in The United States. Twenty-one states have now filed lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of the law, and legislation has been introduced or is about to be introduced in 41 ... http://www.benemax.com/blog/?p=186 Earlier we reported that more than 30 states are preparing to challenge the just passed Health Care Reform bill on Constitutional grounds. Here's an up to the minute look at where that process stands: Attorneys general from several states said Monday that they will sue to block the plan on constitutional grounds ... http://www.benemax.com/blog/?p=183 ...and the beginning of Chapter Two. The House of Representatives passed the Senate's massive health care reform bill last night (by just 4 votes) along with a "Fix-it" side-car. Now the main legislation goes to the President's Desk (he is expected to sign it no later than Tuesday) while the Fix-it ... http://www.benemax.com/blog/?p=181 President Obama has embarked on a speaking tour that is being billed as "the closing argument for Health Care Reform." Current expectations are that the House of Representatives will vote on the legislation before the end of March, possibly by March 18. Now is the time for all of us to ... http://www.benemax.com/blog/?p=176 On Thursday of this week, President Obama is scheduled to meet Republican and Democratic leaders in a televised summit. The stated purpose: Find common ground. The more likely purpose: Re-engage the interest of the American people, create a 'bully pulpit' for the President to preach the message of reform, and of ... http://www.benemax.com/blog/?p=174 The following quote from Aetna says it all: "In an effort to resuscitate health reform, President Obama has invited Republicans and Democrats to the White House for a February 25 summit. Whether this is just a way to postpone the inevitable, as some believe, announcement that health reform is dead ... http://www.benemax.com/blog/?p=173 This afternoon, Senator-elect Scott Brown (R-MA) is scheduled to be sworn in, thereby becoming the 41st Republican in the U.S. Senate and the one vote the Republicans need to block the current version of Health Care Reform (and, potentially, other pieces of the President's legislative program). Congratulations, Senator Brown! But there's ... http://www.benemax.com/blog/?p=171 Following the election of Scott Brown (R-MA) to the U.S. Senate, the future of Health Care Reform is entirely uncertain. Why did this one election change everything? First, because it robbed the Democrats of their veto-proof 60 vote majority in the Senate. Even more importantly, because it sends an unequivocal message ... http://www.benemax.com/blog/?p=167