Weekend update / miscellany

Well it's just three days until the President's health care reform speech before a joint session of Congress. The AP reports that "Montana Democrat Max Baucus indicated Friday he'll move ahead with a bill soon, whether or not the bipartisan negotiations he's been focused on [with the Gang of Six] produce a compromise. Baucus, who chairs the Finance Committee, held a 90-minute teleconference with five other senators in the bipartisan group. A face-to-face meeting is scheduled Tuesday [Sept. 8]." The Wall Street Journal reports that

Under the [developing Finance] committee's proposal, most Americans would be
required to carry health insurance. Insurers wouldn't be able to deny coverage
to the sick and cherry-pick customers. The plan would be financed by a
combination of cuts to the Medicare program for the elderly and a tax on
particularly generous health-insurance plans that would apply to
health-insurance companies. The tax would generate an estimated $140 billion
over a decade.

The Federal Times reports that "A new [Congressional Budget Office] economic forecast warns there may be no cost-of-living adjustment in federal civilian and military retired pay until 2013. * * * The report projects consumer prices are likely to range between a half-percentage point drop and a half-percentage point increase through 2015." COLA increases help annuitants with annual FEHBP premium increases. OPM should be releasing 2010 FEHBP premiums soon.

The Wall Street Journal reports that insurers such as Humana, Aetna, and Blue Cross of Florida, are opening store fronts to sell health insurance to individuals and small businesses. "Insurers are trying to position their stores as warm and friendly places, like community centers that also happen to have insurance salespeople." The storefronts may have more business if global health insurance reform is enacted.