Governor Pawlenty Failing to Act on Illegally Obtained Baby DNA

Governor Tim Pawlenty has given no indication that he has required his administration to obey the law and destroy ten years of illegally obtained newborn blood and DNA samples, says Citizens’ Council on Health Care (CCHC).

Federal Proposal Threatens Patient Privacy and Patient Consent Rights

In a letter sent today to the federal government, the Citizens' Council on Health Care (CCHC) stated their opposition to the “National Health Data Stewardship Entity” proposed by an agency of the Department of Health and Human Services.

CCHC Sends Letter to Governor Pawlenty

This legislation is a very slippery slope. We dare not begin forcing people to register their private purchases with the government. We dare not remove health insurance from the private market and make citizens go through the government to buy it. And we dare not begin depriving individuals of their right to make private purchases free from government surveillance, government inspection and government fees…We therefore urge you not to move forward with this proposal.

CCHC, Citizens, and Legislators Ask Governor & Legislative Leadership to Protect Individual Healthcare Rights

At a press conference held today, Citizens' Council on Health Care (CCHC) asked Governor Tim Pawlenty and legislative leadership to protect the individual rights and privacy rights of citizens in the second Health and Human Services bill that will follow yesterday's veto of the first HHS bill.

Quality measurement and pay-for-performance have major flaws, say speakers at World Health Care Congress

Quality measurement and pay-for-performance are not without their problems, said participants of a panel chaired yesterday at the World Health Care Congress by a Thomas Valuck, MD, JD, the director of Value-Based Purchasing at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

CCHC Asks Governor Pawlenty to Withdraw the Minnesota Health Insurance Exchange Legislation

If the Exchange becomes law, Minnesotans will no longer be allowed to purchase health insurance privately. In the future, the Exchange could be empowered to determine insurance benefits, limit choice of insurers, set prices, and monitor every aspect of the insurance industry, included the insured,” warned Twila Brase, president of CCHC.

MN Health Committee Tables Governor's Online Medical Records Bill after CCHC Testified

The Governor's bill, House File 1726, was written by the Minnesota Department of Health. It was developed by the Minnesota e-Health Advisory Committee, a group primarily made up of the health care industry, health plans, government, and large employer groups.

CCHC's Reaction to Governor Pawlenty's SOTS Address...and Today's MDH Adverse Events Report

First, he mentioned the proposed Minnesota Health Insurance Exchange, but he didn't say that he'd require all individual policies to be purchased through it. This is not a market-based idea. All individual purchasers would have to engage in a new bureaucratic process that would also eliminate their privacy of insurance purchase.

CBO Says: Free Market Can Negotiate Better Drug Prices than Government

The CBO was responding to a request from U.S. Rep. John Dingell, Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, to review H.R. 4, the Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act of 2007 which was introduced last week.

Publishing Physician Death Statistics Threatens Patient Access to Innovative Care

Due to the efforts of Citizens' Council on Health Care (CCHC), the Minnesota Department of Health will hold a public hearing on the department's proposed revision of the newborn screening rule. The hearing is scheduled to take place in two weeks, on Tuesday, January 23, 2007.