In fact, one of the real objectives of the “Time for Affordability” PR and advertising campaign the insurance industry is waging is to obscure a reality they want us and our lawmakers to ignore or forget: insurance premiums have become unaffordable not because of health care reform but because insurers have been able to get away with raising rates as high as necessary to meet profits expected by board members, shareholders and Wall Street financial analysts.

I was stunned when Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-N.C.), accused me of being disingenuous because I told the story of a Florida woman who might be alive today had she not been blackballed by insurance companies after being treated for breast cancer several years ago.

The latest edition of Health Wonk Review is up, hosted over at the Health Business Blog. Thanks to David E. Williams for the great wrap-up.

Escape Fire, The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare, describes how health care in America has turned into a business. How the quest for money has hurt the quality of care provided to patients and how it has kept millions of us from having access to even mediocre care.

Miss last week’s edition Health Wonk Review? No worries, it’s still up over at the Disease Management Care Blog.

What’s “basic” in health care is an issue of heated debate. Individuals and groups as diverse as cancer advocates, children’s hospitals, parents of disabled children, physical therapists, dentists, and optometrists have been waiting for final clarification from HHS.

The latest edition of Health Wonk Review went live over at the Health Talent Transformation Blog today.

If you’re a 20- or 30-something and have health coverage, you’re being targeted by insurance industry campaign to eliminate two important consumer protections in the Affordable Care Act.

Today, many Americans are asking, “Will my premiums go up in 2014?” There is no simple answer … but the answer for many Americans is that premiums will actually fall.

The latest edition of Health Wonk Review went live over at the Health Affairs Blog yesterday.

Host Chris Fleming decided to kick off the New Year with an “Inauguration” theme (because of the Presidential inauguration and because this is the inaugural edition of 2013). Fittingly, the review started with a collection of health policy predictions for 2013 from Health Wonk Review cofounder Joe Paduda.

Harold Pollack talks with blogger Aaron Carroll about how he became a policy wonk, about his favorite health policy charts and the road ahead for health reform.

Health policy historian Paul Starr, author of Remedy and Reaction, explains why Barack Obama succeeded on health reform while Bill Clinton failed … and why the battle over reform is far from over.

Extreme statements of a few Senate candidates have brought the abortion issue center-stage in this electoral campaign. Abortion certainly deserves attention. Yet it should not overshadow other women’s health issues, which were a major focus of health reform. – Harold Pollack

Aetna CEO Mark T. Bertolini obviously heard Arijit Guha’s Tweets – and felt the resulting heat – ultimately deciding that Aetna would cover an Arizona graduate student’s mounting medical expenses and give the student a new policy with no lifetime cap.

The tragic July 20 movie theater attack in Aurora, Colorado, serves a grim reminder of the importance of universal coverage for even young and healthy Americans – and a reminder that the nation can not afford to undo the health coverage protections promised by the Affordable Care Act.

While America waits for the U.S. Supreme Court to make its decision about health reform, is the health care system standing still?

Quite the contrary.

A disturbing survey reveals that most Californians – and likely most Americans – are unwilling to focus on the details of their health coverage. Those who are focused on the details are finding their coverage is increasingly riddled with holes.

Two years from now, when the main pillars of health reform become operative, young families will be able to buy decent coverage through an insurance exchange. Families will receive financial help if they can’t afford to buy such coverage.

The fact that the Affordable Care Act defines ten mandatory categories of “essential benefits” provides a “floor” of coverage that can not be taken away. After 2014, no plan offered to individuals or small groups can exclude maternity care, prescription drugs, rehabilitation or habilitation services, or mental health services, to mention a few.