John R. Graham
Commentary
New Rule: Back Up Your Health-Insurance Horror Story
Health insurers are covered by HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act, and cannot discuss policyholders’ cases. Policyholders who allege insurers’ bad faith, on the other hand, are free to make claims that emotionally sway the public, but leave those of us acquainted with health-insurance regulations utterly baffled. Take, ...
Commentary
AHIP/PriceWaterhouse Blowback?
All intellectual capitalists since Adam Smith have known that we cannot rely on business to carry our philosophical water for us, but even I’m amazed that AHIP has waited so long to release a report (so ably summarized by Mr. Capretta), that describes how the Baucus memorandum (it’s not a ...
Commentary
The Death of Employer-Based Benefits Is Nigher Than I Thought
$1,900 came from the September 28 Wall Street Journal. However, the version of the Chairman’s mark dated September 22 (but posted on October 2) at the Senate Finance Committee’s website, reports a fine of $750 per adult as of 2017 (p. 35) – and confirms no jail-time for non-compliance with ...
Commentary
Employer-Based Health Benefits: The Death Spiral Is Nigh
Let’s presume that the government isn’t actually going to jail anyone for not buying health insurance. Considering the health-insurance “reforms” that will require insurers to cover anyone, regardless of pre-existing conditions, the rational course of action for anyone is to drop coverage, pay the fine, and then re-enrol in a ...
Commentary
Nurses Beware! Don’t Let Your Union Win the Health Care Fight
The California Nurses Association (CNA) is quarterbacking the drive for single-payer, government-monopoly health care. Such a system, experience shows, creates problems for nurses and patients alike. The CNA is so powerful that a recent Wall Street Journal article described it as “co-equal” with management in governing operations at many facilities ...
Health Care
Jindal’s Poll-Driven Health-Reform ‘Ideas’
Unfortunately, while some of Mr. Jindal’s proposals are good, his op-ed is clearly the work of a professional politician (and his staff): A cobbling together of “solutions” that the uninformed public rate highly when surveyed about health “reform.” As a result, the grab-bag of ten “ideas” collapses into incoherence. Some ...
Commentary
Obama’s health insurance whopper: He’s misleading the country on a key reform proposal
“As soon as I sign this bill,” President Obama promised in his prime-time address to Congress, “it will be against the law for insurance companies to drop your coverage when you get sick.” Thunderous applause followed. It’s easy to understand why – no one wants to lose their insurance coverage ...
Commentary
Cantor Misses an Opportunity on Health Reform
He missed the perfect opportunity to explain why this woman did not have to lose coverage. After all, she “did have a wonderful, high-paying job, owns her own home, and was a real, contributing member of society. She lost her job. Just a couple of weeks ago, she found out ...
Commentary
Humana, Inc.’s Unconditional Surrender to Censorship
The activist, Dawn Teo, has unwittingly done a public service by posting an scanned electronic version of the document and envelope that Humana, Inc. mailed to its Medicare Advantage members. I write “unwittingly” because I don’t suppose that there’s a law preventing someone not associated with Humana, Inc., sending the ...
Commentary
Baucus Believes Politicians Alone Should Control Health-Reform Debate
Boy, did they get that wrong! In fact, the reason health insurers dole out cash to Senator Baucus and scramble for a seat at his table is that he’s forbidden them from discussing health reform in any other venue. Humana, Inc. learned this when they mailed a one-page document on ...
New Rule: Back Up Your Health-Insurance Horror Story
Health insurers are covered by HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act, and cannot discuss policyholders’ cases. Policyholders who allege insurers’ bad faith, on the other hand, are free to make claims that emotionally sway the public, but leave those of us acquainted with health-insurance regulations utterly baffled. Take, ...
AHIP/PriceWaterhouse Blowback?
All intellectual capitalists since Adam Smith have known that we cannot rely on business to carry our philosophical water for us, but even I’m amazed that AHIP has waited so long to release a report (so ably summarized by Mr. Capretta), that describes how the Baucus memorandum (it’s not a ...
The Death of Employer-Based Benefits Is Nigher Than I Thought
$1,900 came from the September 28 Wall Street Journal. However, the version of the Chairman’s mark dated September 22 (but posted on October 2) at the Senate Finance Committee’s website, reports a fine of $750 per adult as of 2017 (p. 35) – and confirms no jail-time for non-compliance with ...
Employer-Based Health Benefits: The Death Spiral Is Nigh
Let’s presume that the government isn’t actually going to jail anyone for not buying health insurance. Considering the health-insurance “reforms” that will require insurers to cover anyone, regardless of pre-existing conditions, the rational course of action for anyone is to drop coverage, pay the fine, and then re-enrol in a ...
Nurses Beware! Don’t Let Your Union Win the Health Care Fight
The California Nurses Association (CNA) is quarterbacking the drive for single-payer, government-monopoly health care. Such a system, experience shows, creates problems for nurses and patients alike. The CNA is so powerful that a recent Wall Street Journal article described it as “co-equal” with management in governing operations at many facilities ...
Jindal’s Poll-Driven Health-Reform ‘Ideas’
Unfortunately, while some of Mr. Jindal’s proposals are good, his op-ed is clearly the work of a professional politician (and his staff): A cobbling together of “solutions” that the uninformed public rate highly when surveyed about health “reform.” As a result, the grab-bag of ten “ideas” collapses into incoherence. Some ...
Obama’s health insurance whopper: He’s misleading the country on a key reform proposal
“As soon as I sign this bill,” President Obama promised in his prime-time address to Congress, “it will be against the law for insurance companies to drop your coverage when you get sick.” Thunderous applause followed. It’s easy to understand why – no one wants to lose their insurance coverage ...
Cantor Misses an Opportunity on Health Reform
He missed the perfect opportunity to explain why this woman did not have to lose coverage. After all, she “did have a wonderful, high-paying job, owns her own home, and was a real, contributing member of society. She lost her job. Just a couple of weeks ago, she found out ...
Humana, Inc.’s Unconditional Surrender to Censorship
The activist, Dawn Teo, has unwittingly done a public service by posting an scanned electronic version of the document and envelope that Humana, Inc. mailed to its Medicare Advantage members. I write “unwittingly” because I don’t suppose that there’s a law preventing someone not associated with Humana, Inc., sending the ...
Baucus Believes Politicians Alone Should Control Health-Reform Debate
Boy, did they get that wrong! In fact, the reason health insurers dole out cash to Senator Baucus and scramble for a seat at his table is that he’s forbidden them from discussing health reform in any other venue. Humana, Inc. learned this when they mailed a one-page document on ...
