John R. Graham
Commentary
Hospitals’ “Triple Whammy” Demands Reform
The Los Angeles Times reports that California hospitals are suffering a fiscal “triple whammy”: their investments are in the tank; they cannot borrow money in today’s frozen credit markets; and operating revenues have collapsed. Like I wrote in my analysis of Gov. Schwarzenegger’s failed health reform, hospitals’ finances are not ...
John R. Graham
January 20, 2009
Commentary
NY Times Favors State Calculation of “Usual & Customary” Charges
My confidence always rises when the New York Times editorializes from the opposite side of an issue than I occupy. How pleased I was, then, when the editorial board cheered NY attorney-general Andrew Cuomo’s “settlement” (of course, I prefer “shakedown”) of Ingenix, a UnitedHealth Group subsidiary that compiles proprietary databases, ...
John R. Graham
January 19, 2009
Commentary
UnitedHealth Group: The Gift That Keeps on Giving
It looks like UnitedHealth Group’s trials have just begun. Shortly after NY attorney-general, Andrew Cuomo, announced that UHG’s subsidiary, Ingenix, a database-vendor, was happy to pay him $50 million to get off their case, the American Medical Association announced a class-action settlement of $350 million over the same issue: Ingenix’ ...
John R. Graham
January 16, 2009
Commentary
NY’s “Cuomortician” Seals The Deal On Price Fixing
After almost a year of investigation, NY attorney-general Andrew Cuomo has finally finished his investigation of how the state’s health plans deal with claims for out-of-network care. The result: UnitedHealth Group willl pay $50 million to fund an independent, non-profit business to replicate its subsidiary’s calculations of “usual and customary” ...
John R. Graham
January 15, 2009
Commentary
Consumer-Driven Health Care’s Crazy Side
For the second time, a health-care provider is suing a patient for posting a negative review on Yelp, a website that invites people to submit reviews of restaurants, bars, clothing boutiques, and pretty much whatever else strikes their fancy. Here in San Francisco we take all things Internet-related very seriously, ...
John R. Graham
January 13, 2009
Commentary
Critical Error: Tom Daschle’s Blurred Health Care Vision
Tom Daschle’s new book, Critical: What Can We Do About the Health-Care Crisis, confirms that advocates for a complete government takeover of American health care have learned an important lesson: Don’t try it in one big bite. Here Daschle and co-author Jeanne Lambrew have direct experience. Mr. Daschle was a ...
John R. Graham
January 13, 2009
Commentary
Graham on Lars Larson Discussing Obama Health Reform
In a recent radio interview with Lars Larson on health care, I note that we came very close during the Bush administration (or, for those who prefer, the “Bush regime”) to returning health care dollars to American families to spend on health care of their choice, instead of health care ...
John R. Graham
January 12, 2009
Commentary
Health-Care Rationing is Inevitable? Letters in the Wall Street Journal
Because my annual performance review is coming up, I thought I’d praise an op-ed that Sally Pipes (my CEO) wrote in the Wall Street Journal on December 30. But while I come to praise Ms. Pipes, others come to bury her: specifically, four letters that the WSJ published in response ...
John R. Graham
January 8, 2009
Commentary
Consumer-Directed Health Care in Cuba (for Americans)
It’s hard to believe it’s been a year and a quarter since PRI hosted an event to discuss Michael Moore’s SiCKO, his “mockumentary” about the American health-care “system”. I’d kind of forgotten about the whole episode, but now that Mr. Moore’s team is going to be running the country, I ...
John R. Graham
January 6, 2009
Commentary
Prevention no cure-all to cut health-care costs
Guest Opinion As health-care costs spiral upward, pundits and patients alike have scrambled for someone – or something – to blame. Chronic diseases, greedy drug companies and profiteering hospitals and insurance companies seem to top the list of suspects. But there’s a new disease that deserves to be included on ...
John R. Graham
January 3, 2009
Hospitals’ “Triple Whammy” Demands Reform
The Los Angeles Times reports that California hospitals are suffering a fiscal “triple whammy”: their investments are in the tank; they cannot borrow money in today’s frozen credit markets; and operating revenues have collapsed. Like I wrote in my analysis of Gov. Schwarzenegger’s failed health reform, hospitals’ finances are not ...
NY Times Favors State Calculation of “Usual & Customary” Charges
My confidence always rises when the New York Times editorializes from the opposite side of an issue than I occupy. How pleased I was, then, when the editorial board cheered NY attorney-general Andrew Cuomo’s “settlement” (of course, I prefer “shakedown”) of Ingenix, a UnitedHealth Group subsidiary that compiles proprietary databases, ...
UnitedHealth Group: The Gift That Keeps on Giving
It looks like UnitedHealth Group’s trials have just begun. Shortly after NY attorney-general, Andrew Cuomo, announced that UHG’s subsidiary, Ingenix, a database-vendor, was happy to pay him $50 million to get off their case, the American Medical Association announced a class-action settlement of $350 million over the same issue: Ingenix’ ...
NY’s “Cuomortician” Seals The Deal On Price Fixing
After almost a year of investigation, NY attorney-general Andrew Cuomo has finally finished his investigation of how the state’s health plans deal with claims for out-of-network care. The result: UnitedHealth Group willl pay $50 million to fund an independent, non-profit business to replicate its subsidiary’s calculations of “usual and customary” ...
Consumer-Driven Health Care’s Crazy Side
For the second time, a health-care provider is suing a patient for posting a negative review on Yelp, a website that invites people to submit reviews of restaurants, bars, clothing boutiques, and pretty much whatever else strikes their fancy. Here in San Francisco we take all things Internet-related very seriously, ...
Critical Error: Tom Daschle’s Blurred Health Care Vision
Tom Daschle’s new book, Critical: What Can We Do About the Health-Care Crisis, confirms that advocates for a complete government takeover of American health care have learned an important lesson: Don’t try it in one big bite. Here Daschle and co-author Jeanne Lambrew have direct experience. Mr. Daschle was a ...
Graham on Lars Larson Discussing Obama Health Reform
In a recent radio interview with Lars Larson on health care, I note that we came very close during the Bush administration (or, for those who prefer, the “Bush regime”) to returning health care dollars to American families to spend on health care of their choice, instead of health care ...
Health-Care Rationing is Inevitable? Letters in the Wall Street Journal
Because my annual performance review is coming up, I thought I’d praise an op-ed that Sally Pipes (my CEO) wrote in the Wall Street Journal on December 30. But while I come to praise Ms. Pipes, others come to bury her: specifically, four letters that the WSJ published in response ...
Consumer-Directed Health Care in Cuba (for Americans)
It’s hard to believe it’s been a year and a quarter since PRI hosted an event to discuss Michael Moore’s SiCKO, his “mockumentary” about the American health-care “system”. I’d kind of forgotten about the whole episode, but now that Mr. Moore’s team is going to be running the country, I ...
Prevention no cure-all to cut health-care costs
Guest Opinion As health-care costs spiral upward, pundits and patients alike have scrambled for someone – or something – to blame. Chronic diseases, greedy drug companies and profiteering hospitals and insurance companies seem to top the list of suspects. But there’s a new disease that deserves to be included on ...