John R. Graham
Commentary
Gov’t Control of Health Care Unravelling? CVS Gives Cash Discounts for Generic Drugs
While state and federal governments flail around trying to unbreak the health care “system” that they’ve been breaking for decades, entrepreneurs are addressing patients’ needs in innovative ways. CVS, a leading chain of pharmacies has now cut prices for 400 generic drugs to $9.99 for a 90-day supply. A key ...
John R. Graham
October 31, 2008
Commentary
Measure establishes rights
On November 4, Arizonans have the opportunity to make a key decision about their rights. Proposition 101, the Freedom of Choice in Health Care Act, secures your right to spend your money on the health care of your choice. It comes as no surprise that some people, notably government types, ...
John R. Graham
October 31, 2008
Commentary
Newsflash! Women Have Different Health Costs Than Men!
Surely, Robert Pear’s article in today’s New York Times, “Women buying health policies pay a penalty”, falls under the category of “old news”. (So old, indeed, that my former colleague Diana Ernst addressed it last year.) Calling it a “penalty”, rather than an actuarially fair premium, is also an old ...
John R. Graham
October 30, 2008
Commentary
Bay State Health Mandates Threaten Expanded Insurance Coverage
In its first year, the Bay State’s subsidized insurance plan — Commonwealth Care — was supposed to cost $472 million. The bill came in at $630 million. The $158 million overrun hasn’t phased state lawmakers, however. If anything, they seem hellbent on making the plan even more expensive. They’re interested ...
John R. Graham
October 29, 2008
California
California’s High-Risk Pool Is Not Working
California’s high-risk pool for medically uninsured residents, MRMIP, is in trouble – poorly funded and lots of eligible folks are on the waiting list to enrol – according to the Los Angeles Times. The article notes that other states, with more successful progams, assess levies on health plans to fund ...
John R. Graham
October 29, 2008
Business & Economics
Product-Liability Law: Is “Pre-emption” the Right Question?
The media are (justifiably) interested in the Bush administration’s (or, if you prefer, the “Bush regime’s”) rushing a bunch of new rules into the Code of Federal Regulations that would “pre-empt” states’ product-liability laws. According to the Wall Street Journal, these rules “could block product-safety lawsuits by consumers and states.” ...
John R. Graham
October 27, 2008
Commentary
SCHIP: Big Pharma Falls Into Line with Big Government
The Wall Street Journal confirms the depressing news that the brand-name pharmaceutical industry has been “collaborating” with advocates of a government take-over of health care. Apparently, it has given $13.2 million to an “astroturf” outfit, “America’s Agenda: Health Care for Kids”, to produce and run advertisements stroking 28 Congressmen (of ...
John R. Graham
October 24, 2008
California
Los Angeles Times’ Campaign for Government Health Care
Lisa Girion and Michael A. Hiltzik of the Los Angeles Times have relieved themselves of a feature-focus of three stories about how awful private health plans are. They managed to interview key leaders of the campaign for government-mandated health insurance, such as Bruce Bodaken of Blue Shield of California and ...
John R. Graham
October 23, 2008
Health Care
KQED – Health Dialogues: Health Care for All?
Health Dialogues: Health Care for All? With the 2008 presidential election just around the corner, it’s time to review the progress of universal health care. What do competing Democratic and Republican plans really mean? And what’s happening with Governor Schwarzenegger’s plan for universal health care coverage at the state level? ...
John R. Graham
October 23, 2008
California
California Health Reform: The Myths Abide
The (usually more reliable) Riverside Press-Enterprise reported the proceedings of a conference, held over the last two days, which issued a dreary post-mortem on the Schwarzenegger-Nuñez California Health Care Deforminator ABX1-1. ABX1-1 was Governor Schwarzenegger’s and former Assembly Speaker Nuñez’s attempt to ram so-called “universal” health care down our throats ...
John R. Graham
October 22, 2008
Gov’t Control of Health Care Unravelling? CVS Gives Cash Discounts for Generic Drugs
While state and federal governments flail around trying to unbreak the health care “system” that they’ve been breaking for decades, entrepreneurs are addressing patients’ needs in innovative ways. CVS, a leading chain of pharmacies has now cut prices for 400 generic drugs to $9.99 for a 90-day supply. A key ...
Measure establishes rights
On November 4, Arizonans have the opportunity to make a key decision about their rights. Proposition 101, the Freedom of Choice in Health Care Act, secures your right to spend your money on the health care of your choice. It comes as no surprise that some people, notably government types, ...
Newsflash! Women Have Different Health Costs Than Men!
Surely, Robert Pear’s article in today’s New York Times, “Women buying health policies pay a penalty”, falls under the category of “old news”. (So old, indeed, that my former colleague Diana Ernst addressed it last year.) Calling it a “penalty”, rather than an actuarially fair premium, is also an old ...
Bay State Health Mandates Threaten Expanded Insurance Coverage
In its first year, the Bay State’s subsidized insurance plan — Commonwealth Care — was supposed to cost $472 million. The bill came in at $630 million. The $158 million overrun hasn’t phased state lawmakers, however. If anything, they seem hellbent on making the plan even more expensive. They’re interested ...
California’s High-Risk Pool Is Not Working
California’s high-risk pool for medically uninsured residents, MRMIP, is in trouble – poorly funded and lots of eligible folks are on the waiting list to enrol – according to the Los Angeles Times. The article notes that other states, with more successful progams, assess levies on health plans to fund ...
Product-Liability Law: Is “Pre-emption” the Right Question?
The media are (justifiably) interested in the Bush administration’s (or, if you prefer, the “Bush regime’s”) rushing a bunch of new rules into the Code of Federal Regulations that would “pre-empt” states’ product-liability laws. According to the Wall Street Journal, these rules “could block product-safety lawsuits by consumers and states.” ...
SCHIP: Big Pharma Falls Into Line with Big Government
The Wall Street Journal confirms the depressing news that the brand-name pharmaceutical industry has been “collaborating” with advocates of a government take-over of health care. Apparently, it has given $13.2 million to an “astroturf” outfit, “America’s Agenda: Health Care for Kids”, to produce and run advertisements stroking 28 Congressmen (of ...
Los Angeles Times’ Campaign for Government Health Care
Lisa Girion and Michael A. Hiltzik of the Los Angeles Times have relieved themselves of a feature-focus of three stories about how awful private health plans are. They managed to interview key leaders of the campaign for government-mandated health insurance, such as Bruce Bodaken of Blue Shield of California and ...
KQED – Health Dialogues: Health Care for All?
Health Dialogues: Health Care for All? With the 2008 presidential election just around the corner, it’s time to review the progress of universal health care. What do competing Democratic and Republican plans really mean? And what’s happening with Governor Schwarzenegger’s plan for universal health care coverage at the state level? ...
California Health Reform: The Myths Abide
The (usually more reliable) Riverside Press-Enterprise reported the proceedings of a conference, held over the last two days, which issued a dreary post-mortem on the Schwarzenegger-Nuñez California Health Care Deforminator ABX1-1. ABX1-1 was Governor Schwarzenegger’s and former Assembly Speaker Nuñez’s attempt to ram so-called “universal” health care down our throats ...