Sally C. Pipes
Commentary
Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders plans will gut Medicare Part D
Hillary Clinton just released her plan to restructure Medicare “Part D,” a program that provides affordable prescription drug insurance to 37 million Americans. Clinton’s proposal comes hot on the heels of Bernie Sanders’ bill, S. 2023, which would likewise radically alter Medicare Part D by allowing federal officials to negotiate ...
Sally C. Pipes
October 15, 2015
Commentary
Obamacare is driving up cost of health care
Health care is about to become more expensive. Insurers in Tennessee, Florida and Kentucky are raising premiums for plans offered through Obamacare’s exchanges. Insurers in other states will soon follow. Insurers’ requests for rate hikes are an attempt to stay afloat amidst Obamacare’s sea of taxes and regulations. The blame ...
Sally C. Pipes
October 15, 2015
Commentary
Health overhaul co-ops bad news for taxpayers
Several nonprofit insurance companies established under President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul have been playing with house — or rather, taxpayer — money. And now they’re losing in a major way. Health Republic Insurance of New York, a taxpayer-funded Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan, just announced that it’s going under. ...
Sally C. Pipes
October 13, 2015
Commentary
Obamacare’s penalties shoot for quality, hit patients
Medicare’s doctors are revolting against Obamacare’s new system for paying them. Soon enough, patients will, too. This year, Medicare implemented a system of “value-based care,” whereby the government pays health care providers for the supposed quality of the care they provide, rather than the quantity. But value-based care isn’t what ...
Sally C. Pipes
October 8, 2015
Commentary
Hillary Clinton’s Answer To Obamacare: More Government
Late last month, Hillary Clinton began releasing the details for her vision for health reform. That vision is little more than Obamacare on steroids. “I will defend the Affordable Care Act, but as president I want to go further,” the Democratic presidential hopeful said at a recent community forum in ...
Sally C. Pipes
October 8, 2015
Commentary
Insurance mergers: Weddings mean funeral for health care
Merging insurance companies could be a disaster for U.S. health care. Welcome to Unholy Matrimony: Healthcare Edition. Insurance giant Aetna has made an offer to combine with Humana, and Anthem has bid to buy Cigna. If regulators allow these multibillion-dollar deals to go through, three corporate behemoths will dominate the ...
Sally C. Pipes
September 24, 2015
Commentary
Obamacare Is Back In Court
Obamacare is back in court. This month, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that the Republican-controlled House of Representatives has standing to sue the Obama administration over how it spent federal money implementing the Affordable Care Act. The lawsuit, brought by House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), ...
Sally C. Pipes
September 21, 2015
Commentary
Still plagued by scandal, VA needs market reforms
The Department of Veterans Affairs just got another black eye — this time from its own internal auditor. The VA’s inspector general reported earlier this month that the applications of nearly 900,000 veterans for health care were still “pending.” The agency’s record-keeping is so bad that one-third of those applicants ...
Sally C. Pipes
September 15, 2015
Commentary
Is the VA Getting Any Better?
The Department of Veterans Affairs just got another black eye — this time from its own internal auditor. Last week, the VA’s Inspector General reported that the applications of nearly 900,000 veterans for health care were still “pending.” The agency’s record-keeping is so bad that one-third of those applicants may, ...
Sally C. Pipes
September 14, 2015
Commentary
Mega-Merger Madness
The health insurance industry is undergoing breathtaking consolidation. Industry giant Anthem recently struck a $54 billion deal to buy rival Cigna. If approved, the merger would create the largest insurance company in the United States, serving more than 53 million Americans. The deal comes after Aetna announced it would buy ...
Sally C. Pipes
September 8, 2015
Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders plans will gut Medicare Part D
Hillary Clinton just released her plan to restructure Medicare “Part D,” a program that provides affordable prescription drug insurance to 37 million Americans. Clinton’s proposal comes hot on the heels of Bernie Sanders’ bill, S. 2023, which would likewise radically alter Medicare Part D by allowing federal officials to negotiate ...
Obamacare is driving up cost of health care
Health care is about to become more expensive. Insurers in Tennessee, Florida and Kentucky are raising premiums for plans offered through Obamacare’s exchanges. Insurers in other states will soon follow. Insurers’ requests for rate hikes are an attempt to stay afloat amidst Obamacare’s sea of taxes and regulations. The blame ...
Health overhaul co-ops bad news for taxpayers
Several nonprofit insurance companies established under President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul have been playing with house — or rather, taxpayer — money. And now they’re losing in a major way. Health Republic Insurance of New York, a taxpayer-funded Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan, just announced that it’s going under. ...
Obamacare’s penalties shoot for quality, hit patients
Medicare’s doctors are revolting against Obamacare’s new system for paying them. Soon enough, patients will, too. This year, Medicare implemented a system of “value-based care,” whereby the government pays health care providers for the supposed quality of the care they provide, rather than the quantity. But value-based care isn’t what ...
Hillary Clinton’s Answer To Obamacare: More Government
Late last month, Hillary Clinton began releasing the details for her vision for health reform. That vision is little more than Obamacare on steroids. “I will defend the Affordable Care Act, but as president I want to go further,” the Democratic presidential hopeful said at a recent community forum in ...
Insurance mergers: Weddings mean funeral for health care
Merging insurance companies could be a disaster for U.S. health care. Welcome to Unholy Matrimony: Healthcare Edition. Insurance giant Aetna has made an offer to combine with Humana, and Anthem has bid to buy Cigna. If regulators allow these multibillion-dollar deals to go through, three corporate behemoths will dominate the ...
Obamacare Is Back In Court
Obamacare is back in court. This month, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that the Republican-controlled House of Representatives has standing to sue the Obama administration over how it spent federal money implementing the Affordable Care Act. The lawsuit, brought by House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), ...
Still plagued by scandal, VA needs market reforms
The Department of Veterans Affairs just got another black eye — this time from its own internal auditor. The VA’s inspector general reported earlier this month that the applications of nearly 900,000 veterans for health care were still “pending.” The agency’s record-keeping is so bad that one-third of those applicants ...
Is the VA Getting Any Better?
The Department of Veterans Affairs just got another black eye — this time from its own internal auditor. Last week, the VA’s Inspector General reported that the applications of nearly 900,000 veterans for health care were still “pending.” The agency’s record-keeping is so bad that one-third of those applicants may, ...
Mega-Merger Madness
The health insurance industry is undergoing breathtaking consolidation. Industry giant Anthem recently struck a $54 billion deal to buy rival Cigna. If approved, the merger would create the largest insurance company in the United States, serving more than 53 million Americans. The deal comes after Aetna announced it would buy ...