Sally C. Pipes
Commentary
The Doctor Won’t See You Now
Only three in ten enrollees in Obamacare’s exchanges report being satisfied with their health coverage, according to a new poll from the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions. Among the primary reasons for these poor numbers? Many exchange policies limit patients’ choices of doctors and hospitals in order to keep premiums ...
Sally C. Pipes
August 10, 2015
Commentary
A new cost of Obamacare: Surging emergency room usage
A new cost of Obamacare: Surging emergency room usage Emergency room usage has spiked in recent years. That’s the depressing finding from a new survey by the American College of Emergency Physicians — and it’s endangering those who need emergency care. The survey concluded that three in four ER doctors ...
Sally C. Pipes
August 7, 2015
Commentary
Obamacare’s Deficit of Savings
The Congressional Budget Office appears to have delivered a victory to Obamacare’s cheerleaders. The agency’s latest estimate puts the cost of scrapping the law at $137 billion over the next decade. “Any way you slice it, repealing the Affordable Care Act will add hundreds of billions of dollars to the ...
Sally C. Pipes
August 7, 2015
Commentary
HSAs bend cost curve down
AS FOLKS begin to shop for health insurance this fall, they’ll discover that insurance companies are seeking rate increases from 20 to 40 percent or more. Regulators in some states are ordering insurers to hike premiums even further to avoid going bankrupt. But according to a new study from the ...
Sally C. Pipes
August 7, 2015
Commentary
The Medicaid Poverty Trap is Growing Worse
Medicaid turns 50 today. And an expensive “celebration” it will be. The program now costs taxpayers nearly $500 billion a year. And its costs are projected to increase by almost 7 percent a year through 2023. How things have changed over the past half-century. The health-care program for the poor ...
Sally C. Pipes
July 30, 2015
Commentary
Medicare at 50: Hello, Mid-Life Crisis
July 30 marks 50 years since President Lyndon B. Johnson signed Medicare into law. The only birthday gift this middle-age government program merits is a reality check. Health insurance for senior citizens was part of LBJ’s expansion of the welfare state, all in the service of establishing a “Great Society.” ...
Sally C. Pipes
July 30, 2015
Commentary
Here’s Why States Must Resist The Temptation To Expand Medicaid
Last week, Alaska became the 30th state to expand Medicaid with federal funding from the Affordable Care Act. “Alaska and Alaskans cannot wait any longer,” said Gov. Bill Walker. “We‘re not going to step away from this opportunity to help fellow Alaskans, period.” Some “help.” Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion is saddling ...
Sally C. Pipes
July 28, 2015
Commentary
Drug importation is still a dangerous idea
Mike Huckabee thinks one of the worst health policy ideas “just makes sense.” The former Arkansas governor and current presidential hopeful just threw his weight behind drug importation. His proposal isn’t new. For two decades, Congress has considered drug importation almost every year. And for good reason, lawmakers have consistently ...
Sally C. Pipes
July 24, 2015
Commentary
Emergency Room Usage Is Surging
Emergency room usage has spiked in recent years. That’s the depressing finding from a new survey by the American College of Emergency Physicians — and it’s endangering those who need emergency care. The survey concluded that three in four ER doctors have experienced a surge of new patients since the ...
Sally C. Pipes
July 23, 2015
Commentary
GOP Can Still Win ObamaCare War After Losing Battle In Court
In anticipation of the Supreme Court decision on ObamaCare, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid pondered the justices’ literacy. “I hope the Supreme Court can read English,” he mused. Millions of Americans are wondering the same thing. ObamaCare’s text clearly grants subsidies only to individuals purchasing coverage in exchanges “established by ...
Sally C. Pipes
July 20, 2015
The Doctor Won’t See You Now
Only three in ten enrollees in Obamacare’s exchanges report being satisfied with their health coverage, according to a new poll from the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions. Among the primary reasons for these poor numbers? Many exchange policies limit patients’ choices of doctors and hospitals in order to keep premiums ...
A new cost of Obamacare: Surging emergency room usage
A new cost of Obamacare: Surging emergency room usage Emergency room usage has spiked in recent years. That’s the depressing finding from a new survey by the American College of Emergency Physicians — and it’s endangering those who need emergency care. The survey concluded that three in four ER doctors ...
Obamacare’s Deficit of Savings
The Congressional Budget Office appears to have delivered a victory to Obamacare’s cheerleaders. The agency’s latest estimate puts the cost of scrapping the law at $137 billion over the next decade. “Any way you slice it, repealing the Affordable Care Act will add hundreds of billions of dollars to the ...
HSAs bend cost curve down
AS FOLKS begin to shop for health insurance this fall, they’ll discover that insurance companies are seeking rate increases from 20 to 40 percent or more. Regulators in some states are ordering insurers to hike premiums even further to avoid going bankrupt. But according to a new study from the ...
The Medicaid Poverty Trap is Growing Worse
Medicaid turns 50 today. And an expensive “celebration” it will be. The program now costs taxpayers nearly $500 billion a year. And its costs are projected to increase by almost 7 percent a year through 2023. How things have changed over the past half-century. The health-care program for the poor ...
Medicare at 50: Hello, Mid-Life Crisis
July 30 marks 50 years since President Lyndon B. Johnson signed Medicare into law. The only birthday gift this middle-age government program merits is a reality check. Health insurance for senior citizens was part of LBJ’s expansion of the welfare state, all in the service of establishing a “Great Society.” ...
Here’s Why States Must Resist The Temptation To Expand Medicaid
Last week, Alaska became the 30th state to expand Medicaid with federal funding from the Affordable Care Act. “Alaska and Alaskans cannot wait any longer,” said Gov. Bill Walker. “We‘re not going to step away from this opportunity to help fellow Alaskans, period.” Some “help.” Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion is saddling ...
Drug importation is still a dangerous idea
Mike Huckabee thinks one of the worst health policy ideas “just makes sense.” The former Arkansas governor and current presidential hopeful just threw his weight behind drug importation. His proposal isn’t new. For two decades, Congress has considered drug importation almost every year. And for good reason, lawmakers have consistently ...
Emergency Room Usage Is Surging
Emergency room usage has spiked in recent years. That’s the depressing finding from a new survey by the American College of Emergency Physicians — and it’s endangering those who need emergency care. The survey concluded that three in four ER doctors have experienced a surge of new patients since the ...
GOP Can Still Win ObamaCare War After Losing Battle In Court
In anticipation of the Supreme Court decision on ObamaCare, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid pondered the justices’ literacy. “I hope the Supreme Court can read English,” he mused. Millions of Americans are wondering the same thing. ObamaCare’s text clearly grants subsidies only to individuals purchasing coverage in exchanges “established by ...