Sally C. Pipes
Commentary
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee’s public option amounts to single-payer in disguise
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is running for president. Thus far, his campaign has failed to catch on — he’s at 0.7 percent in the most recent RealClearPolitics average of Democratic primary polls. That may change, thanks to a bill he signed into law May 13 establishing the nation’s first public health insurance option. If ...
Sally C. Pipes
May 18, 2019
Commentary
Bernie Sanders is no magician when it comes to health care
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is a magician. Almost single-handedly, he has moved “Medicare-for-all” – his plan to provide free, government-run health care to every American – from the political fringe to the center of Democratic Party politics. Fourteen senators – including rival presidential candidates Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, Elizabeth Warren, and Kirsten Gillibrand ...
Sally C. Pipes
May 13, 2019
Commentary
So-called ‘Medicare for All’ gets its 15 minutes of infamy
Last week, the House Rules Committee held a landmark hearing on “Medicare for all.” The idea’s advocates championed the hearing as a major step towards providing Americans universal, government-run healthcare. A day later, the Congressional Budget Office delivered an analysis that detailed just how destructive single-payer healthcare would be. The ...
Sally C. Pipes
May 13, 2019
Commentary
Yes, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, The VA Is Badly Broken
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez recently offered a vigorous defense of the Veterans Health Administration, arguing that its problems were a “myth” peddled by Republicans who want to privatize the system. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” she said. One of her fellow Democrats would beg to differ. And he has a relevant ...
Sally C. Pipes
May 13, 2019
Commentary
Hair care’s lessons for health care
The other day, I found myself in a predicament. I was having a bit of a bad hair day. So I went to a Drybar, the chain of quick-service salons, and poof! An hour and $49 later, I was ready for the catwalk. Consider the simple chain of events that transpired. Within ...
Sally C. Pipes
May 10, 2019
Commentary
Resurrecting Obamacare’s most hated provision
Since Congress effectively ended the unpopular requirement that all Americans obtain health coverage by zeroing out the fine for noncompliance as of the first of this year, three states and the District of Columbia have enacted mandates of their own. The mandate that Massachusetts imposed in 2006 is now back ...
Sally C. Pipes
May 1, 2019
Commentary
Single-Payer Will Fracture Democrats’ 2020 Coalition
Earlier this month, Senator Bernie Sanders released a new version of his plan for “Medicare for All.” Four of his competitors for the Democratic presidential nomination — Kirsten Gillibrand, Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, and Cory Booker — quickly signed on as co-sponsors. They all think Medicare for All is their ...
Sally C. Pipes
April 30, 2019
Commentary
Say No To Canadian Drug Imports
Lawmakers in the Sunshine State are looking to our northern neighbor to help them reduce drug prices. The Florida House of Representatives recently passed a bill that would allow the importation and sale of prescription drugs from Canada, where prices are generally lower because the government forcibly controls them. Florida isn’t the ...
Sally C. Pipes
April 29, 2019
Commentary
X out ‘Medicare X’
Sens. Tim Kaine, D-Va., and Michael Bennet, D-Colo., recently unveiled their “Medicare X” proposal, which would create a public Medicare plan that anyone could purchase. The idea’s supporters are framing it as a moderate counterpoint to “Medicare for all,” which would ban private insurance coverage and force everyone onto a new ...
Sally C. Pipes
April 25, 2019
Commentary
Pick your poison on Democrats’ health care ideas
More than 100 House Democrats have signed onto a new bill from Washington Rep. Pramila Jayapal that would outlaw private insurance and force everyone into a government-run health plan. Some other Democrats are leery of Jayapal’s bid for “Medicare for All.” So they’ve rolled out more “moderate” measures that would ...
Sally C. Pipes
April 22, 2019
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee’s public option amounts to single-payer in disguise
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is running for president. Thus far, his campaign has failed to catch on — he’s at 0.7 percent in the most recent RealClearPolitics average of Democratic primary polls. That may change, thanks to a bill he signed into law May 13 establishing the nation’s first public health insurance option. If ...
Bernie Sanders is no magician when it comes to health care
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is a magician. Almost single-handedly, he has moved “Medicare-for-all” – his plan to provide free, government-run health care to every American – from the political fringe to the center of Democratic Party politics. Fourteen senators – including rival presidential candidates Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, Elizabeth Warren, and Kirsten Gillibrand ...
So-called ‘Medicare for All’ gets its 15 minutes of infamy
Last week, the House Rules Committee held a landmark hearing on “Medicare for all.” The idea’s advocates championed the hearing as a major step towards providing Americans universal, government-run healthcare. A day later, the Congressional Budget Office delivered an analysis that detailed just how destructive single-payer healthcare would be. The ...
Yes, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, The VA Is Badly Broken
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez recently offered a vigorous defense of the Veterans Health Administration, arguing that its problems were a “myth” peddled by Republicans who want to privatize the system. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” she said. One of her fellow Democrats would beg to differ. And he has a relevant ...
Hair care’s lessons for health care
The other day, I found myself in a predicament. I was having a bit of a bad hair day. So I went to a Drybar, the chain of quick-service salons, and poof! An hour and $49 later, I was ready for the catwalk. Consider the simple chain of events that transpired. Within ...
Resurrecting Obamacare’s most hated provision
Since Congress effectively ended the unpopular requirement that all Americans obtain health coverage by zeroing out the fine for noncompliance as of the first of this year, three states and the District of Columbia have enacted mandates of their own. The mandate that Massachusetts imposed in 2006 is now back ...
Single-Payer Will Fracture Democrats’ 2020 Coalition
Earlier this month, Senator Bernie Sanders released a new version of his plan for “Medicare for All.” Four of his competitors for the Democratic presidential nomination — Kirsten Gillibrand, Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, and Cory Booker — quickly signed on as co-sponsors. They all think Medicare for All is their ...
Say No To Canadian Drug Imports
Lawmakers in the Sunshine State are looking to our northern neighbor to help them reduce drug prices. The Florida House of Representatives recently passed a bill that would allow the importation and sale of prescription drugs from Canada, where prices are generally lower because the government forcibly controls them. Florida isn’t the ...
X out ‘Medicare X’
Sens. Tim Kaine, D-Va., and Michael Bennet, D-Colo., recently unveiled their “Medicare X” proposal, which would create a public Medicare plan that anyone could purchase. The idea’s supporters are framing it as a moderate counterpoint to “Medicare for all,” which would ban private insurance coverage and force everyone onto a new ...
Pick your poison on Democrats’ health care ideas
More than 100 House Democrats have signed onto a new bill from Washington Rep. Pramila Jayapal that would outlaw private insurance and force everyone into a government-run health plan. Some other Democrats are leery of Jayapal’s bid for “Medicare for All.” So they’ve rolled out more “moderate” measures that would ...