Obamacare
Commentary
Executives debate exchange viability, Obamacare
Want proof that Obamacare’s health insurance exchanges are doomed? Just look at what the law’s former supporters say about them now. Princeton economist Uwe Reinhardt, who in 2013 predicted that Obamacare would “flourish” over time, now warns that the exchanges have entered a “death spiral.” Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini called ...
Sally C. Pipes
October 14, 2016
California
California’s Surprise Medical Bill Law Papers Over a Systemic Problem
Insured patients who go into hospital for scheduled surgery are often shocked to find they owe bills well beyond what they expected to pay, especially if they understood the hospital and surgeon to be in their health plan’s network. The problem usually occurs when an anesthesiologist or other specialist involved ...
John R. Graham
October 14, 2016
Health Care
Who Has the Best Health Care Plan – Hillary or Donald?
SACRAMENTO – As America prepares to choose a new president, the Pacific Research Institute today offered voters a nonpartisan guide to help them decide which candidate is best on health care. “Who is elected as our next President will have a significant impact on the future of America’s health care ...
Pacific Research Institute
October 11, 2016
Commentary
Rejecting Obamacare’s Perverse Ultimatum
One of Obamacare’s central pillars, the individual mandate, boils down to a crude ultimatum. Buy health insurance or pay the price — a tax penalty of the greater of $695 or 2.5 percent of income, to be exact. But what if it’s essentially impossible to buy health insurance — because ...
Sally C. Pipes
October 3, 2016
Commentary
Stop Bending The Law To Protect Obamacare
President Obama is scrambling to keep his signature health reform law intact. A slew of insurers — including industry giants Aetna and United Health — have elected to leave most of the exchanges they initially participated in after sustaining heavy losses over the last two years. President Obama has responded ...
Sally C. Pipes
October 3, 2016
Commentary
The Public Option Rides Again
Like a gambler who doesn’t know when to quit, Democrats are doubling down on their favorite losing bet — Obamacare. Hit by multimillion-dollar losses — UnitedHealthcare, for instance, expects to lose $850 million this year alone – insurers are pulling out of the exchanges. All but six of Obamacare’s 23 ...
Sally C. Pipes
October 3, 2016
Commentary
How to Cover the Sick and Lower Premiums without Breaking the Bank
Fifty-one percent of Americans now disapprove of Obamacare — the highest share this year, according to Gallup. It’s easy to see why. Insurers are abandoning the health law’s exchanges, leaving consumers few plans to choose from. Those carriers that haven’t pulled out plan to hike rates an average of 25 ...
Sally C. Pipes
September 20, 2016
Commentary
Trump And Clinton’s Healthcare Debate Was No Contest
Donald Trump’s penchant for brusque remarks came in handy during the second presidential debate, eight days ago. When the discussion turned to the president’s health law, the GOP candidate’s message was clear: “Obamacare is a disaster. You know it. We all know it.” Only Hillary’s own spouse put it better, ...
Sally C. Pipes
September 17, 2016
Commentary
Legal challenges loom for Obamacare
Obamacare’s remarkable run of legal luck may be running out. Earlier this summer, the Obama administration said that it would appeal a federal judge’s March ruling that found some of the health care law’s payments to insurers unconstitutional. That announcement came on the heels of another loss for Obamacare in ...
Sally C. Pipes
September 9, 2016
Commentary
The ‘Public Option’ Is Just Single-Payer on the Installment Plan
Obamacare’s government-run insurance markets are collapsing. Insurers are losing millions of dollars — and proposing double-digit premium hikes combined with high deductibles to try to stanch the bleeding. It’s no wonder that exchange enrollment is roughly half what the Congressional Budget Office predicted. So what’s the left’s answer to this ...
Sally C. Pipes
September 6, 2016
Executives debate exchange viability, Obamacare
Want proof that Obamacare’s health insurance exchanges are doomed? Just look at what the law’s former supporters say about them now. Princeton economist Uwe Reinhardt, who in 2013 predicted that Obamacare would “flourish” over time, now warns that the exchanges have entered a “death spiral.” Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini called ...
California’s Surprise Medical Bill Law Papers Over a Systemic Problem
Insured patients who go into hospital for scheduled surgery are often shocked to find they owe bills well beyond what they expected to pay, especially if they understood the hospital and surgeon to be in their health plan’s network. The problem usually occurs when an anesthesiologist or other specialist involved ...
Who Has the Best Health Care Plan – Hillary or Donald?
SACRAMENTO – As America prepares to choose a new president, the Pacific Research Institute today offered voters a nonpartisan guide to help them decide which candidate is best on health care. “Who is elected as our next President will have a significant impact on the future of America’s health care ...
Rejecting Obamacare’s Perverse Ultimatum
One of Obamacare’s central pillars, the individual mandate, boils down to a crude ultimatum. Buy health insurance or pay the price — a tax penalty of the greater of $695 or 2.5 percent of income, to be exact. But what if it’s essentially impossible to buy health insurance — because ...
Stop Bending The Law To Protect Obamacare
President Obama is scrambling to keep his signature health reform law intact. A slew of insurers — including industry giants Aetna and United Health — have elected to leave most of the exchanges they initially participated in after sustaining heavy losses over the last two years. President Obama has responded ...
The Public Option Rides Again
Like a gambler who doesn’t know when to quit, Democrats are doubling down on their favorite losing bet — Obamacare. Hit by multimillion-dollar losses — UnitedHealthcare, for instance, expects to lose $850 million this year alone – insurers are pulling out of the exchanges. All but six of Obamacare’s 23 ...
How to Cover the Sick and Lower Premiums without Breaking the Bank
Fifty-one percent of Americans now disapprove of Obamacare — the highest share this year, according to Gallup. It’s easy to see why. Insurers are abandoning the health law’s exchanges, leaving consumers few plans to choose from. Those carriers that haven’t pulled out plan to hike rates an average of 25 ...
Trump And Clinton’s Healthcare Debate Was No Contest
Donald Trump’s penchant for brusque remarks came in handy during the second presidential debate, eight days ago. When the discussion turned to the president’s health law, the GOP candidate’s message was clear: “Obamacare is a disaster. You know it. We all know it.” Only Hillary’s own spouse put it better, ...
Legal challenges loom for Obamacare
Obamacare’s remarkable run of legal luck may be running out. Earlier this summer, the Obama administration said that it would appeal a federal judge’s March ruling that found some of the health care law’s payments to insurers unconstitutional. That announcement came on the heels of another loss for Obamacare in ...
The ‘Public Option’ Is Just Single-Payer on the Installment Plan
Obamacare’s government-run insurance markets are collapsing. Insurers are losing millions of dollars — and proposing double-digit premium hikes combined with high deductibles to try to stanch the bleeding. It’s no wonder that exchange enrollment is roughly half what the Congressional Budget Office predicted. So what’s the left’s answer to this ...