Health Care
Commentary
Read about Medicare spending
Congress must rein in spending by cutting costs in Medicare and Medicaid
Enrollment in Medicaid has skyrocketed, largely due to Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion and a pandemic-era prohibition on disenrolling people from the program. As of June 2023, Medicaid and the related Children’s Health Insurance Program covered nearly 93 million people — a 60% increase relative to the pre-Obamacare figure . Read the ...
Covid-19
Wayne Winegarden – The Impact of Covid-19 Restrictions
Our guest this week is PRI senior fellow Dr. Wayne Winegarden. We discuss with Wayne his new study comparing the results of states that had very restrictive COVID-19 policies versus those that did not. He concludes that while COVID-19 restrictions did lead to some health benefits, they were unfortunately negated ...
Commentary
Read about the importance of drug price transparency
Transparency Is The Cure For What Ails American Health Care
A government shutdown has been averted—for now. Congress approved a continuing resolution this weekend that funds the government through mid-November. But the weeks-long fight put other important legislative work on hold. Take the “Lower Costs, More Transparency Act.” Late last month, lawmakers pulled it from the floor ahead of an ...
Commentary
Read about benefits of health savings accounts
A Boom in Health Savings Accounts Can Save Our Health System
A bill introduced last week by Reps. Greg Steube, R-Fla., and Kat Cammack, R-Fla., could change that. The ACCESS Act allows people to accept federal contributions to an HSA in lieu of reduced cost-sharing for insurance purchased through an exchange. The reform would bring the benefits of HSAs to millions ...
Commentary
Read about problems with drug price controls
Let’s Hope Drug Companies Win Price Controls War
The IRA gives federal officials the authority to dictate what Medicare pays for certain medicines — a scheme intended to reduce the government’s drug bill. Late last month, the Department of Health and Human Services announced the first 10 drugs subject to the law’s price controls, which include the blood thinners ...
Coronavirus
NEW BRIEF: COVID-19 Restrictions Led to Small Health Benefits Negated by Tradeoff of Huge Economic, Education Losses
States that had more invasive COVID-19 restrictions saw small reductions in COVID-19 infection and mortality rates, but saw large negative impacts on employment, economic growth, and children’s education outcomes, finds a new brief released today by the Center for Medical Economics and Innovation at the nonpartisan Pacific Research Institute.CMEI_Covid_FINAL Click ...
Commentary
Read about problems of PBMs
Congress Waking Up to PBMs Drug Cost Manipulations
PBMs work for (or increasingly are part of) insurance companies. They decide which drugs patients can access and negotiate rebates to drugs’ list prices. The term “rebates” sounds like these discounts should benefit patients, but PBMs and insurers pocket these savings while basing patients’ costs on the higher undiscounted prices. ...
Commentary
Americans Disenrolled From Medicaid Have Other Health Insurance Options
This return to normal will save taxpayers money, and it’s unlikely to leave anyone without health insurance unless that’s what they choose. Some Democratic lawmakers are decrying the process as hasty and unfair. Yet everyone still has the right to apply or re-apply for Medicaid. If they don’t qualify, they ...
Commentary
Drug price controls hurt patients
Costly Imported Medicines Leave Patients Vulnerable
Texas just became the latest state to look north for lower drug prices. As of the beginning of this month, the state’s Health and Human Services Commission gained authority to contract with Canadian wholesalers and suppliers to import prescription drugs from our northern neighbor. The prices of brand-name prescription drugs ...
Commentary
Read about Biden admin push to take away health care choice
Limiting short-term health plans will limit patient and broker choice
That’s not the president’s pitch, of course. He claims the rule, which would limit the duration of short-term health plans, is necessary to protect unsuspecting Americans from rapacious brokers trying to “sucker” them into purchasing “junk” insurance that doesn’t actually protect them if they get sick. But short-term plans aren’t ...
Read about Medicare spending
Congress must rein in spending by cutting costs in Medicare and Medicaid
Enrollment in Medicaid has skyrocketed, largely due to Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion and a pandemic-era prohibition on disenrolling people from the program. As of June 2023, Medicaid and the related Children’s Health Insurance Program covered nearly 93 million people — a 60% increase relative to the pre-Obamacare figure . Read the ...
Wayne Winegarden – The Impact of Covid-19 Restrictions
Our guest this week is PRI senior fellow Dr. Wayne Winegarden. We discuss with Wayne his new study comparing the results of states that had very restrictive COVID-19 policies versus those that did not. He concludes that while COVID-19 restrictions did lead to some health benefits, they were unfortunately negated ...
Read about the importance of drug price transparency
Transparency Is The Cure For What Ails American Health Care
A government shutdown has been averted—for now. Congress approved a continuing resolution this weekend that funds the government through mid-November. But the weeks-long fight put other important legislative work on hold. Take the “Lower Costs, More Transparency Act.” Late last month, lawmakers pulled it from the floor ahead of an ...
Read about benefits of health savings accounts
A Boom in Health Savings Accounts Can Save Our Health System
A bill introduced last week by Reps. Greg Steube, R-Fla., and Kat Cammack, R-Fla., could change that. The ACCESS Act allows people to accept federal contributions to an HSA in lieu of reduced cost-sharing for insurance purchased through an exchange. The reform would bring the benefits of HSAs to millions ...
Read about problems with drug price controls
Let’s Hope Drug Companies Win Price Controls War
The IRA gives federal officials the authority to dictate what Medicare pays for certain medicines — a scheme intended to reduce the government’s drug bill. Late last month, the Department of Health and Human Services announced the first 10 drugs subject to the law’s price controls, which include the blood thinners ...
NEW BRIEF: COVID-19 Restrictions Led to Small Health Benefits Negated by Tradeoff of Huge Economic, Education Losses
States that had more invasive COVID-19 restrictions saw small reductions in COVID-19 infection and mortality rates, but saw large negative impacts on employment, economic growth, and children’s education outcomes, finds a new brief released today by the Center for Medical Economics and Innovation at the nonpartisan Pacific Research Institute.CMEI_Covid_FINAL Click ...
Read about problems of PBMs
Congress Waking Up to PBMs Drug Cost Manipulations
PBMs work for (or increasingly are part of) insurance companies. They decide which drugs patients can access and negotiate rebates to drugs’ list prices. The term “rebates” sounds like these discounts should benefit patients, but PBMs and insurers pocket these savings while basing patients’ costs on the higher undiscounted prices. ...
Americans Disenrolled From Medicaid Have Other Health Insurance Options
This return to normal will save taxpayers money, and it’s unlikely to leave anyone without health insurance unless that’s what they choose. Some Democratic lawmakers are decrying the process as hasty and unfair. Yet everyone still has the right to apply or re-apply for Medicaid. If they don’t qualify, they ...
Drug price controls hurt patients
Costly Imported Medicines Leave Patients Vulnerable
Texas just became the latest state to look north for lower drug prices. As of the beginning of this month, the state’s Health and Human Services Commission gained authority to contract with Canadian wholesalers and suppliers to import prescription drugs from our northern neighbor. The prices of brand-name prescription drugs ...
Read about Biden admin push to take away health care choice
Limiting short-term health plans will limit patient and broker choice
That’s not the president’s pitch, of course. He claims the rule, which would limit the duration of short-term health plans, is necessary to protect unsuspecting Americans from rapacious brokers trying to “sucker” them into purchasing “junk” insurance that doesn’t actually protect them if they get sick. But short-term plans aren’t ...
