Health Care
Health Care
Just Say ‘No’ To New Health Insurance Taxes
This month, consulting firm Oliver Wyman released a new study revealing that surprise, surprise health insurance premiums will increase by several thousand dollars over the next ten years. Thats bad enough news for consumers. Even worse? The study only looked at the cost impact of Obamacares new tax ...
Sally C. Pipes
November 21, 2011
Commentary
Only the Sick Need Apply
Can they be serious? Put aside the absurdity of the notion that a public plan would operate just like Blue Cross or one of the others. (After all, the whole purpose of the public plan is to transfer wealth among constituencies in ways that market competition precludes.) Instead, consider the ...
Benjamin Zycher
November 19, 2011
Health Care
The Medicare Auction Design and Incentives for Research and Development
Key Points: Government has incentives to focus far more heavily upon budget outlays than patient wellbeing in the operation of its health programs. So as to obtain medical devices and equipment for the beneficiaries of Medicare and Medicaid, the federal government uses auctions that are poorly designed, resulting in prices ...
Benjamin Zycher
November 18, 2011
Commentary
Can the PayPal Mafia Fix Health Care?
Last week, the Health 2.0 venture Practice Fusion held its second annual Connect conference in San Francisco. Practice Fusion is an exciting business for a few reasons: It provides a free electronic health record (EHR) to physicians and allied health providers. Its completely independent of the legacy healthcare business. (Competitors ...
John R. Graham
November 18, 2011
Business & Economics
A Pfizer Break Up? That Would Be Something
What I intend to contribute at The Apothecary is somewhat different than what you’ll read in my other media, because I’ll be bringing financial analysis to bear on the healthcare space (although not ignoring what the politicians and bureaucrats are doing, of course. Any healthcare enterprise’s success will depend largely ...
John R. Graham
November 17, 2011
Commentary
ObamaCare’s Substandard Health Care Subsidies
Last week, Ohios voters amended their states constitution to say that they wouldnt be bound by the federal individual health insurance mandate. The Buckeye State is now the 13th state to reject the mandate. Ordinary Americans arent the only ones incensed by the law. State officials are uncovering a laundry ...
Sally C. Pipes
November 14, 2011
Commentary
It’s Time to Blow Up the FDA’s Drug Review Process
The Food and Drug Administration just held its first public meeting to set the course for the future regulation of prescription drugs and medical devices in this country. Every five years, Congress must reauthorize the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA), which governs many of the FDAs regulatory efforts. Some ...
Sally C. Pipes
November 7, 2011
Commentary
Health Care Freedom: 2 Out of 3 Ain’t Bad
[vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_column_text]Yesterday’s victory in Arixona (55% to 45%) “upgrades” the previously passed statute to a constitutional amendment. Yesterday’s victory in Oklahoma (65% to 35%) overrides the incumbent governor’s previous veto. The measure was defeated in Colorado, but by a narrower margin of 47% to ...
John R. Graham
November 3, 2011
Commentary
Perry’s Texas: Creating jobs, not Medicaid dependents
In a crowded field for the Republican presidential nomination, only two candidates have real records of achievement on healthcare reform: Gov. Rick Perry and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. Romney fell for the conventional wisdom that Americans believe it is the government’s responsibility to ensure “universal” coverage. This resulted in ...
John R. Graham
November 3, 2011
Commentary
Health Spending and the “Supercommittee”: Seven Items from President Obama that Republicans And Democrats Should Embrace
Key Points: Congress has a unique opportunity to make a clean cut in government health spending by Christmas. President Obama’s deficit-reducing proposal contains seven items that shift Medicare and Medicaid spending closer to the people. Although these items represent a small fraction of President Obama’s deficit-reducing proposal, they offer the ...
John R. Graham
October 31, 2011
Just Say ‘No’ To New Health Insurance Taxes
This month, consulting firm Oliver Wyman released a new study revealing that surprise, surprise health insurance premiums will increase by several thousand dollars over the next ten years. Thats bad enough news for consumers. Even worse? The study only looked at the cost impact of Obamacares new tax ...
Only the Sick Need Apply
Can they be serious? Put aside the absurdity of the notion that a public plan would operate just like Blue Cross or one of the others. (After all, the whole purpose of the public plan is to transfer wealth among constituencies in ways that market competition precludes.) Instead, consider the ...
The Medicare Auction Design and Incentives for Research and Development
Key Points: Government has incentives to focus far more heavily upon budget outlays than patient wellbeing in the operation of its health programs. So as to obtain medical devices and equipment for the beneficiaries of Medicare and Medicaid, the federal government uses auctions that are poorly designed, resulting in prices ...
Can the PayPal Mafia Fix Health Care?
Last week, the Health 2.0 venture Practice Fusion held its second annual Connect conference in San Francisco. Practice Fusion is an exciting business for a few reasons: It provides a free electronic health record (EHR) to physicians and allied health providers. Its completely independent of the legacy healthcare business. (Competitors ...
A Pfizer Break Up? That Would Be Something
What I intend to contribute at The Apothecary is somewhat different than what you’ll read in my other media, because I’ll be bringing financial analysis to bear on the healthcare space (although not ignoring what the politicians and bureaucrats are doing, of course. Any healthcare enterprise’s success will depend largely ...
ObamaCare’s Substandard Health Care Subsidies
Last week, Ohios voters amended their states constitution to say that they wouldnt be bound by the federal individual health insurance mandate. The Buckeye State is now the 13th state to reject the mandate. Ordinary Americans arent the only ones incensed by the law. State officials are uncovering a laundry ...
It’s Time to Blow Up the FDA’s Drug Review Process
The Food and Drug Administration just held its first public meeting to set the course for the future regulation of prescription drugs and medical devices in this country. Every five years, Congress must reauthorize the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA), which governs many of the FDAs regulatory efforts. Some ...
Health Care Freedom: 2 Out of 3 Ain’t Bad
[vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_column_text]Yesterday’s victory in Arixona (55% to 45%) “upgrades” the previously passed statute to a constitutional amendment. Yesterday’s victory in Oklahoma (65% to 35%) overrides the incumbent governor’s previous veto. The measure was defeated in Colorado, but by a narrower margin of 47% to ...
Perry’s Texas: Creating jobs, not Medicaid dependents
In a crowded field for the Republican presidential nomination, only two candidates have real records of achievement on healthcare reform: Gov. Rick Perry and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. Romney fell for the conventional wisdom that Americans believe it is the government’s responsibility to ensure “universal” coverage. This resulted in ...
Health Spending and the “Supercommittee”: Seven Items from President Obama that Republicans And Democrats Should Embrace
Key Points: Congress has a unique opportunity to make a clean cut in government health spending by Christmas. President Obama’s deficit-reducing proposal contains seven items that shift Medicare and Medicaid spending closer to the people. Although these items represent a small fraction of President Obama’s deficit-reducing proposal, they offer the ...