Health Care
Commentary
Patients need control to fix state’s health care system
To help fix Rhode Island’s budget mess, Gov. Don Carcieri has proposed an overhaul of the state Medicaid program. Such a move is certainly welcome. But Carcieri’s Medicaid overhaul won’t be able to cut costs unless policymakers relax their regulatory stranglehold on private insurance and address the state’s miserable medical ...
Commentary
Why Americans Won’t Tolerate Overseas ‘Models’
Everyone knows that American health care is in crisis. Its poor quality arrives accompanied by a huge bill and lack of universal coverage. Like dining in an amusement park, Americans are captives to a cafeteria that serves up cold, fatty food at double the price, leaving those who can’t pay, ...
Business & Economics
Impact – September 2008
PRI Ideas in Action – September 2008 Policy Update and Monthly Impact Report PRI continues to impact public policy in California, the nation, and abroad. Click below to view PRI’s recent contributions. Read PDF
California
California budget has not solved the Medi-Cal crisis
Gov. Schwarzenegger has signed a budget that holds spending down to $103 billion. Unfortunately, the governor and legislators missed the chance to wrangle Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program, under control. Medi-Cal is a big part of the state’s deficit problem. It’s the second largest chunk of the general fund, after ...
Commentary
Will Illinois’ Hospital Uninsured Discount Act Protect Patients?
By a unanimous vote, Illinois legislators have passed the Hospital Uninsured Discount Act, which requires that hospitals charge uninsured patients their lowest rates. The Illinois Hospital Association (which supported it) has a good summary of the bill. Specifically, for patients in urban areas with household incomes up to 600% of ...
Commentary
Enrollment in Consumer-Driven Plans Doubles in Two Years
The newly released annual Kaiser Family Foundation/Health Research & Educational Trust (KFF/HRET) Employer Health Benefits Survey is out! I’m about to criticize KFF’s spin, so let me start by congratulating them on another outstanding achievement. The annual publication is an invaluable resource for those of us who want to understand ...
Commentary
A Healthcare Fix for the Green Mountain State
As Vermont grapples with a projected $32-million budget shortfall, Gov. James Douglas and state lawmakers have been forced to consider cuts in several government health programs. Such cuts are critical, given that Vermont spends more per capita on health care than almost any other state. But yet another round of ...
Commentary
Celebs, stop taking poisonous shots at vaccines
Earlier this month, researchers at Columbia University concluded that the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine doesn’t raise a child’s risk for autism. It was the most rigorous look at the issue to date. Since 1998, more than 20 scientific studies have reached the same conclusion. With all that data, one might consider the ...
California
Despite Budget Resolution, Medi-Cal Crisis Endures
Three months late, governor Schwarzenegger has finally signed a budget. Unfortunately, the governor and legislators missed the chance to wrangle Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program, under control. The budget agreement held the line pretty well on this gargantuan program for the short term appropriating 14.5 billion for 2008-2009 versus $14.2 ...
Health Care
Is The Government Responsible For Health Care?
Listen: The Edited Broadcast of the Debate download NPR.org, September 24, 2008 · It’s a debate that has raged on and off in the United States for more than a century now, with no clear resolution in sight: whether to guarantee healthcare for every American. During the past 100 years, ...
Patients need control to fix state’s health care system
To help fix Rhode Island’s budget mess, Gov. Don Carcieri has proposed an overhaul of the state Medicaid program. Such a move is certainly welcome. But Carcieri’s Medicaid overhaul won’t be able to cut costs unless policymakers relax their regulatory stranglehold on private insurance and address the state’s miserable medical ...
Why Americans Won’t Tolerate Overseas ‘Models’
Everyone knows that American health care is in crisis. Its poor quality arrives accompanied by a huge bill and lack of universal coverage. Like dining in an amusement park, Americans are captives to a cafeteria that serves up cold, fatty food at double the price, leaving those who can’t pay, ...
Impact – September 2008
PRI Ideas in Action – September 2008 Policy Update and Monthly Impact Report PRI continues to impact public policy in California, the nation, and abroad. Click below to view PRI’s recent contributions. Read PDF
California budget has not solved the Medi-Cal crisis
Gov. Schwarzenegger has signed a budget that holds spending down to $103 billion. Unfortunately, the governor and legislators missed the chance to wrangle Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program, under control. Medi-Cal is a big part of the state’s deficit problem. It’s the second largest chunk of the general fund, after ...
Will Illinois’ Hospital Uninsured Discount Act Protect Patients?
By a unanimous vote, Illinois legislators have passed the Hospital Uninsured Discount Act, which requires that hospitals charge uninsured patients their lowest rates. The Illinois Hospital Association (which supported it) has a good summary of the bill. Specifically, for patients in urban areas with household incomes up to 600% of ...
Enrollment in Consumer-Driven Plans Doubles in Two Years
The newly released annual Kaiser Family Foundation/Health Research & Educational Trust (KFF/HRET) Employer Health Benefits Survey is out! I’m about to criticize KFF’s spin, so let me start by congratulating them on another outstanding achievement. The annual publication is an invaluable resource for those of us who want to understand ...
A Healthcare Fix for the Green Mountain State
As Vermont grapples with a projected $32-million budget shortfall, Gov. James Douglas and state lawmakers have been forced to consider cuts in several government health programs. Such cuts are critical, given that Vermont spends more per capita on health care than almost any other state. But yet another round of ...
Celebs, stop taking poisonous shots at vaccines
Earlier this month, researchers at Columbia University concluded that the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine doesn’t raise a child’s risk for autism. It was the most rigorous look at the issue to date. Since 1998, more than 20 scientific studies have reached the same conclusion. With all that data, one might consider the ...
Despite Budget Resolution, Medi-Cal Crisis Endures
Three months late, governor Schwarzenegger has finally signed a budget. Unfortunately, the governor and legislators missed the chance to wrangle Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program, under control. The budget agreement held the line pretty well on this gargantuan program for the short term appropriating 14.5 billion for 2008-2009 versus $14.2 ...
Is The Government Responsible For Health Care?
Listen: The Edited Broadcast of the Debate download NPR.org, September 24, 2008 · It’s a debate that has raged on and off in the United States for more than a century now, with no clear resolution in sight: whether to guarantee healthcare for every American. During the past 100 years, ...
