Health Care
Commentary
Health-care budget realities
Before President-elect Barack Obama attempts to overhaul America’s health-care system and put us on the road toward “universal” coverage, he should have a chat with his new budget director, Peter Orszag. As former head of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the agency responsible for estimating the cost of federal legislation, ...
Business & Economics
Don’t let trial lawyers overdose on drug suits
President Barack Obama shattered some old paradigms for how to finance a campaign. But he and his Democratic colleagues stuck to the script when it comes to leaning on trial lawyers for campaign cash. During this last election season, federal Democratic candidates collected more than $136 million from lawyers, the ...
Commentary
Chicago Hospital Pricing: Is a 40% Discount Enough?
The Chicago Tribune reports that area hospitals are giving discounts of up to 40% to uninsured patients, or even “anyone who asks”. This may be a result of a law passed last year that attempted to compel some transparency and common-sense pricing for Illinois hospitals. As I’ve noted before (p. ...
Commentary
Our View: Despite qualms of some, universal health care becoming a reality
When Juan Figueroa, president of Meriden-based Universal Health Care Foundation, introduced “SustiNet” two weeks ago the response was, for the most part, enthusiastic. And why shouldn’t it be? Foundation officials said that if implemented over a five-year timeline, SustiNet would save households and businesses a combined total of $1.75 billion ...
Commentary
Overhauling health care could boost the economy
There are plenty of reasons to overhaul our creaky health care system, ranging from its status as the most expensive system in the world to its failure to provide for the health of millions of our fellow citizens. But several recent studies suggest that there’s one more reason for reform: ...
California
Free(ing) Health Insurance in California?
State senator Sam Aanestad is still rolling out good health-care legislation in the Golden State. A few months ago, he introduced a bill that would improve California’s high-risk pool for health insurance, by allowing its beneficiaries to buy low-premium, consumer-driven policies, and allow different premiums for smokers and the obese ...
Commentary
Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying for State Take-Over of Health Care?
Last January, governor Schwarzenegger’s expensive and unwieldy proposal for so-called “universal” health care finally gasped its last breath, after a long year of lobbying and coalition-building by the governor’s team. Good thing, too, as I wrote at the time. But those who advocated it are more active than ever. Daniel ...
Commentary
Government Planning Makes Long-Term Planning Impossible
I envy the good people of Massachusetts at least one thing: (in my humble opinion) the Boston Globe has the best coverage of local health policy. (Pity me, I’m stuck with the Los Angeles Times, and its kin.) Prompted by the BoGlo’s coverage of out-of-control health-care spending in the wake ...
Commentary
Lessons from States with “Universal” Health Care
Last January, governor Schwarzenegger’s expensive and unwieldy proposal for so-called “universal” health care finally gasped its last breath, after a long year of lobbying and coalition-building by the governor’s team. A year later, in 2009, legislators should attempt to learn from two states that have legislated “universal” care. Hawaii imposed ...
Commentary
Hospitals’ “Triple Whammy” Demands Reform
The Los Angeles Times reports that California hospitals are suffering a fiscal “triple whammy”: their investments are in the tank; they cannot borrow money in today’s frozen credit markets; and operating revenues have collapsed. Like I wrote in my analysis of Gov. Schwarzenegger’s failed health reform, hospitals’ finances are not ...
Health-care budget realities
Before President-elect Barack Obama attempts to overhaul America’s health-care system and put us on the road toward “universal” coverage, he should have a chat with his new budget director, Peter Orszag. As former head of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the agency responsible for estimating the cost of federal legislation, ...
Don’t let trial lawyers overdose on drug suits
President Barack Obama shattered some old paradigms for how to finance a campaign. But he and his Democratic colleagues stuck to the script when it comes to leaning on trial lawyers for campaign cash. During this last election season, federal Democratic candidates collected more than $136 million from lawyers, the ...
Chicago Hospital Pricing: Is a 40% Discount Enough?
The Chicago Tribune reports that area hospitals are giving discounts of up to 40% to uninsured patients, or even “anyone who asks”. This may be a result of a law passed last year that attempted to compel some transparency and common-sense pricing for Illinois hospitals. As I’ve noted before (p. ...
Our View: Despite qualms of some, universal health care becoming a reality
When Juan Figueroa, president of Meriden-based Universal Health Care Foundation, introduced “SustiNet” two weeks ago the response was, for the most part, enthusiastic. And why shouldn’t it be? Foundation officials said that if implemented over a five-year timeline, SustiNet would save households and businesses a combined total of $1.75 billion ...
Overhauling health care could boost the economy
There are plenty of reasons to overhaul our creaky health care system, ranging from its status as the most expensive system in the world to its failure to provide for the health of millions of our fellow citizens. But several recent studies suggest that there’s one more reason for reform: ...
Free(ing) Health Insurance in California?
State senator Sam Aanestad is still rolling out good health-care legislation in the Golden State. A few months ago, he introduced a bill that would improve California’s high-risk pool for health insurance, by allowing its beneficiaries to buy low-premium, consumer-driven policies, and allow different premiums for smokers and the obese ...
Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying for State Take-Over of Health Care?
Last January, governor Schwarzenegger’s expensive and unwieldy proposal for so-called “universal” health care finally gasped its last breath, after a long year of lobbying and coalition-building by the governor’s team. Good thing, too, as I wrote at the time. But those who advocated it are more active than ever. Daniel ...
Government Planning Makes Long-Term Planning Impossible
I envy the good people of Massachusetts at least one thing: (in my humble opinion) the Boston Globe has the best coverage of local health policy. (Pity me, I’m stuck with the Los Angeles Times, and its kin.) Prompted by the BoGlo’s coverage of out-of-control health-care spending in the wake ...
Lessons from States with “Universal” Health Care
Last January, governor Schwarzenegger’s expensive and unwieldy proposal for so-called “universal” health care finally gasped its last breath, after a long year of lobbying and coalition-building by the governor’s team. A year later, in 2009, legislators should attempt to learn from two states that have legislated “universal” care. Hawaii imposed ...
Hospitals’ “Triple Whammy” Demands Reform
The Los Angeles Times reports that California hospitals are suffering a fiscal “triple whammy”: their investments are in the tank; they cannot borrow money in today’s frozen credit markets; and operating revenues have collapsed. Like I wrote in my analysis of Gov. Schwarzenegger’s failed health reform, hospitals’ finances are not ...
