Commentary
Commentary
NY Times Favors State Calculation of “Usual & Customary” Charges
My confidence always rises when the New York Times editorializes from the opposite side of an issue than I occupy. How pleased I was, then, when the editorial board cheered NY attorney-general Andrew Cuomo’s “settlement” (of course, I prefer “shakedown”) of Ingenix, a UnitedHealth Group subsidiary that compiles proprietary databases, ...
Business & Economics
Murphy’s motives
Sometimes we really have to wonder about the motives of those who purport to represent the greater good in Washington. Take, for instance, Congressman Tim Murphy. Mr. Murphy, the 18th Congressional District “Republican,” adamantly insists that the deceptively titled Employee Free Choice Act won’t scotch the secret union organizing ballot. ...
Commentary
UnitedHealth Group: The Gift That Keeps on Giving
It looks like UnitedHealth Group’s trials have just begun. Shortly after NY attorney-general, Andrew Cuomo, announced that UHG’s subsidiary, Ingenix, a database-vendor, was happy to pay him $50 million to get off their case, the American Medical Association announced a class-action settlement of $350 million over the same issue: Ingenix’ ...
Commentary
NY’s “Cuomortician” Seals The Deal On Price Fixing
After almost a year of investigation, NY attorney-general Andrew Cuomo has finally finished his investigation of how the state’s health plans deal with claims for out-of-network care. The result: UnitedHealth Group willl pay $50 million to fund an independent, non-profit business to replicate its subsidiary’s calculations of “usual and customary” ...
Commentary
Consumer-Driven Health Care’s Crazy Side
For the second time, a health-care provider is suing a patient for posting a negative review on Yelp, a website that invites people to submit reviews of restaurants, bars, clothing boutiques, and pretty much whatever else strikes their fancy. Here in San Francisco we take all things Internet-related very seriously, ...
Business & Economics
Taxpayer stimulus: Failures help sectors recalibrate
The sages at the National Bureau of Economic Research have finally concluded what many Americans have known for months: The United States is in a recession. Several prominent economists have recommended vast government spending as a cure. In the December issue of the New York Review of Books, Nobel Laureate ...
Commentary
Critical Error: Tom Daschle’s Blurred Health Care Vision
Tom Daschle’s new book, Critical: What Can We Do About the Health-Care Crisis, confirms that advocates for a complete government takeover of American health care have learned an important lesson: Don’t try it in one big bite. Here Daschle and co-author Jeanne Lambrew have direct experience. Mr. Daschle was a ...
Commentary
Graham on Lars Larson Discussing Obama Health Reform
In a recent radio interview with Lars Larson on health care, I note that we came very close during the Bush administration (or, for those who prefer, the “Bush regime”) to returning health care dollars to American families to spend on health care of their choice, instead of health care ...
Business & Economics
Does “Depression Economics” Change the Rules?
Wily competitors have known for ages that if you can’t win the game, you can simply change the rules. Now, during normal economic times, if somebody recommended that the government borrow a trillion dollars and spend it on anything that moves, most economists (as well as common sense) would say, ...
Commentary
Obama-Daschle “reform” will cripple American health care
Obama-Daschle “reform” will cripple American health care President-elect Barack Obama has promised sweeping changes during his first few months in office. Perhaps the most far-reaching – and troubling – of his proposals is his plan for healthcare reform. Obama has tapped former Sen. Tom Daschle to serve as both the ...
NY Times Favors State Calculation of “Usual & Customary” Charges
My confidence always rises when the New York Times editorializes from the opposite side of an issue than I occupy. How pleased I was, then, when the editorial board cheered NY attorney-general Andrew Cuomo’s “settlement” (of course, I prefer “shakedown”) of Ingenix, a UnitedHealth Group subsidiary that compiles proprietary databases, ...
Murphy’s motives
Sometimes we really have to wonder about the motives of those who purport to represent the greater good in Washington. Take, for instance, Congressman Tim Murphy. Mr. Murphy, the 18th Congressional District “Republican,” adamantly insists that the deceptively titled Employee Free Choice Act won’t scotch the secret union organizing ballot. ...
UnitedHealth Group: The Gift That Keeps on Giving
It looks like UnitedHealth Group’s trials have just begun. Shortly after NY attorney-general, Andrew Cuomo, announced that UHG’s subsidiary, Ingenix, a database-vendor, was happy to pay him $50 million to get off their case, the American Medical Association announced a class-action settlement of $350 million over the same issue: Ingenix’ ...
NY’s “Cuomortician” Seals The Deal On Price Fixing
After almost a year of investigation, NY attorney-general Andrew Cuomo has finally finished his investigation of how the state’s health plans deal with claims for out-of-network care. The result: UnitedHealth Group willl pay $50 million to fund an independent, non-profit business to replicate its subsidiary’s calculations of “usual and customary” ...
Consumer-Driven Health Care’s Crazy Side
For the second time, a health-care provider is suing a patient for posting a negative review on Yelp, a website that invites people to submit reviews of restaurants, bars, clothing boutiques, and pretty much whatever else strikes their fancy. Here in San Francisco we take all things Internet-related very seriously, ...
Taxpayer stimulus: Failures help sectors recalibrate
The sages at the National Bureau of Economic Research have finally concluded what many Americans have known for months: The United States is in a recession. Several prominent economists have recommended vast government spending as a cure. In the December issue of the New York Review of Books, Nobel Laureate ...
Critical Error: Tom Daschle’s Blurred Health Care Vision
Tom Daschle’s new book, Critical: What Can We Do About the Health-Care Crisis, confirms that advocates for a complete government takeover of American health care have learned an important lesson: Don’t try it in one big bite. Here Daschle and co-author Jeanne Lambrew have direct experience. Mr. Daschle was a ...
Graham on Lars Larson Discussing Obama Health Reform
In a recent radio interview with Lars Larson on health care, I note that we came very close during the Bush administration (or, for those who prefer, the “Bush regime”) to returning health care dollars to American families to spend on health care of their choice, instead of health care ...
Does “Depression Economics” Change the Rules?
Wily competitors have known for ages that if you can’t win the game, you can simply change the rules. Now, during normal economic times, if somebody recommended that the government borrow a trillion dollars and spend it on anything that moves, most economists (as well as common sense) would say, ...
Obama-Daschle “reform” will cripple American health care
Obama-Daschle “reform” will cripple American health care President-elect Barack Obama has promised sweeping changes during his first few months in office. Perhaps the most far-reaching – and troubling – of his proposals is his plan for healthcare reform. Obama has tapped former Sen. Tom Daschle to serve as both the ...
