Medicaid
Commentary
The VA is failing America’s heroes — again
“If I’d gone to the VA, I would have died.” That’s what Marine veteran Chinaza Duson told Atlanta NBC affiliate 11 Alive after she nearly died of a heart attack this summer waiting to be seen at her local Veterans Affairs medical center. Sadly, veterans across America utter similar words ...
Commentary
Medicaid Expansion Is Never Cheap
A South Dakota ballot measure expanding the state’s Medicaid program passed with 56% of the vote earlier this month. Expanding Medicaid may sound like a smart way to get more people insurance coverage — especially when the federal government is picking up most of the tab, as it will in this case. ...
Commentary
Bernie Sanders seeks new role to push Medicare for all
Last week, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) announced his intention to chair the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee in the next Congress. He’s promised to “focus on universal healthcare.” In other words, the senator’s long-standing quest for “Medicare for All” has new life. We can expect hearings featuring an array of ...
Commentary
Divided Congress Doesn’t Have to Mean Gridlock Over Healthcare
As a result of the recent midterm elections, and as of this writing, it looks like the 118th Congress, which will be seated Jan. 3, 2023 will be split, with Democrats set to retain a slim majority in the Senate and Republicans taking control of the House by just a ...
Commentary
A New Plan Brings Clarity To Healthcare Price Transparency–Finally
In health policy, there’s nothing quite as opaque as price transparency. Insurance companies and hospitals tend to say there’s no place for it in the healthcare sector, since medicine is more complicated than cars or groceries. Other skeptics say that implementing transparency rules is too hard. Hospitals have largely flouted a two-year-old ...
Commentary
What might the new Congress do on healthcare?
The outcome of this week’s midterm elections is still unclear, but Republicans appear headed for a narrow majority in the House of Representatives. Divided government means that legislation must have bipartisan appeal if it’s going to have any hope of advancing. On healthcare, there are a few policy initiatives that could attract ...
Commentary
Healthcare Competition Isn’t Just A Republican Messaging Point
The midterm elections are tomorrow. Polling suggests Republicans have a shot at winning back both the House and Senate, as voters are coalescing around the GOP’s ideas for reducing inflation and crime. While those ideas might lead to electoral victory, they’re not the only policy priorities on conservatives’ list. Republicans have also promised to ...
Commentary
Veteran suicides testify to a healthcare travesty
The Department of Veterans Affairs has said that preventing veteran suicides is a top priority. Unfortunately, a new inspector general report suggests the department is failing in its mission. The report found that more than 1 in 10 VA staffers hadn’t completed their mandatory suicide-prevention training. As the report put it, “Lack of training ...
Commentary
Insurance Market Requiring Gov’t Handouts Is Dysfunctional
Next week marks the beginning of open enrollment on the health insurance exchanges created by the Affordable Care Act. According to one recent analysis of 72 exchange insurers, premiums are likely to increase by an average of 10%. In some cases, rate hikes could exceed 25%. Most consumers won’t feel these price ...
Commentary
Americans Don’t Want Single-Payer Revolution
America’s private health insurance system is beyond saving, we’re often told by advocates of Medicare for All. As they see it, the only path forward is to abolish private coverage and replace it with a single government-run program. But that radical proposal is divorced from reality. New polling data show ...
The VA is failing America’s heroes — again
“If I’d gone to the VA, I would have died.” That’s what Marine veteran Chinaza Duson told Atlanta NBC affiliate 11 Alive after she nearly died of a heart attack this summer waiting to be seen at her local Veterans Affairs medical center. Sadly, veterans across America utter similar words ...
Medicaid Expansion Is Never Cheap
A South Dakota ballot measure expanding the state’s Medicaid program passed with 56% of the vote earlier this month. Expanding Medicaid may sound like a smart way to get more people insurance coverage — especially when the federal government is picking up most of the tab, as it will in this case. ...
Bernie Sanders seeks new role to push Medicare for all
Last week, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) announced his intention to chair the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee in the next Congress. He’s promised to “focus on universal healthcare.” In other words, the senator’s long-standing quest for “Medicare for All” has new life. We can expect hearings featuring an array of ...
Divided Congress Doesn’t Have to Mean Gridlock Over Healthcare
As a result of the recent midterm elections, and as of this writing, it looks like the 118th Congress, which will be seated Jan. 3, 2023 will be split, with Democrats set to retain a slim majority in the Senate and Republicans taking control of the House by just a ...
A New Plan Brings Clarity To Healthcare Price Transparency–Finally
In health policy, there’s nothing quite as opaque as price transparency. Insurance companies and hospitals tend to say there’s no place for it in the healthcare sector, since medicine is more complicated than cars or groceries. Other skeptics say that implementing transparency rules is too hard. Hospitals have largely flouted a two-year-old ...
What might the new Congress do on healthcare?
The outcome of this week’s midterm elections is still unclear, but Republicans appear headed for a narrow majority in the House of Representatives. Divided government means that legislation must have bipartisan appeal if it’s going to have any hope of advancing. On healthcare, there are a few policy initiatives that could attract ...
Healthcare Competition Isn’t Just A Republican Messaging Point
The midterm elections are tomorrow. Polling suggests Republicans have a shot at winning back both the House and Senate, as voters are coalescing around the GOP’s ideas for reducing inflation and crime. While those ideas might lead to electoral victory, they’re not the only policy priorities on conservatives’ list. Republicans have also promised to ...
Veteran suicides testify to a healthcare travesty
The Department of Veterans Affairs has said that preventing veteran suicides is a top priority. Unfortunately, a new inspector general report suggests the department is failing in its mission. The report found that more than 1 in 10 VA staffers hadn’t completed their mandatory suicide-prevention training. As the report put it, “Lack of training ...
Insurance Market Requiring Gov’t Handouts Is Dysfunctional
Next week marks the beginning of open enrollment on the health insurance exchanges created by the Affordable Care Act. According to one recent analysis of 72 exchange insurers, premiums are likely to increase by an average of 10%. In some cases, rate hikes could exceed 25%. Most consumers won’t feel these price ...
Americans Don’t Want Single-Payer Revolution
America’s private health insurance system is beyond saving, we’re often told by advocates of Medicare for All. As they see it, the only path forward is to abolish private coverage and replace it with a single government-run program. But that radical proposal is divorced from reality. New polling data show ...
