Medicaid
Commentary
It’s time for hospitals to be transparent about their prices
More than a year after the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services enacted a rule requiring hospitals to disclose prices for routine procedures, most still aren’t complying. That’s according to a new study from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. As of last month, CMS had issued 335 warnings ...
Commentary
Drug discount program padding hospital profits
Improving vulnerable populations’ access to medicines is clearly important. But something is amiss when a program that is supposed to improve access to healthcare has turned into a cash cow for hospitals. Yet, that is what has happened to the obscure 340B drug discount program. Too many hospitals across Massachusetts ...
Commentary
Medicare Advantage Gives Seniors An Advantage
More than 28.5 million patients are now enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans, according to new federal data. That’s up nearly 9% compared with the same time last year. More than 40% of the more than 63 million people enrolled in Medicare are now in an MA plan. Enrollment in MA has been surging for some ...
Commentary
Oregon wants to ration health care in new proposal
One of the most important health care protections for low-income Americans is the requirement that state Medicaid programs cover nearly all medications approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This directive prevents states from balancing their books on the backs of the poor by excluding expensive drugs from Medicaid. Last ...
Commentary
Democrats Eye Canada’s Failed Healthcare System – Why?
Democrats in Congress are working to resurrect the Build Back Better Act, their massive social spending proposal that stalled in the Senate last month. To be certain, there’s plenty of disagreement across the party’s moderate and progressive wings. Yet, they’re largely aligned on healthcare. Indeed, Democrats are determined to increase the number ...
Commentary
Cutting through the lies about seniors’ favorite government program: Sally C. Pipes
PASADENA, California — Critics of Medicare Advantage, also known as Medicare Part C, have tried to undermine it for years. Now they’re going after it again, this time through the massive Democratic spending bill that’s stalled in Congress. Never mind that 27 million American seniors out of 64 million Medicare ...
California
California heads for single-payer havoc with CalCare
California Democrats have renewed their quest to take over the state’s health insurance system. The state Assembly’s Health Committee approved legislation that would effectively outlaw private health insurance and force all Californians onto a government-run plan called CalCare. The plan calls for a tax increase of at least $163 billion, ...
Commentary
California Can Look Forward to Socialized Medicine If Single-Payer Returns
It’s been five years since California Democrats tried and failed to bring socialized medicine to the Golden State. But with the new year comes a renewed attempt to abolish private health insurance and force all of the state’s 39 million residents into a new government-run plan. AB 1400 passed the state Assembly’s ...
Commentary
Some hospitals are charging 2 or 3 times more than the one next door
Imagine you’re a mom-to-be from Roxbury Township, looking to schedule a cesarean section. You’re halfway between Morristown Medical Center and Newton Medical Center. The listed price at Morristown — the top-ranked hospital in the state — is $24,927. At Newton, it’s nearly three times as much — $66,091. Price discrepancies like these are ...
Commentary
Democrats Stumble Over Their Shady BBB Gimmicks
Last week, on Dec. 19 specifically, Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., announced that he would not support the current iteration of the Build Back Better Act. His decision calls the future of the $1.75 trillion spending package into serious question. For this, Democrats have only themselves to blame. After all, Manchin’s demands ...
It’s time for hospitals to be transparent about their prices
More than a year after the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services enacted a rule requiring hospitals to disclose prices for routine procedures, most still aren’t complying. That’s according to a new study from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. As of last month, CMS had issued 335 warnings ...
Drug discount program padding hospital profits
Improving vulnerable populations’ access to medicines is clearly important. But something is amiss when a program that is supposed to improve access to healthcare has turned into a cash cow for hospitals. Yet, that is what has happened to the obscure 340B drug discount program. Too many hospitals across Massachusetts ...
Medicare Advantage Gives Seniors An Advantage
More than 28.5 million patients are now enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans, according to new federal data. That’s up nearly 9% compared with the same time last year. More than 40% of the more than 63 million people enrolled in Medicare are now in an MA plan. Enrollment in MA has been surging for some ...
Oregon wants to ration health care in new proposal
One of the most important health care protections for low-income Americans is the requirement that state Medicaid programs cover nearly all medications approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This directive prevents states from balancing their books on the backs of the poor by excluding expensive drugs from Medicaid. Last ...
Democrats Eye Canada’s Failed Healthcare System – Why?
Democrats in Congress are working to resurrect the Build Back Better Act, their massive social spending proposal that stalled in the Senate last month. To be certain, there’s plenty of disagreement across the party’s moderate and progressive wings. Yet, they’re largely aligned on healthcare. Indeed, Democrats are determined to increase the number ...
Cutting through the lies about seniors’ favorite government program: Sally C. Pipes
PASADENA, California — Critics of Medicare Advantage, also known as Medicare Part C, have tried to undermine it for years. Now they’re going after it again, this time through the massive Democratic spending bill that’s stalled in Congress. Never mind that 27 million American seniors out of 64 million Medicare ...
California heads for single-payer havoc with CalCare
California Democrats have renewed their quest to take over the state’s health insurance system. The state Assembly’s Health Committee approved legislation that would effectively outlaw private health insurance and force all Californians onto a government-run plan called CalCare. The plan calls for a tax increase of at least $163 billion, ...
California Can Look Forward to Socialized Medicine If Single-Payer Returns
It’s been five years since California Democrats tried and failed to bring socialized medicine to the Golden State. But with the new year comes a renewed attempt to abolish private health insurance and force all of the state’s 39 million residents into a new government-run plan. AB 1400 passed the state Assembly’s ...
Some hospitals are charging 2 or 3 times more than the one next door
Imagine you’re a mom-to-be from Roxbury Township, looking to schedule a cesarean section. You’re halfway between Morristown Medical Center and Newton Medical Center. The listed price at Morristown — the top-ranked hospital in the state — is $24,927. At Newton, it’s nearly three times as much — $66,091. Price discrepancies like these are ...
Democrats Stumble Over Their Shady BBB Gimmicks
Last week, on Dec. 19 specifically, Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., announced that he would not support the current iteration of the Build Back Better Act. His decision calls the future of the $1.75 trillion spending package into serious question. For this, Democrats have only themselves to blame. After all, Manchin’s demands ...
