Medicare
Health Care
NEW BRIEF: Washington Must End Physician Price Controls, Reform Medicare Payment System to Prevent Doctor Shortages
SACRAMENTO – A new brief released today by the Center for Medical Economics and Innovation at the nonpartisan Pacific Research Institute finds that artificially low reimbursement rates used by Medicare to contain costs are threatening patient care, and reform is needed to prevent future doctor shortages. Click to download the ...
Wayne Winegarden
July 25, 2024
Commentary
Biden has given us worse healthcare
President Joe Biden proudly touted his record on healthcare during last month’s disastrous presidential debate. “The American public has greater healthcare coverage today than ever before,” he proclaimed. That’s debatable, to say the least. His administration’s policies have caused health insurance costs to surge. Biden began his presidency by increasing public subsidies for coverage through the exchanges. ...
Sally C. Pipes
July 15, 2024
Commentary
The Medicare doomsday clock ticks closer to midnight
One day, our grandchildren may talk about Medicare the way we talk about Bernie Madoff. In May, Medicare’s trustees released their annual report on the program’s finances, and things are not looking good. The entitlement spent $12 billion more than it took in from taxes in 2023. Absent change, Medicare’s ...
Sally C. Pipes
July 9, 2024
Commentary
Read about the latest push for government health care
Cross out Medicare X
Democrats argue that Medicare X “would help achieve universal health care by making coverage more affordable and accessible,” especially in rural communities. Democrats claim that they just want to offer another health insurance choice. But Medicare X would simply nudge us along toward the Democrats’ endgame: a complete government takeover ...
Sally C. Pipes
June 30, 2024
Commentary
People think Medicare is going bankrupt
People are pessimistic about Medicare’s longevity. Roughly 7 in 10 adults under 65 say they’re “worried” or “extremely worried” the program won’t be around when they need it, according to a new Gallup poll. That may come as no surprise. Medicare expenditures exceeded $1 trillion in 2023. They’re on track to grow by roughly $930 billion over the next ...
Sally C. Pipes
June 17, 2024
Commentary
Read the latest on the Affordable Care Act
Why Next President Needs to Scrap Enhanced Subsidies
The Affordable Care Act’s defenders are sounding the alarm over the health law’s future under a possible second Trump presidency. The conventional wisdom suggests that, should Donald Trump win in November, the enhanced premium subsidies signed into law by President Joe Biden would be allowed to expire on December 31, 2025. That ...
Sally C. Pipes
June 10, 2024
Commentary
Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act Unravels Medicare Part D
In May, Medicare bureaucrats released new guidance that details how they’ll conduct the drug pricing “negotiations” authorized by the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. They’re mostly maintaining the policies in last year’s inaugural round of price setting—which means the quality of seniors’ Medicare Part D coverage will continue to deteriorate. When President Biden ...
Sally C. Pipes
May 31, 2024
Commentary
End Rampant Fraud in Federal Health Programs
The facts are astonishing: an estimated $1 billion a year in fraudulent payments, untold thousands of ineligible beneficiaries, and a public agency that refuses to conduct an audit. Welcome to the $60 billion-a-year Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, which provides insurance coverage for more than 8 million federal workers and their ...
Sally C. Pipes
May 24, 2024
Commentary
Read the latest on short-term health plans
Biden Goes “Over The Top” In Latest Offensive Of The War Over Obamacare
The Biden administration just launched a new offensive in the decade-long regulatory war over Obamacare. It finalized a rule earlier this spring that severely restricts Americans’ ability to purchase short-term health plans—effectively rolling back a Trump administration rule that had greatly expanded access to them. The White House claims the new rule ...
Sally C. Pipes
May 13, 2024
Commentary
Read the latest on Medicare spending
Focus Medicare’s Dwindling Resources to Those Most in Need
Medicare’s trustees released their annual report this week. It paints a bleak picture of the program’s future. Total spending on the healthcare entitlement for seniors exceeded $1 trillion last year, the trustees note — some $12 billion more than the program took in. If current trends continue, Medicare’s Part A hospital insurance ...
Sally C. Pipes
May 10, 2024
NEW BRIEF: Washington Must End Physician Price Controls, Reform Medicare Payment System to Prevent Doctor Shortages
SACRAMENTO – A new brief released today by the Center for Medical Economics and Innovation at the nonpartisan Pacific Research Institute finds that artificially low reimbursement rates used by Medicare to contain costs are threatening patient care, and reform is needed to prevent future doctor shortages. Click to download the ...
Biden has given us worse healthcare
President Joe Biden proudly touted his record on healthcare during last month’s disastrous presidential debate. “The American public has greater healthcare coverage today than ever before,” he proclaimed. That’s debatable, to say the least. His administration’s policies have caused health insurance costs to surge. Biden began his presidency by increasing public subsidies for coverage through the exchanges. ...
The Medicare doomsday clock ticks closer to midnight
One day, our grandchildren may talk about Medicare the way we talk about Bernie Madoff. In May, Medicare’s trustees released their annual report on the program’s finances, and things are not looking good. The entitlement spent $12 billion more than it took in from taxes in 2023. Absent change, Medicare’s ...
Read about the latest push for government health care
Cross out Medicare X
Democrats argue that Medicare X “would help achieve universal health care by making coverage more affordable and accessible,” especially in rural communities. Democrats claim that they just want to offer another health insurance choice. But Medicare X would simply nudge us along toward the Democrats’ endgame: a complete government takeover ...
People think Medicare is going bankrupt
People are pessimistic about Medicare’s longevity. Roughly 7 in 10 adults under 65 say they’re “worried” or “extremely worried” the program won’t be around when they need it, according to a new Gallup poll. That may come as no surprise. Medicare expenditures exceeded $1 trillion in 2023. They’re on track to grow by roughly $930 billion over the next ...
Read the latest on the Affordable Care Act
Why Next President Needs to Scrap Enhanced Subsidies
The Affordable Care Act’s defenders are sounding the alarm over the health law’s future under a possible second Trump presidency. The conventional wisdom suggests that, should Donald Trump win in November, the enhanced premium subsidies signed into law by President Joe Biden would be allowed to expire on December 31, 2025. That ...
Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act Unravels Medicare Part D
In May, Medicare bureaucrats released new guidance that details how they’ll conduct the drug pricing “negotiations” authorized by the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. They’re mostly maintaining the policies in last year’s inaugural round of price setting—which means the quality of seniors’ Medicare Part D coverage will continue to deteriorate. When President Biden ...
End Rampant Fraud in Federal Health Programs
The facts are astonishing: an estimated $1 billion a year in fraudulent payments, untold thousands of ineligible beneficiaries, and a public agency that refuses to conduct an audit. Welcome to the $60 billion-a-year Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, which provides insurance coverage for more than 8 million federal workers and their ...
Read the latest on short-term health plans
Biden Goes “Over The Top” In Latest Offensive Of The War Over Obamacare
The Biden administration just launched a new offensive in the decade-long regulatory war over Obamacare. It finalized a rule earlier this spring that severely restricts Americans’ ability to purchase short-term health plans—effectively rolling back a Trump administration rule that had greatly expanded access to them. The White House claims the new rule ...
Read the latest on Medicare spending
Focus Medicare’s Dwindling Resources to Those Most in Need
Medicare’s trustees released their annual report this week. It paints a bleak picture of the program’s future. Total spending on the healthcare entitlement for seniors exceeded $1 trillion last year, the trustees note — some $12 billion more than the program took in. If current trends continue, Medicare’s Part A hospital insurance ...