It seems that every opinion leader in the country has weighed in on the new Medicare prescription drug benefit. With November?s elections just around the corner, pundits and politicians are filling the airwaves with compelling sound bites on its successes and failures. With all these competing assertions, it?s time to distinguish myth from reality: MYTH NO. 1: The drug benefit is too … [Read more...] about Debunking Medicare Myths
Archives for September 2006
Patients, Doctors, and Governments
The National Health Service decided to do a survey of how well general practitioners in the U.K. are complying with pay-for-performance guidelines, and Health Affairs reports that the GPs surprised government authorities with a 91% compliance score. But it's not surprising if you believe in incentive economics: The docs received points for following the clinical guidelines, and each point earned a … [Read more...] about Patients, Doctors, and Governments
Vacation's Over
The Census Bureau's new report shows a steady uptick in the number of people without health insurance (46.6 million) and a steady decline in the percentage of people with job-based health insurance (down to 59.5% this year). With many employers priced out of the health insurance market and with an increasingly mobile workforce, it is vital that policy changes be made to give people more … [Read more...] about Vacation's Over