If you’re wondering why Congress still hasn’t protected consumers from surprise medical bills, ask Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas. “It’s troubling that it’s taking this long,” Doggett, a senior member of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, recently told Politico. “But this can’t be something that is 100 percent for the provider or 100 percent for the insurer. … [Read more...] about On Surprise Medical Bills, Congress Should Side With Consumers, Not Special Interests
What You Should Know about the Uninsured
Last month’s Census Bureau report on the uninsured overlooked an important point: More than 99 percent of Americans have access to health coverage, regardless of their income or medical condition. The overwhelming majority of those lacking insurance could have obtained coverage but did not enroll. Many of those with lower incomes may not sign up for subsidized coverage because they know they … [Read more...] about What You Should Know about the Uninsured
This Senate Measure Would Restrict Health Care Choices and Raise Premiums
The Senate is expected to vote soon on a resolution aimed at curbing the president’s efforts to reduce health care premiums and expand insurance options for Americans. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., authored the resolution, which would curtail an administration initiative that was the driving force behind the first-ever reduction in average Obamacare premiums: the authority to grant states … [Read more...] about This Senate Measure Would Restrict Health Care Choices and Raise Premiums
Why Pelosi’s Drug Price Control Scheme Would Be a Poison Pill to Innovation and Access
The House of Representatives this week will begin acting on a bill that would limit Americans’ access to lifesaving medicines, impede the development of new treatments for deadly and debilitating diseases, and increase health spending over the long term. The Lower Drug Costs Now Act of 2019 (H.R. 3), introduced last week with the backing of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., would double … [Read more...] about Why Pelosi’s Drug Price Control Scheme Would Be a Poison Pill to Innovation and Access
Why Pelosi’s Drug Price Control Scheme Is a Prescription for Disaster
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is reportedly readying a plan that could limit Americans’ access to lifesaving medicines and impede the development of new treatments for deadly and debilitating diseases. Her plan, a summary of which was leaked last week, would double down on the failures of existing government policies that have contributed to higher health care costs. It would … [Read more...] about Why Pelosi’s Drug Price Control Scheme Is a Prescription for Disaster
Good and Bad Ideas in the Senate’s Medicare Drug Bill
Responding to popular anxiety over prescription drug prices, the Senate Finance Committee last month approved a bill to restructure the Medicare prescription drug benefit. The bill is part of broader congressional and administration efforts to address rising health care costs, one in which lawmakers are laying aside partisan differences to seek constructive solutions. The … [Read more...] about Good and Bad Ideas in the Senate’s Medicare Drug Bill
How Health Care Premiums Are Declining in States That Seek Relief from Obamacare’s Mandates
Galen Senior Fellow Doug Badger has a new paper out this week, published by The Heritage Foundation, showing how a few states that gained waivers to escape some of Obamacare’s expensive, restrictive mandates are helping to lower health insurance premiums for their residents. In his new paper, “How Health Care Premiums Are Declining in States That Seek Relief from Obamacare’s … [Read more...] about How Health Care Premiums Are Declining in States That Seek Relief from Obamacare’s Mandates
GOP May Outflank Bernie on Drug Price Controls
Published on RealClearHealth.com | It wasn’t so long ago that Bernie Sanders (I-VT) comfortably occupied the left flank of health care policy. His Medicare For All bill was sufficiently costly, coercive and utopian to set him apart from the pack. Times have changed. When it comes to drug pricing, Bernie faces unexpected intruders on his left: Republicans. In recent months, Bernie … [Read more...] about GOP May Outflank Bernie on Drug Price Controls