When it comes to government spending and America's healthcare system, it's rare to hear good news. But according to a recent report, the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit is costing significantly less than originally estimated. According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) which administers the Medicare program, the average monthly premium for the standard … [Read more...] about Even in Health Care, Competition Works
Even in Health Care, Competition Works
When it comes to government spending and America's healthcare system, it's rare to hear good news. But according to a recent report, the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit is costing significantly less than originally estimated. According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) which administers the Medicare program, the average monthly premium for the standard … [Read more...] about Even in Health Care, Competition Works
Equality, Free-Riders, Elvis, and More
Highlights Equality in spending Free-riders New Web site features Elvis Equality in spending: Costs are the defining issue in the health care debate, and Brookings Institution economist Gary Burtless offers some revealing new data showing the remarkably equal distribution of health spending among Americans in all income categories. Yes, the uninsured need coverage, and we must make … [Read more...] about Equality, Free-Riders, Elvis, and More
A Tale of Twin Cities
In addition to all of the televised political activities this week in the Twin Cities, there also were a number of serious policy discussions taking place. I spoke at several of them, including forums on health care organized by Congressional Quarterly and the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. More on those in a minute. But first, I attended a breakfast hosted by PhRMA at the … [Read more...] about A Tale of Twin Cities
The Rest of the Story
The Census Bureau's report on Tuesday surprised all of us, showing the number of uninsured had fallen last year to 45.7 million. But, as I wrote in my commentary for The Wall Street Journal, that's unfortunately not the whole story. The number of people with private insurance was flat (at 202 million), but because of population growth, there was actually a decline in private insurance in … [Read more...] about The Rest of the Story
We Need a National Market for Health Insurance
Published in The Wall Street Journal August 27, 2008 Much to our surprise, the Census Bureau reported yesterday that the number of people in the U.S. with health insurance actually increased by 3.6 million last year. That's the good news. The bad news is that nearly three million of them got their coverage through government programs.The slide toward a government-dominated, … [Read more...] about We Need a National Market for Health Insurance
We Need a National Market for Health Insurance
Published in The Wall Street Journal August 27, 2008 Much to our surprise, the Census Bureau reported yesterday that the number of people in the U.S. with health insurance actually increased by 3.6 million last year. That's the good news. The bad news is that nearly three million of them got their coverage through government programs.The slide toward a government-dominated, … [Read more...] about We Need a National Market for Health Insurance
New Census Numbers Show Health Insurance Shift Toward Government Programs
Statement by Grace-Marie TurnerPresident, Galen InstituteIt sounds promising that the number of uninsured decreased last year to 45.7 million, according to the latest Census Bureau report. Unfortunately, that’s not the whole story. Of the 3.6 million who gained health insurance, nearly 3 million of them got coverage through a government program – taking America in the wrong … [Read more...] about New Census Numbers Show Health Insurance Shift Toward Government Programs