There really wasn't a controversy about whether to delay Medicare's scheduled cuts in physician fees, but you'd never know it from reading about this issue in the mainstream media over the last month. Both sides wanted to undo the cuts, but the real debate was over how to pay for the "fix" since the cuts were built into the federal budget. The leadership's solution was to … [Read more...] about Outside the Box
Paperwork Would Impede Health Reform
An abbreviated version was published in The Des Moines Register on July 5, 2008 Nearly 98,000 Iowans with health insurance that's compatible with a health savings account could get slapped with new paperwork requirements from Congress. Created in 2004, HSAs are a proven way to make insurance more affordable and to give people more control over their health spending. Unfortunately, some … [Read more...] about Paperwork Would Impede Health Reform
Paperwork Would Impede Health Reform
An abbreviated version was published in The Des Moines Register on July 5, 2008 Nearly 98,000 Iowans with health insurance that's compatible with a health savings account could get slapped with new paperwork requirements from Congress. Created in 2004, HSAs are a proven way to make insurance more affordable and to give people more control over their health spending. Unfortunately, some … [Read more...] about Paperwork Would Impede Health Reform
How Good Is Our Health Care System?
Published in the San Diego Union-Tribune on June 30, 2008Bashing the American health care system has become a cottage industry. On the big screen, we've seen John Q and Sicko. At the bookstore, highly touted best-sellers lambasting the system seem to hit the shelves every month. On the opinion pages and on the cable news networks, pundits declare that the American system is in crisis and an … [Read more...] about How Good Is Our Health Care System?
How Good Is Our Health Care System?
Published in the San Diego Union-Tribune on June 30, 2008Bashing the American health care system has become a cottage industry. On the big screen, we've seen John Q and Sicko. At the bookstore, highly touted best-sellers lambasting the system seem to hit the shelves every month. On the opinion pages and on the cable news networks, pundits declare that the American system is in crisis and an … [Read more...] about How Good Is Our Health Care System?
Single-Payer Redux
Highlights Problems in Canada and the UK Physician payments The uninsured HSA update Problems in Canada and the UK: There is mounting evidence that centrally-controlled, government-dominated, taxpayer-financed, rule-driven health care systems are failing. We found a surprising number of articles this week about problems in paradise -- aka, British and Canadian single-payer health care … [Read more...] about Single-Payer Redux
Wake-Up Calls
Highlights Federal Health Board Single-Payer Health Care Market Innovations Medical Tourism A Federal Health Board? Key members of Congress got another wake-up call this week about the serious threat that rising government health spending poses to the future of our health sector — and our economy. During a summit sponsored on Monday at the Library of Congress by the Senate … [Read more...] about Wake-Up Calls
Drumbeats
The Commonwealth Fund continues its advocacy for universal coverage and a larger role for government in our health sector with a new paper in Health Affairs: It cites the rising number of people with health coverage that does not adequately protect them from high medical expenses — the under-insured. News coverage has headlined the study's finding of a 60% increase in the number of … [Read more...] about Drumbeats