The president's tax reform panel did what advisory commissions are supposed to do: Think big and offer bold ideas that force a new conversation over policy changes. And they did just that regarding health insurance. The panel, in its report issued this week, advised placing limits on the tax break for employment-based health insurance (Pages 78 - 82) as economists and health and tax policy experts … [Read more...] about Tax Reform Panel
Early Successes with HSAs and CDHC
A number of recent studies of Health Savings Accounts and similar plans are proving that companies and consumers who switch to these consumer-directed plans experience lower costs while maintaining access to needed health care. For example, eHealthInsurance, the largest on-line health insurance broker in the U.S., conducted a survey of people who had purchased health insurance from among … [Read more...] about Early Successes with HSAs and CDHC
New Offerings
Wal-Mart's announcement that it plans to offer Health Savings Accounts and other high-deductible health plans to its employees next year is a win-win-win opportunity: Cost: The world's largest private employer and savviest purchaser concluded that high-deductible, low-premium health insurance offers the best deal for its workers. In some areas, Wal-Mart employees will be able to purchase health … [Read more...] about New Offerings
Sizing Up Criticism of New Medicare Drug Benefit
The new Medicare drug benefit for seniors has been criticized as too big, too small and too complicated. What's seldom reported is that it is a novel system designed to stimulate private sector competition in delivering the drug benefit. Critics like to say that the Medicare "Part D" program, which will provide prescription drug coverage for seniors starting Jan. 1, is an expansion of an already … [Read more...] about Sizing Up Criticism of New Medicare Drug Benefit
Sizing Up Criticism of New Medicare Drug Benefit
The new Medicare drug benefit for seniors has been criticized as too big, too small and too complicated. What's seldom reported is that it is a novel system designed to stimulate private sector competition in delivering the drug benefit. Critics like to say that the Medicare "Part D" program, which will provide prescription drug coverage for seniors starting Jan. 1, is an expansion of an already … [Read more...] about Sizing Up Criticism of New Medicare Drug Benefit
Bold Moves
The tax reform panel, charged by President Bush with making bold recommendations to overhaul the federal tax code, is seriously considering a change that would cap the amount that employees can exclude from taxable income in the form of health insurance. As you know, health policy experts and economists strongly believe that this open-ended tax break is a root cause of spiraling health insurance … [Read more...] about Bold Moves
Good News All Around
Assurant Health, which markets health insurance to individuals and small groups, has produced new data on who is buying Health Savings Accounts: The good news we've seen in earlier surveys by this company - and others - continues to hold true. HSAs are increasingly attractive to the uninsured: 44% of people applying for an HSA with Assurant did not report having prior insurance coverage, up from … [Read more...] about Good News All Around
A European Warning
The Senate still threatens to pass legislation that would allow imports of drugs from abroad to take advantage of other countries' price controls. But two recent conferences in Washington featuring European health care experts shed new light on the dangers. "Once you allow the importation of drugs from Europe, you allow the importation of drugs from everywhere," British security expert Graham … [Read more...] about A European Warning