Galen Institute

Many low-income seniors could lose access to their preferred Medicare Advantage plans due to ObamaCare changes. A new report released by the conservative American Action Forum on Tuesday argues that changes made to the five-star rating program for MA plans may reduce plan choice and direct Medicare resources away from low-income areas. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services rates MA … [Read more...] about David Hogberg: ObamaCare May Hurt Medicare Advantage Plans For Poor

The release of the annual Medicare trustees report in late April, containing as it did a vast array of very bad news, was immediately greeted with valid dire warnings of fiscal disaster.  Little noticed, however, were three important bits of good news: the inevitability of imminent action; a simple key hidden in the report for understanding Medicare’s fiscal problem; and a proven bipartisan … [Read more...] about J.D. Foster: The Good News in the Medicare Trustees Report

Last week, pharmaceutical company Roche announced that it was scrapping work on a once-promising cholesterol medicine at the recommendation of its independent data and safety monitoring board. Had the drug proven successful, it would have likely delivered sales of a billion dollars a year. Instead, Roche lost millions researching something that will never reach patients. This episode … [Read more...] about Sally Pipes: Not That the Obama Administration Has Noticed, But Drugs Are Expensive to Develop

Much of the political conversation in Washington these days concerns innovation, job creation and competitiveness. But talk is cheap, and elected officials must enact policies that enhance economic activity and job creation. The medical device industry is an example of Washington doing exactly the opposite. Medical device manufacturing is one of the nation's most dynamic and vibrant industries. … [Read more...] about Henry Miller: ObamaCare’s Killer Device Tax

All eyes are on the Supreme Court as the nation awaits its decision about ObamaCare, but progress in the health sector nonetheless marches on. These changes in the real world of health care are driven not by Washington’s laws, rules, and endless regulations but by companies, large and small, that are developing new ways to improve health care. The Galen Institute held a conference adjacent … [Read more...] about Incentives for Healthy Lifestyles

Are the House and Senate giving us a false choice for how to control health care costs in Massachusetts? Aren’t there other options? A few major themes have emerged from the two payment reform proposals and highlight the fact that they fail to align incentives for patients to be more involved in the purchase of their health insurance and their health care. For example, even with full … [Read more...] about Joshua Archambault: Red or Blue Pill for Payment Reform? Both Won’t Work

The Associated Press and others have reported on the latest “study” issued by Fidelity Investments on the supposed lifetime health-care costs for newly retired seniors. According to the Fidelity analysis, a couple turning age 65 in 2012 will face lifetime health-care costs of $240,000. That’s $10,000 more than the estimate provided by the company last year for such a hypothetical couple, and … [Read more...] about Jim Capretta: Obamacare Hurts Seniors