The Galen Institute and several other public policy firms have filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court explaining why they believe the health care law does not solve the “free-rider” problem and actually makes it worse. Grace-Marie Turner explains why ObamaCare is not a solution but a giant shell game. Turner also tells host Greg Corombos how the problem would be worse even if everyone were … [Read more...] about Dateline Washington: The Myth of the Free-Rider Fix
EBRI: Employer and Worker Contributions to Health Savings Accounts and Health Reimbursement Arrangements, 2006–2011
Enrollment in health savings accounts (HSAs) and heath reimbursement arrangements (HRAs) continues to grow, but contribution patterns to these account-based health plans are changing, according to a new report from the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI). Collectively, HSAs and HRAs are known as “consumer-driven” health plans. According to the latest EBRI/MGA Consumer … [Read more...] about EBRI: Employer and Worker Contributions to Health Savings Accounts and Health Reimbursement Arrangements, 2006–2011
M.J. Lee in Politico: Poll — Small-business owners fear economic situation
Most small businesses that aren’t hiring say they don’t want to bring on new employees at this time because of concerns about the economy, as well as fears about the cost of health care, according to a new poll Wednesday. Seventy-one percent of those surveyed said revenues/sales wouldn’t justify hiring additional workers, while 66 percent expressed worries about the overall economic situation, … [Read more...] about M.J. Lee in Politico: Poll — Small-business owners fear economic situation
Gallup: Health Costs, Gov’t Regulations Curb Small Business Hiring
U.S. small-business owners who aren't hiring -- 85% of those surveyed -- are most likely to say the reasons they are not doing so include not needing additional employees; worries about weak business conditions, including revenues; cash flow; and the overall U.S. economy. Additionally, nearly half of small-business owners point to potential healthcare costs (48%) and government regulations (46%) … [Read more...] about Gallup: Health Costs, Gov’t Regulations Curb Small Business Hiring
David Rivkin, Jr. and Edward Whelan in The Wall Street Journal: Birth-Control Mandate: Unconstitutional and Illegal
In an effort to rally its base in the upcoming November election, the Obama administration seems more interested in punishing religiously based opposition to contraception and abortion than in marginally increasing access to contraception services. It is the combination of the political motive, together with the exclusion of so many employers from the mandate, that has profound constitutional … [Read more...] about David Rivkin, Jr. and Edward Whelan in The Wall Street Journal: Birth-Control Mandate: Unconstitutional and Illegal
William Winkenwerder in Forbes: Reform Of the Health Care System That Is Overdue
The nation’s two largest private health insurers, UnitedHealth Group and Wellpoint, have recently decided to change the way they pay physicians and in some cases the way their network hospitals are paid. It is about time. America’s traditional medical payment system, fee-for-service, based on a labyrinth of codes and procedures and slowly adjusting arcane price schedules, has been broken for … [Read more...] about William Winkenwerder in Forbes: Reform Of the Health Care System That Is Overdue
Merrill Matthews in Forbes: Contraceptive Coverage — One More Unconstitutional Mandate
The Obama administration’s decision to require all employers—excluding houses of worship but including religiously affiliated organizations such as hospitals and universities—to provide contraceptive coverage created a national outcry that the president realized he was losing. So he tweaked his coverage commandment in an effort to stem the public relations nightmare without really changing … [Read more...] about Merrill Matthews in Forbes: Contraceptive Coverage — One More Unconstitutional Mandate
Joe Antos on The Hill: President Obama’s Medicare cuts don’t cut it
The president took an extra week to develop his budget, but the extra time was apparently not enough to yield Medicare policies that could produce real savings. The 2013 budget released today relies on the same tired proposals that we have seen previously. Provider payment cuts, delicately referred to as “modifications,” account for $267 billion in savings over the next decade. For a program that … [Read more...] about Joe Antos on The Hill: President Obama’s Medicare cuts don’t cut it