Consolidation of large hospitals and health systems is on the political and policy radar screens of both Republicans and Democrats, offering a rare opportunity for action in a polarized Congress. Janet Trautwein, who heads the National Assn. of Benefits and Insurance Professionals, explains how consolidation harms patients in “Healthcare Concentration Is Far From What the Doctor … [Read more...] about Tackling Hospital Consolidation, a Key Driver of Health Costs
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New Treatments for Obesity
by Grace-Marie Turner | Published March 20, 2023 at RealClearHealth | Obesity is a serious health problem for millions of Americans and for our nation where 42% of US adults are living with obesity. The association with other chronic conditions, including heart disease, stroke, and Type 2 diabetes, is incontrovertible. Obesity also has been identified as … [Read more...] about New Treatments for Obesity
The High Cost of Drug Price Controls
By Grace-Marie Turner | RealClearHealth | April 28, 2021 The debate over expanding government control of our health sector should have ended during the Covid-19 pandemic: Where there have been failures in responding to the crisis, it has been a failure of big government—such as the Center for Disease Control’s arrogant and clumsy insistence on controlling early development of testing … [Read more...] about The High Cost of Drug Price Controls
End the Calamity of Shutdowns
By Doug Badger & Grace-Marie Turner - June 11, 2020 - RealClearHealth | States like New York and New Jersey with the strictest lockdown policies are relaxing some restrictions, but they must accelerate their reopenings and focus on targeting resources to hotspots and to protecting the most vulnerable. Months of confinement have taken an enormous toll in physical and mental health … [Read more...] about End the Calamity of Shutdowns
How to Resolve the Coronavirus Testing Crisis
The administration’s guidelines for “Opening Up America Again” rely heavily on the ability of states to develop a robust COVID-19 testing capacity, and Congress is negotiating adding as much as $25 billion to this week’s funding bill to significantly expand testing. Badger and Turner argue that a dramatic increase in coronavirus testing is needed before people will feel safe … [Read more...] about How to Resolve the Coronavirus Testing Crisis
A Tale of Two Big (Medicare) Mistakes
So here is a glimpse into one small part of the vast U.S. health care industry that shows the incredible difficulty government agencies have in setting accurate and fair payment rates for medical services, even when specifically directed by Congress to do so. It offers a cautionary tale for those who would put the entire health care system under government control. The players in … [Read more...] about A Tale of Two Big (Medicare) Mistakes
GOP May Outflank Bernie on Drug Price Controls
Published on RealClearHealth.com | It wasn’t so long ago that Bernie Sanders (I-VT) comfortably occupied the left flank of health care policy. His Medicare For All bill was sufficiently costly, coercive and utopian to set him apart from the pack. Times have changed. When it comes to drug pricing, Bernie faces unexpected intruders on his left: Republicans. In recent months, Bernie … [Read more...] about GOP May Outflank Bernie on Drug Price Controls
Trump Blames the Wrong Government for High Drug Prices
Published on RealClearHealth.com | Medicare-for-All enthusiasts gaze wistfully at government-run health care systems abroad and see much to admire. When it comes to drug prices, the Trump administration seems to share that admiration. The Department of Health and Human Services is preparing to launch a massive demonstration program that would link Medicare reimbursement for … [Read more...] about Trump Blames the Wrong Government for High Drug Prices