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
RealClearHealth
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
Medicaid and Work: Crisis in Arkansas?
In a new piece for RealClearHealth, Doug Badger and I look at the data regarding work requirement for some Medicaid recipients in Arkansas and find the shrill criticism of the program is not supported by facts. Arkansas is one of seven states that have obtained permission from the Trump administration to establish work requirements in its Medicaid program, and the administration is … [Read more...] about Medicaid and Work: Crisis in Arkansas?