Abstract Certificate of need (CON) laws in 21 states restrict acquisition of imaging equipment, including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), and positron emission tomography (PET) scans. We compare the effect of CON regulations for imaging services provided by hospitals and other providers to determine whether CON laws affect use of imaging services...
State Issues
Proposed IRS Rule Would Place Undue Burden on Nonprofits, Discourage Donations
The Galen Institute has submitted comments about a proposed Internal Revenue Service regulation that would give nonprofits the option of asking donors for their Social Security numbers to substantiate donations of more than $250. We strongly oppose this rule that would provide a “voluntary” path to collect and report not only the Social Security...
Letter to Congress Re: Co-Ops
Joel C. White, president of the Council for Affordable Health Coverage, and Grace-Marie Turner, president of the Galen Institute, have written to members of Congress seeking oversight of the Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan (co-op) program. All but one of the 22 co-ops created under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) have produced...
ObamaCare Co-ops: Cause Célèbre or Costly Conundrum?
View as a PDF Overview The Affordable Care Act created a new kind of “cooperative” health insurance arrangement heralded by supporters of health reform. The co-ops were founded on the idealistic belief that community members could band together to create health insurance companies that would be member-driven, service-oriented, and would not have to answer...
Auditor: Little monitoring of Medicaid spending
MONTPELIER – During the past decade, Vermont has spent $675 million setting up Medicaid managed-care programs but has done such a spotty job monitoring them that they can’t even be audited. That’s the upshot from a letter state Auditor of Accounts Douglas Hoffer sent to lawmakers last week. It followed up on an internal...