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AEI's Tom Miller and Jim Capretta of the Ethics and Public Policy Center have a good post about the high-risk pools that were launched this week to great fanfare. They explain best the serious flaws in this program: This week, the Obama administration finally launches a poorly designed, hastily constructed, and severely underfunded high-risk pool program across the fifty states. It's a … [Read more...] about Realities of Risk and Debt

The Commonwealth Fund is at it again with another headline-grabbing survey, putting the U.S. dead last in its ranking of seven countries' health systems. Commonwealth's bottom line: Only Canada has lower quality health care than we do. The U.S. is the most unsafe, the least efficient, the least equitable, and the worst in keeping people alive and healthy. Oh, and we spend way too much. … [Read more...] about ObamaCare's Catch 22

Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels talked about the impact of ObamaCare on his state before a standing-room-only conference at AEI on Tuesday, and the outlook is not good. He described "what this cannon looks like from the receiving end" and said his state is reeling from the expected costs -- as much as $3.6 billion in additional costs to comply with ObamaCare's mandates. "This is … [Read more...] about Bureaucratic Nightmare

What a bizarre week it has been, with oil still gushing into the Gulf, growing global political and economic instability, and virtually no private-sector jobs being created in our still-struggling economy. And the president spends yet another week talking about health reform?! Clearly, he knows this massively unpopular law is causing political trouble for Democrats or he wouldn't be trying so … [Read more...] about Re-education Camp

How extraordinary it was in London and Paris last week to hear broad agreement about the value of consumer choice, competition, portability, and the essential role that private providers play in health care in Europe. The world has turned upside down. I was in Paris to speak at the first pan-European conference focusing on the issue of private hospitals, organized by the European Union of … [Read more...] about Consumerism in Europe

Ten million Americans now are covered by HSA-qualified health plans, according to a survey released today by America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP). This is an increase from eight million last year and six million in 2008. These are people enrolled in high-deductible health insurance plans that qualify them to open tax-free Health Savings Accounts (HSA/HDHP). Clearly the solid growth shows … [Read more...] about Good News!

It just keeps coming. Challenges grow: Seven more states signed on this week to Florida's lawsuit challenging ObamaCare, bringing the total to 20. Significantly, the National Federation of Independent Business joined the suit today on behalf of its 350,000 members. Members are outraged over the individual mandate, the 1099 reporting requirements, taxes that will drive up premium costs, … [Read more...] about More Bad News for ObamaCare

Fortune magazine has a blockbuster report out this week that shows major companies are beginning to recognize the extraordinary risk of continuing to provide health benefits for their workers under ObamaCare. It reports that "many companies are examining a course that was heretofore unthinkable, dumping the health care coverage they provide to their workers in exchange for paying penalty … [Read more...] about Early Warning Signs