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As the year comes to a close, we clearly see progress toward greater freedom in the health sector - not in leaps but in small steps. As we have learned all too well, health care is far too important for people to tolerate bold change. The best way to make progress is through new incentives that allow people to choose change gradually rather than to have it forced upon them all at once. A good … [Read more...] about Year-End Thoughts

Critics have taken another hit at consumer-directed health care with a new survey by The Commonwealth Fund and the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI). The survey reports that "individuals with more comprehensive health insurance were more satisfied with their health plan than individuals in high deductible plans" and that people with consumer-directed plans spent more out of pocket and … [Read more...] about Interpreting Surveys

The Consumer Directed Health Care Conference, being held this week in Washington, shows the growing interest in this new movement. More than 1,000 people registered for the conference, and many of the attendees are leaders with top companies from outside the health sector, such as Microsoft, Intel, General Electric, Fidelity Investments, and JP Morgan, as well as a long list of companies from … [Read more...] about Change is Coming

As you will recall, the Galen Institute worked hard, along with AEI and Heritage, several years ago to promote an idea for a Medicare prescription drug benefit that would be based upon a funded drug discount card coupled with insurance coverage for large drug expenses. Our idea was adopted in part with the enactment of the temporary drug discount card. The Medicare Modernization Act created a … [Read more...] about Too Many Choices!

The editorials and airwaves are filled with warnings that the new Medicare drug benefit is overwhelmingly confusing - certainly discouraging words for seniors who both want and need this new benefit. Our advice: Don't give up. The Medicare website, www.medicare.gov, has been inundated with visitors (more than a million on Sunday alone), and the site is clearly a work in progress. The … [Read more...] about Confusing Choices?

The Tax Reform Panel has caused an uproar among our health policy colleagues for recommending that Health Savings Accounts be replaced by new Save for Family accounts (page 120). What an outrage, our colleagues say, after all we did to get this free-market idea in place! So here's the story: Taxpayers can put $10,000 a year into these new Save for Family accounts for health care, retirement, … [Read more...] about Axing HSAs?

The president's tax reform panel did what advisory commissions are supposed to do: Think big and offer bold ideas that force a new conversation over policy changes. And they did just that regarding health insurance. The panel, in its report issued this week, advised placing limits on the tax break for employment-based health insurance (Pages 78 - 82) as economists and health and tax policy experts … [Read more...] about Tax Reform Panel

Wal-Mart's announcement that it plans to offer Health Savings Accounts and other high-deductible health plans to its employees next year is a win-win-win opportunity: Cost: The world's largest private employer and savviest purchaser concluded that high-deductible, low-premium health insurance offers the best deal for its workers. In some areas, Wal-Mart employees will be able to purchase health … [Read more...] about New Offerings