Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam said on Wednesday in an address to a joint convention of the General Assembly that he will not pursue expanding the state’s version of Medicaid, called TennCare. The health overhaul law, known as ObamaCare, allows states to expand Medicaid to families earning up to $30,000 a year, but the governor clearly recognizes the hidden costs of expansion. He can be a leader … [Read more...] about Tennessee Gov. decides against Medicaid expansion
Demand real Medicaid reform
Jim Capretta explains clearly to any governor thinking about expanding Medicaid why this is a short-sighted, destructive idea. His piece at National Review Online is entitled “End Medicaid’s Crony Federalism. GOP governors should refuse the White House’s deals and fight for Medicaid reform.” Capretta, a scholar at the Ethics and Public Policy Institute, says that the Obama administration is … [Read more...] about Demand real Medicaid reform
Tennessee Gov. undecided on Medicaid expansion
Tennessee Gov. Haslam has sent messages to the legislature opposing a bill by State Republican Rep. Jeremy Durham that would block Medicaid expansion, but the governor said he also opposes one by Senate Democrats that would allow expansion. An aide to the governor said he wants to keep his options open. Michael Cannon of Cato and I were in Nashville last week, testifying before both houses of … [Read more...] about Tennessee Gov. undecided on Medicaid expansion
ObamaCare Illustrated
A picture is worth a thousand words, and, Lord knows, we’ve written thousands – actually, hundreds of thousands – of words about ObamaCare. So on this third anniversary of the passage of this destructive law, we have put together links to resources to help explain the bureaucratic scale of ObamaCare in another way. The (short-form) application: Here is the Obama administration’s draft of the … [Read more...] about ObamaCare Illustrated
The Kudlow Report: Employers say no to Obamacare
Grace-Marie Turner talks with CNBC's Larry Kudlow about a new report that says employers will have to pay an extra $63 for every person insured when Obamacare takes effect. … [Read more...] about The Kudlow Report: Employers say no to Obamacare
Tennessee should block Medicaid expansion
By Grace-Marie Turner and Avik Roy Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam still is undecided about whether to recommend expanding TennCare to families earning up to $30,000 a year, as the Affordable Care Act allows. “We’re doing the homework on three or four things: The cost to the state, the health impacts on the people who are going to be covered, the financial impacts on the hospitals,” Haslam … [Read more...] about Tennessee should block Medicaid expansion
Part D can be a model for Medicare reform
With the budget battles moving to center stage, entitlements must be part of the debate. In his State of the Union address, President Obama highlighted the need to reform our nation’s entitlement programs, specifically citing the need for “modest reforms” of Medicare and Social Security so they don’t “crowd out the investments we need for our children and jeopardize the promise of a secure … [Read more...] about Part D can be a model for Medicare reform
Witness Squashed for Sequester Hype
Rep. Andy Harris, a Republican from Maryland, annihilated an administration official during a hearing earlier this week for overstating the effects of the sequester. The exchange that ensued is not to be missed! Byron York first captured the story for the Washington Examiner about questioning by Rep. Harris, a physician, during a hearing before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, … [Read more...] about Witness Squashed for Sequester Hype