The Obama administration has released a draft of the 21-page application form which people will have to fill out if they want to get subsidized health insurance through the ObamaCare exchanges. It looks like they went to the IRS for help in making the form “simple” and “user friendly.” The state of California believes it will need 20,000 people just to help residents enroll in the insurance. … [Read more...] about Hot off the presses: 21-page ObamaCare application
Ohio should block Medicaid expansion
By Grace-Marie Turner Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a severe critic of the health overhaul law in the past, has announced his budget would endorse the dramatic expansion of Medicaid, America’s deeply flawed, expensive health program for the poor, allowed by the law. Kasich’s decision has big ramifications for both the politics and policy of the health reform debate. While many who support a larger … [Read more...] about Ohio should block Medicaid expansion
David Hogberg: Lift limits on physician-owned hospitals
David Hogberg makes a strong case in a Washington Examiner op-ed for repeal of the current ban on physician-owned hospitals. ObamaCare banned new physician-owned hospitals, even though existing ones were among the top recipients of bonus payments from the new Hospital Value Based Purchasing Program – which rewards hospitals for providing higher quality of care. ObamaCare bans creation of any … [Read more...] about David Hogberg: Lift limits on physician-owned hospitals
House Republican leaders offer solution to depleted pre-existing condition fund
House Speaker John Boehner, Majority Leader Eric Cantor, and other top House Republican leaders wrote President Obama on Tuesday to ask him to support their efforts to shore up the fund created in ObamaCare to help those with pre-existing conditions obtain health insurance. There was bi-partisan agreement that helping people with pre-existing conditions to get access to care should be a top … [Read more...] about House Republican leaders offer solution to depleted pre-existing condition fund
Affordable Care Act will impose new burdens on consumers, businesses
By Grace-Marie Turner With unemployment stubbornly high and economic growth shrinking, it is clear the economy is headed in the wrong direction. And ObamaCare is a major cause. Employers are resisting hiring new workers, at least partly to avoid the high costs of the law’s mandated health coverage. The health law will require all employers with more than 50 workers to provide expensive … [Read more...] about Affordable Care Act will impose new burdens on consumers, businesses
Florida will pay a high price for Medicaid expansion
by Grace-Marie Turner and Avik Roy The Florida legislature, not Gov. Rick Scott, will have the final word on whether the state expands Medicaid. And every indication shows that key legislative leaders understand the dangers ahead. House Speaker Will Weatherford, a Republican from Pasco County, said recently in an interview on The Florida Channel: "I'm extremely skeptical that somehow, … [Read more...] about Florida will pay a high price for Medicaid expansion
How Sensationalist Claims Undermine Responsible Federal Budgeting
While Congress is heading toward a major battle on sequestration, a few lines of text in the fiscal cliff deal passed in January are still causing waves, revealing both the extraordinary complexity of the law and the ease with which that complexity can be used for unfounded political hits. At issue is a small provision in the $600 billion fiscal cliff legislation which would reduce Medicare … [Read more...] about How Sensationalist Claims Undermine Responsible Federal Budgeting
12 Reasons Why Virginia Should NOT Expand Its Medicaid Program
By Grace-Marie Turner and Avik S. Roy 1. Virginia’s Medicaid spending will explode According to a forthcoming publication from The Heritage Foundation, Medicaid spending will increase dramatically as the federal match rate for the expansion population begins to drop and as more and more Virginians are enrolled in the program. 2. Medicaid harms the poor. The Medicaid program is so … [Read more...] about 12 Reasons Why Virginia Should NOT Expand Its Medicaid Program