While Washington political leaders are clashing at the edge of the Fiscal Cliff, they need to make sure they don’t throw the valuables over the side during the fight. One of the ideas “on the table” in the Fiscal Cliff negotiations would target the Medicare Prescription Drug program with a new layer of rebates. This is a misguided idea that was included in a deficit-reduction plan by the … [Read more...] about In The Fight At The Fiscal Cliff, Don’t Throw The Valuables Over The Side
Yes, You Can!
For those of us still seeking a voice of optimism in today’s difficult political climate, the words of Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, speaking to a conference of the William F. Buckley Jr. Program at Yale University on Nov. 30, offer wisdom and even encouragement. See below for an excerpt printed in The Wall Street Journal: Over the next few years and maybe just months, the debts we have accumulated … [Read more...] about Yes, You Can!
The Mail (U.K.): Now sick babies go on death pathway: Doctor’s haunting testimony reveals how children are put on end-of-life plan
Sick children are being discharged from NHS hospitals to die at home or in hospices on controversial ‘death pathways’. Until now, end of life regime the Liverpool Care Pathway was thought to have involved only elderly and terminally-ill adults. But the Mail can reveal the practice of withdrawing food and fluid by tube is being used on young patients as well as severely disabled newborn … [Read more...] about The Mail (U.K.): Now sick babies go on death pathway: Doctor’s haunting testimony reveals how children are put on end-of-life plan
Avik Roy: Long-Awaited Health Insurance Rules
If the low point in the weekly news cycle – when politicians release bad news they hope few will notice – is late on a Friday afternoon, then the low point in the biannual news cycle has to be right before Thanksgiving after an election. The election’s winners are still elated, the losers are still subdued, and most ordinary Americans, regardless of politics, are long forward to a long weekend … [Read more...] about Avik Roy: Long-Awaited Health Insurance Rules
The ObamaCare Battlefront Shifts To The States
Throughout the debate over ObamaCare -– and back to HillaryCare and beyond –- the fundamental question in health reform has always been this: Who will control our choices -– government or individuals? Each side has won battles over the last 15 years in the tug of war between those who want a system that empowers the individual and one that cedes more and more authority to the … [Read more...] about The ObamaCare Battlefront Shifts To The States
Capretta and Levin: Why ObamaCare Is Still No Sure Thing
Champions of ObamaCare want Americans to believe that the president's re-election ended the battle over the law. It did no such thing. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act won't be fully repealed while Barack Obama is in office, but the administration is heavily dependent on the states for its implementation. Republicans will hold 30 governorships starting in January, and at last … [Read more...] about Capretta and Levin: Why ObamaCare Is Still No Sure Thing
Tom Miller: Making effective connections: With or without health benefits exchanges
The following excerpt is the first chapter to be published from Thomas P. Miller’s upcoming report: "When Obamacare Fails: The Playbook for Market-Based Reform." State governors and legislatures face several deadlines in late 2012 regarding their possible participation in health benefits exchanges authorized by the Affordable Care Act (ACA).The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) set … [Read more...] about Tom Miller: Making effective connections: With or without health benefits exchanges
Avik Roy: Redeeming Obamacare
Sometimes it is hard to accept defeat. On December 18, 1974, Teruo Nakamura, the last known holdout from the Imperial Japanese Army, finally surrendered to Indonesian authorities. It may take three decades, too, for some conservatives to accept the defeat of the movement to repeal Obamacare. But just as Japan reinvented itself after World War II to become one of the wealthiest countries in the … [Read more...] about Avik Roy: Redeeming Obamacare