John Hoff, H.E. Frech, and Stephen T. Parente The United States spends substantially more on health care per capita than other developed countries. Based on comparison data of health status, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) published a report on health system performance, finding that the US system does not perform better than systems in countries that spend … [Read more...] about US health care: A reality check on cross-country comparisons
Rasmussen has it Wrong
Opinion pollster Scott Rasmussen’s last column has an odd, and uncharacteristically misinformed, take on the health reform agendas of President Obama and House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan. In “To Fix Health Care System, Put Consumers in Charge,” Rasmussen puts them in the same bucket, saying “neither one puts consumers in charge of their own health care decisions.” That could not be more … [Read more...] about Rasmussen has it Wrong
Marx Brothers Fiction
The commentary article in Tuesday’s Washington Post by HHS secretary Kathleen Sebelius reminds us of the Marx brothers: “Who are you going to believe? Me, or your own eyes?” She is living in a fantasy world in believing that the health-care overhaul law has made the U.S. health system stronger by, as she claims, lowering health costs, helping small businesses, and making Medicare stronger. … [Read more...] about Marx Brothers Fiction
Avik Roy: Obamacare’s Dark Secret: The Individual Mandate is Too Weak
You’ve been hearing a lot of talk in the last few months about whether or not Obamacare’s individual mandate is unconstitutional. The Affordable Care Act bills the mandate as an “individual responsibility requirement” whose alleged purpose is to prevent “free-riders” from burdening the system with uncompensated emergency-room care. But all of this talk about the Commerce Clause has obscured the … [Read more...] about Avik Roy: Obamacare’s Dark Secret: The Individual Mandate is Too Weak
Big Pharma, Big Purge
A new CNN poll taken after last week's Supreme Court ruling shows that 51% of the American people want all provisions in the health overhaul law repealed. Clearly the American people are not growing to like the law better, as President Obama promised they would. Instead, their opposition has hardened. The inside deals with key players from throughout the health sector were a big reason the … [Read more...] about Big Pharma, Big Purge
Grover Norquist: With a gavel bang, Obamacare is Obamatax
It’s official: Obamacare is Obamatax. The Supreme Court saved Obamacare but at the expense of exposing it as simply a massive collection of taxes - 20 taxes at least. Obamacare was supposed to reduce the cost of health insurance but it has six taxes on Americans who already have health insurance. Your insurance will cost more to pay Mr. Obama’s tax hikes. Obamacare was supposed to “bend the … [Read more...] about Grover Norquist: With a gavel bang, Obamacare is Obamatax
Eternal Vigilance for Religious Liberty
Church bells were ringing across America at noon on this Independence Day, marking the conclusion of the Fortnight for Freedom to raise awareness of the blessings of and threats to religious freedom. But our work has barely begun. Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Bishop William E. Lori, and many others have explained in detail the threats to religious liberty — our first freedom — in this country and … [Read more...] about Eternal Vigilance for Religious Liberty
Joe Antos: Major changes after Supreme Court ruling
After The Supreme Court, Higher Cost and Unrealistic Timeline Will Force Major Changes The Supreme Court has spoken, but problems built into the Affordable Care Act (ACA) have not been resolved by the decision and may have worsened. Even accepting the law’s assumptions about how the health system should be reformed, actually putting all the pieces in place is exceptionally expensive and … [Read more...] about Joe Antos: Major changes after Supreme Court ruling