This study from the RAND Corporation finds that the elimination of the individual mandate leads to a 12.5-million–person reduction in the number of newly insured individuals and increases government spending per newly insured individual by a factor of more than two. While we ind that average exchange premiums increase by approximately 9.3 percent when the individual mandate is eliminated, this … [Read more...] about RAND Corporation: The Effect of the Affordable Care Act on Enrollment and Premiums, With and Without the Individual Mandate
Scott Gottlieb in The Wall Street Journal: Meet the ObamaCare Mandate Committee
Offended by President Obama's decision to force health insurers to pay for contraception and surgical sterilization? It gets worse: In the future, thanks to ObamaCare, the government will issue such health edicts on a routine basis—and largely insulated from public view. This goes beyond contraception to cancer screenings, the use of common drugs like aspirin, and much more. Under ObamaCare, a … [Read more...] about Scott Gottlieb in The Wall Street Journal: Meet the ObamaCare Mandate Committee
Charles Krauthammer: Overreach: Obamacare vs. the Constitution
Give him points for cleverness. President Obama’s birth control “accommodation” was as politically successful as it was morally meaningless. It was nothing but an accounting trick that still forces Catholic (and other religious) institutions to provide medical insurance that guarantees free birth control, tubal ligation and morning-after abortifacients — all of whichviolate church doctrine on the … [Read more...] about Charles Krauthammer: Overreach: Obamacare vs. the Constitution
Bob Moffit on The Foundry: Building a Better Medicare Program: The Burr–Coburn Proposal
Senators Richard Burr (R–NC) and Tom Coburn (R–OK) have just unveiled a bold Medicare reform proposalbased on the free-market forces of choice and competition. The Senators’ proposal adds further momentum to the effort to reform and improve America’s largest and most challenging entitlement program. The Burr–Coburn proposal is a welcome addition to the emerging consensus on Medicare reform. Baby … [Read more...] about Bob Moffit on The Foundry: Building a Better Medicare Program: The Burr–Coburn Proposal
Devon Herrick: The Job-Killing Medical Device Tax
In 2010, Congress passed a tax on medical devices to offset a portion of the $1 trillion cost of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act(ACA). Beginning in 2013, a 2.3 percent tax will be imposed on the manufacture and importation of medical devices. Devices typically sold by retailers to consumers — including toothbrushes and bandages — are exempt from the tax, whereas devices purchased … [Read more...] about Devon Herrick: The Job-Killing Medical Device Tax
Dateline Washington: The Myth of the Free-Rider Fix
The Galen Institute and several other public policy firms have filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court explaining why they believe the health care law does not solve the “free-rider” problem and actually makes it worse. Grace-Marie Turner explains why ObamaCare is not a solution but a giant shell game. Turner also tells host Greg Corombos how the problem would be worse even if everyone were … [Read more...] about Dateline Washington: The Myth of the Free-Rider Fix
EBRI: Employer and Worker Contributions to Health Savings Accounts and Health Reimbursement Arrangements, 2006–2011
Enrollment in health savings accounts (HSAs) and heath reimbursement arrangements (HRAs) continues to grow, but contribution patterns to these account-based health plans are changing, according to a new report from the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI). Collectively, HSAs and HRAs are known as “consumer-driven” health plans. According to the latest EBRI/MGA Consumer … [Read more...] about EBRI: Employer and Worker Contributions to Health Savings Accounts and Health Reimbursement Arrangements, 2006–2011
M.J. Lee in Politico: Poll — Small-business owners fear economic situation
Most small businesses that aren’t hiring say they don’t want to bring on new employees at this time because of concerns about the economy, as well as fears about the cost of health care, according to a new poll Wednesday. Seventy-one percent of those surveyed said revenues/sales wouldn’t justify hiring additional workers, while 66 percent expressed worries about the overall economic situation, … [Read more...] about M.J. Lee in Politico: Poll — Small-business owners fear economic situation