by Joel White and Doug Badger | When the levees broke under Hurricane Katrina, the Army Corps of Engineers was roasted for spending billions and still failing to protect Americans. So where's the outrage over the latest epic governmental fail — this one by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention? The federal agency with primary responsibility for handling infectious diseases, the … [Read more...] about Why is the CDC fighting today’s coronavirus with yesterday’s technology?
The Value Of Short-Term Health Plans: Rebutting The Energy And Commerce Democratic Staff Report
by Brian Blase and Doug Badger - Health Affairs | Although a Trump administration rule expanding Americans’ ability to benefit from short-term limited-duration insurance plans (short-term plans) was recently upheld by the District of Columbia appeals court, these plans are unpopular with many members of Congress. As such, there is a threat that the millions of people with these plans may no longer … [Read more...] about The Value Of Short-Term Health Plans: Rebutting The Energy And Commerce Democratic Staff Report
Health care and the elections
The health reform debate has taken a new focus during the coronavirus crisis, with a greater emphasis on innovation to produce treatments and vaccines, different options for accessing care, and the great harm done when people aren’t able to get needed surgeries, cancer care, and other non-COVID treatments. Health care, including COVID, is poised once again to be the key issue in … [Read more...] about Health care and the elections
Fear vs Facts
So…How Much Do You Know About COVID-19? A piece by Doug Badger over at The Daily Signal is getting a lot of attention as people take the quiz to see how they do in sorting fear from facts in the blizzard of “information” about COVID-19. A lot of decisions are being made based upon inaccurate, distorted, and misunderstood reports and data, making it harder to concentrate … [Read more...] about Fear vs Facts
Please don’t make it worse
Congress appears deadlocked over the vast differences between the latest $3 trillion House-passed coronavirus relief bill and the Senate’s more targeted and temporary bill that includes a reduced extension of federal unemployment insurance, another round of direct payments, liability protections for businesses and doctors, and $105 billion in school funding. As the battles on Capitol Hill … [Read more...] about Please don’t make it worse
Risk adjustment is undermining ACA markets–Brian Blase in The Hill
A commonsense step to help the individual health insurance market By Brian Blase The Hill | A little-known program created by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) continues to cause problems in the individual and small group health insurance markets. The program involves shared risk payments among insurers, and it must be reformed to expand choices and lower premiums. Under the ACA, health insurers … [Read more...] about Risk adjustment is undermining ACA markets–Brian Blase in The Hill
When It Comes to COVID-19 Deaths, Florida Is No ‘New York’
July 28, 2020, The Daily Signal | Doug Badger | Deborah Birx, White House coronavirus task force head, claimed this week that “we have right now … three New Yorks,” with sharp increases in COVID-19 infections in recent weeks in Florida, Texas, and California. Incorrect. Doug Badger takes a deep dive into Florida’s numbers and finds that, despite rising cases and … [Read more...] about When It Comes to COVID-19 Deaths, Florida Is No ‘New York’
The ACA’s Risk-Adjustment Program Needs Adjusting
By Brian Blase, Ph.D. Galen Institute, July 27, 2020 | The Affordable Care Act dramatically changed insurance regulation in the individual and small-group health insurance markets. A key change detached the amount of an individual’s premium from his or her expected medical claims. By itself, this would have led to a variety of problems, including creating an incentive for … [Read more...] about The ACA’s Risk-Adjustment Program Needs Adjusting