Appeared in The New York Sun August 1, 2006 When you buy any big-ticket item, whether a house, a car, or a big-screen television, you compare prices. So isn't it astounding that last year Americans laid out nearly $2 trillion for health care with only the vaguest inkling of the price for individual products and services? For Americans today, comparison shopping in medical services is next to … [Read more...] about Shopping for Health
Shopping for Health
Appeared in The New York Sun August 1, 2006 When you buy any big-ticket item, whether a house, a car, or a big-screen television, you compare prices. So isn't it astounding that last year Americans laid out nearly $2 trillion for health care with only the vaguest inkling of the price for individual products and services? For Americans today, comparison shopping in medical services is next to … [Read more...] about Shopping for Health
Tea Leaves
In my reading of the tea leaves over what's coming in the health reform debate, I am worried about what I see. Three examples: Momentum is building for big labor to join with corporate America to shove more health costs on to the American taxpayer. The most recent preview of this initiative came from Andy Stern, head of the Service Employees International Union, in a commentary in The Wall … [Read more...] about Tea Leaves
How Medicare Part D Prescription Plans Are Affecting Drug Prices
Two separate reports by AARP and Families USA (FUSA) supposedly have offered proof that the new Medicare Part D Drug Prescription plans were not working. Drug prices, according to these recent reports, continue to spiral and Medicare Part D is doing virtually nothing to protect seniors from these higher costs. These studies had their intended effect. They were instantly picked up by the … [Read more...] about How Medicare Part D Prescription Plans Are Affecting Drug Prices
How Medicare Part D Prescription Plans Are Affecting Drug Prices
Two separate reports by AARP and Families USA (FUSA) supposedly have offered proof that the new Medicare Part D Drug Prescription plans were not working. Drug prices, according to these recent reports, continue to spiral and Medicare Part D is doing virtually nothing to protect seniors from these higher costs. These studies had their intended effect. They were instantly picked up by the … [Read more...] about How Medicare Part D Prescription Plans Are Affecting Drug Prices
The Health-Care Mess: How Do We Climb Out?
Appeared in The Wall Street Journal July 22, 2006, Page A11 It was refreshing to read Andy Stern's acknowledgement in "Horse-and-Buggy Health Coverage" (editorial page, July 17) that we cannot rely on employment-based health insurance for our increasingly-mobile 21st century workforce. But the red flags went up when he said that "we need a universal system . . . and shared … [Read more...] about The Health-Care Mess: How Do We Climb Out?
The Health-Care Mess: How Do We Climb Out?
Appeared in The Wall Street Journal July 22, 2006, Page A11 It was refreshing to read Andy Stern's acknowledgement in "Horse-and-Buggy Health Coverage" (editorial page, July 17) that we cannot rely on employment-based health insurance for our increasingly-mobile 21st century workforce. But the red flags went up when he said that "we need a universal system . . . and shared … [Read more...] about The Health-Care Mess: How Do We Climb Out?
Wisdom Prevails
Three cheers for Judge Motz, the federal District judge who ruled Wednesday against Maryland's misguided law targeting Wal-Mart with a health coverage mandate. Experts had said all along that the Maryland law, enacted earlier this year over Gov. Ehrlich's veto, would not meet the Erisa test, and that is exactly what the judge said. Erisa allows companies to have employee benefit plans that are … [Read more...] about Wisdom Prevails