President Trump’s plan to lower prescription drug costs uses a surgeon’s scalpel to address a range of issues, offering nearly 30 policy recommendations to modernize payment policies, weed out counter-productive regulations, improve price transparency, and expand competitive price negotiations. The plan reflects the complexity of the industry and the regulatory system that governs government … [Read more...] about A Surgical Approach To High Prescription Drug Prices
Rescuing seniors and Part D from Congress
President Trump delivered a major speech to describe steps his administration is taking to address the high cost of prescription drugs. Congress should be called on to fix two problems with the federal government’s largest prescription drug program: Medicare Part D. That program has made prescription medicines more affordable for millions of seniors, offering them broad coverage choices while … [Read more...] about Rescuing seniors and Part D from Congress
The Path Forward for Health Reform in 2018
An open letter to the American public from over 30 conservative leaders, whose names are listed at the end. Congressional leaders were poised last month to spend tens of billions of dollars in the omnibus bill to temporarily shore up Obamacare’s failing health insurance system.That money, however, never would have given Americans the long-term relief they so desperately need.After this idea … [Read more...] about The Path Forward for Health Reform in 2018
Health Policy Consensus Group Calls For Renewability Of Short-Term Health Plan
Thirty-nine health policy experts and representatives of a broad cross-section of organizations joined in signing a comment letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services regarding its proposed rule on Short-Term, Limited-Duration Insurance. They argue that the Obama administration exerted “regulatory overreach” in limiting the sale of short-term policies to 90 days and prohibiting … [Read more...] about Health Policy Consensus Group Calls For Renewability Of Short-Term Health Plan
Doctor-Patient Relationship Compromised By Oppressive ‘Quality’ Reporting Requirements
Since the managed care debacle of the 1990s, billions of dollars have been spent in time and resources to improve and measure the quality of patient care. However, measuring the quality of care in the effort to improve it in a cost-efficient manner is showing evidence of being counter-productive, particularly for small physician practices and practices with complex patient populations. The goal … [Read more...] about Doctor-Patient Relationship Compromised By Oppressive ‘Quality’ Reporting Requirements
Breaking promises: GOP resuscitate Obamacare with massive bailout
Congressional Republicans who repeatedly pledged to repeal and replace Obamacare instead are racing today to rescue the law with truckloads of federal cash. Their plan: a multi-billion-dollar bailout of health insurers that sell Obamacare policies. In return, the insurers promise to reduce premiums just in time for November’s elections. Congress shouldn’t jump at this politically tantalizing … [Read more...] about Breaking promises: GOP resuscitate Obamacare with massive bailout
How Obamacare Raised Premiums
The seismic effects of the Affordable Care Act on insurance markets continue to be felt nearly eight years after its enactment. Premiums for individual coverage more than doubled between 2013 and 2017. Much of that increase resulted from Obamacare’s new regulations. Some regulations—such as essential health benefits and actuarial value requirements—had discrete effects on premiums. A cluster of … [Read more...] about How Obamacare Raised Premiums
Resetting the Scoreboard: Why CBO Should Abandon Its Flawed Analysis of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation
One of the impediments to repealing and replacing Obamacare has been a belief by the Congressional Budget Office that substantial federal savings will be achieved by innovative demonstration projects in Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program called for under the law. The CBO bases this conclusion about these savings not on analyses of projects that have been undertaken but … [Read more...] about Resetting the Scoreboard: Why CBO Should Abandon Its Flawed Analysis of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation