Sally C. Pipes
Commentary
What might the new Congress do on healthcare?
The outcome of this week’s midterm elections is still unclear, but Republicans appear headed for a narrow majority in the House of Representatives. Divided government means that legislation must have bipartisan appeal if it’s going to have any hope of advancing. On healthcare, there are a few policy initiatives that could attract ...
Sally C. Pipes
November 13, 2022
Commentary
Dems Pose Biggest Threat to Medicare — GOP Will Save It
In a last-minute bid for undecided voters in the run-up to the midterm elections, Democrats are loudly claiming that a Republican Congress will be bad for seniors. As President Joe Biden put it at a campaign rally this week, “They’re coming after your Social Security and Medicare, and they’re saying it ...
Sally C. Pipes
November 7, 2022
Commentary
Healthcare Competition Isn’t Just A Republican Messaging Point
The midterm elections are tomorrow. Polling suggests Republicans have a shot at winning back both the House and Senate, as voters are coalescing around the GOP’s ideas for reducing inflation and crime. While those ideas might lead to electoral victory, they’re not the only policy priorities on conservatives’ list. Republicans have also promised to ...
Sally C. Pipes
November 7, 2022
Commentary
Veteran suicides testify to a healthcare travesty
The Department of Veterans Affairs has said that preventing veteran suicides is a top priority. Unfortunately, a new inspector general report suggests the department is failing in its mission. The report found that more than 1 in 10 VA staffers hadn’t completed their mandatory suicide-prevention training. As the report put it, “Lack of training ...
Sally C. Pipes
November 1, 2022
Commentary
Ensure telehealth stays alive and well
The silver lining of COVID-19 has been the dawn of the telehealth era — the greatest exercise in deregulation and individual empowerment in the health sector in years. In response to the arrival of the pandemic in 2020, Congress and executive branch officials waived a number of rules governing access ...
Sally C. Pipes
October 29, 2022
Commentary
Insurance Market Requiring Gov’t Handouts Is Dysfunctional
Next week marks the beginning of open enrollment on the health insurance exchanges created by the Affordable Care Act. According to one recent analysis of 72 exchange insurers, premiums are likely to increase by an average of 10%. In some cases, rate hikes could exceed 25%. Most consumers won’t feel these price ...
Sally C. Pipes
October 27, 2022
Commentary
Americans Don’t Want Single-Payer Revolution
America’s private health insurance system is beyond saving, we’re often told by advocates of Medicare for All. As they see it, the only path forward is to abolish private coverage and replace it with a single government-run program. But that radical proposal is divorced from reality. New polling data show ...
Sally C. Pipes
October 27, 2022
Commentary
Deceitful Proposition 209 goes way beyond medical debt. It’ll raise costs on us all
Next month, Arizonans will consider Proposition 209, a ballot initiative intended to alleviate a supposed “crisis” in medical debt. A look at the facts reveals there is no such crisis. If this ballot initiative passes, ordinary Arizonans could face higher interest rates on all kinds of debt, have fewer lenders to ...
Sally C. Pipes
October 25, 2022
Commentary
Obamacare Open Enrollment Brings Election Day “Gift” To Voters
We’re about a week away from two notable dates on America’s civic calendar. On November 1, open enrollment begins on Obamacare’s health insurance exchanges. One week later, voters head to the polls for the midterm elections. Democrats have been aware of this reality for months. It was one of the reasons they ...
Sally C. Pipes
October 24, 2022
Commentary
Simple Fix for Healthcare: Give Patients More Responsibility
Health costs have been rising at an astounding rate. Insurers believe that overuse of medical care and poor individual health habits are big reasons why, according to a new study from insurance advisory firm Willis Towers Watson. That conclusion runs counter to the narrative common among progressives that patients are hapless victims ...
Sally C. Pipes
October 24, 2022
What might the new Congress do on healthcare?
The outcome of this week’s midterm elections is still unclear, but Republicans appear headed for a narrow majority in the House of Representatives. Divided government means that legislation must have bipartisan appeal if it’s going to have any hope of advancing. On healthcare, there are a few policy initiatives that could attract ...
Dems Pose Biggest Threat to Medicare — GOP Will Save It
In a last-minute bid for undecided voters in the run-up to the midterm elections, Democrats are loudly claiming that a Republican Congress will be bad for seniors. As President Joe Biden put it at a campaign rally this week, “They’re coming after your Social Security and Medicare, and they’re saying it ...
Healthcare Competition Isn’t Just A Republican Messaging Point
The midterm elections are tomorrow. Polling suggests Republicans have a shot at winning back both the House and Senate, as voters are coalescing around the GOP’s ideas for reducing inflation and crime. While those ideas might lead to electoral victory, they’re not the only policy priorities on conservatives’ list. Republicans have also promised to ...
Veteran suicides testify to a healthcare travesty
The Department of Veterans Affairs has said that preventing veteran suicides is a top priority. Unfortunately, a new inspector general report suggests the department is failing in its mission. The report found that more than 1 in 10 VA staffers hadn’t completed their mandatory suicide-prevention training. As the report put it, “Lack of training ...
Ensure telehealth stays alive and well
The silver lining of COVID-19 has been the dawn of the telehealth era — the greatest exercise in deregulation and individual empowerment in the health sector in years. In response to the arrival of the pandemic in 2020, Congress and executive branch officials waived a number of rules governing access ...
Insurance Market Requiring Gov’t Handouts Is Dysfunctional
Next week marks the beginning of open enrollment on the health insurance exchanges created by the Affordable Care Act. According to one recent analysis of 72 exchange insurers, premiums are likely to increase by an average of 10%. In some cases, rate hikes could exceed 25%. Most consumers won’t feel these price ...
Americans Don’t Want Single-Payer Revolution
America’s private health insurance system is beyond saving, we’re often told by advocates of Medicare for All. As they see it, the only path forward is to abolish private coverage and replace it with a single government-run program. But that radical proposal is divorced from reality. New polling data show ...
Deceitful Proposition 209 goes way beyond medical debt. It’ll raise costs on us all
Next month, Arizonans will consider Proposition 209, a ballot initiative intended to alleviate a supposed “crisis” in medical debt. A look at the facts reveals there is no such crisis. If this ballot initiative passes, ordinary Arizonans could face higher interest rates on all kinds of debt, have fewer lenders to ...
Obamacare Open Enrollment Brings Election Day “Gift” To Voters
We’re about a week away from two notable dates on America’s civic calendar. On November 1, open enrollment begins on Obamacare’s health insurance exchanges. One week later, voters head to the polls for the midterm elections. Democrats have been aware of this reality for months. It was one of the reasons they ...
Simple Fix for Healthcare: Give Patients More Responsibility
Health costs have been rising at an astounding rate. Insurers believe that overuse of medical care and poor individual health habits are big reasons why, according to a new study from insurance advisory firm Willis Towers Watson. That conclusion runs counter to the narrative common among progressives that patients are hapless victims ...