Health Care
Drug Prices
ISSUE BRIEF: Stronger Reforms Needed to Fix Medicare Competitive Bidding Problems
SACRAMENTO – Proposed reforms to fix the problems with the current Medicare bidding process for acquiring prosthetics, CPAP machines, wheelchairs and other durable medical equipment don’t go far enough to fix the fundamental flaws in the process, finds a new brief released today by the Center for Medical Economics and ...
Commentary
No, the expiring subsidies aren’t to blame for next year’s premium hikes
Open enrollment on Obamacare‘s exchanges is upon us. People shopping for coverage will be greeted by higher premiums. According to one recent analysis from the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker, premiums for 2026 coverage will rise by 18 %. Out-of-pocket costs could go up hundreds or thousands of dollars, according to ...
Commentary
Medicare Wasn’t Broken Until Democrats Made It That Way
Seniors shopping for a prescription drug plan during this year’s Medicare open enrollment season are in for an unpleasant surprise. They’ll have far fewer choices than in previous years — and will have a harder time getting assistance purchasing a plan. The program’s cost to taxpayers, meanwhile, have soared. What ...
Commentary
Health Insurers Are Behind Washington’s Shutdown
The federal government shutdown is entering its fifth week. At its core, the fight is over insurance subsidies. Democrats are demanding that billions in federal payments to insurers continue uninterrupted. Republicans question whether that’s a good idea. Democrats claim they’re protecting “access to care.” In reality, they’re enriching some of ...
Commentary
Medicare Can’t Afford Not To Cover Ozempic
The Trump administration has yet to decide whether Medicare will cover a revolutionary new class of weight-loss treatments, which include drugs like Zepbound and Wegovy. But a decision could be imminent, according to Dr. Mehmet Oz, head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Speaking at an event at ...
Commentary
Another Program Won’t Secure Quality Rural Healthcare
In rural America, quality medical care can be hard to come by. The Rural Health Transformation Program that’s part of the budget reconciliation package that became law this summer aims to change that. The $50 billion program seeks to improve healthcare access, quality, and outcomes in rural America. All worthy ...
Commentary
Enhanced Obamacare subsidies are the problem
Democrats are refusing to reopen the federal government unless Congress extends the enhanced Obamacare premium subsidies scheduled to expire at the end of this year. Their ultimate goal is to make those subsidies permanent. The shutdown’s architects say that failing to renew these tax credits will threaten the finances of ...
340B
Big hospitals are gaming the rural healthcare system, and Congress is helping
Congress has handed hospital giants a new line of taxpayer-funded credit. This summer, Congress included a $50 billion “rural health fund” in the multitrillion-dollar One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The fund’s supporters are touting it as a lifeline for struggling community hospitals. But small-town emergency rooms will not be the ...
Commentary
Yes, Democrats are defending Medicaid for illegal immigrants
“Not a single federal dollar goes to providing health insurance for undocumented immigrants. NOT. ONE. PENNY.” These were the words of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) in a recent X post, after Republicans accused Democrats of shutting down the government in order to keep funding Medicaid for illegal immigrants… ...
Commentary
Republicans shouldn’t cave to Democrats’ shutdown demands
As the government shutdown stretches into its third week, Republicans have signaled some willingness to agree to Democrats’ demand to extend billions of dollars in enhanced premium subsidies for exchange plans beyond their scheduled expiration at the end of this year. That would be a mistake. The enhanced insurance subsidies ...
ISSUE BRIEF: Stronger Reforms Needed to Fix Medicare Competitive Bidding Problems
SACRAMENTO – Proposed reforms to fix the problems with the current Medicare bidding process for acquiring prosthetics, CPAP machines, wheelchairs and other durable medical equipment don’t go far enough to fix the fundamental flaws in the process, finds a new brief released today by the Center for Medical Economics and ...
No, the expiring subsidies aren’t to blame for next year’s premium hikes
Open enrollment on Obamacare‘s exchanges is upon us. People shopping for coverage will be greeted by higher premiums. According to one recent analysis from the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker, premiums for 2026 coverage will rise by 18 %. Out-of-pocket costs could go up hundreds or thousands of dollars, according to ...
Medicare Wasn’t Broken Until Democrats Made It That Way
Seniors shopping for a prescription drug plan during this year’s Medicare open enrollment season are in for an unpleasant surprise. They’ll have far fewer choices than in previous years — and will have a harder time getting assistance purchasing a plan. The program’s cost to taxpayers, meanwhile, have soared. What ...
Health Insurers Are Behind Washington’s Shutdown
The federal government shutdown is entering its fifth week. At its core, the fight is over insurance subsidies. Democrats are demanding that billions in federal payments to insurers continue uninterrupted. Republicans question whether that’s a good idea. Democrats claim they’re protecting “access to care.” In reality, they’re enriching some of ...
Medicare Can’t Afford Not To Cover Ozempic
The Trump administration has yet to decide whether Medicare will cover a revolutionary new class of weight-loss treatments, which include drugs like Zepbound and Wegovy. But a decision could be imminent, according to Dr. Mehmet Oz, head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Speaking at an event at ...
Another Program Won’t Secure Quality Rural Healthcare
In rural America, quality medical care can be hard to come by. The Rural Health Transformation Program that’s part of the budget reconciliation package that became law this summer aims to change that. The $50 billion program seeks to improve healthcare access, quality, and outcomes in rural America. All worthy ...
Enhanced Obamacare subsidies are the problem
Democrats are refusing to reopen the federal government unless Congress extends the enhanced Obamacare premium subsidies scheduled to expire at the end of this year. Their ultimate goal is to make those subsidies permanent. The shutdown’s architects say that failing to renew these tax credits will threaten the finances of ...
Big hospitals are gaming the rural healthcare system, and Congress is helping
Congress has handed hospital giants a new line of taxpayer-funded credit. This summer, Congress included a $50 billion “rural health fund” in the multitrillion-dollar One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The fund’s supporters are touting it as a lifeline for struggling community hospitals. But small-town emergency rooms will not be the ...
Yes, Democrats are defending Medicaid for illegal immigrants
“Not a single federal dollar goes to providing health insurance for undocumented immigrants. NOT. ONE. PENNY.” These were the words of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) in a recent X post, after Republicans accused Democrats of shutting down the government in order to keep funding Medicaid for illegal immigrants… ...
Republicans shouldn’t cave to Democrats’ shutdown demands
As the government shutdown stretches into its third week, Republicans have signaled some willingness to agree to Democrats’ demand to extend billions of dollars in enhanced premium subsidies for exchange plans beyond their scheduled expiration at the end of this year. That would be a mistake. The enhanced insurance subsidies ...
