Health Care
Commentary
Jindal Proposes Sweeping Medicaid Overhaul
Health Care News – Heartland Institute (Chicago, IL), February 1, 2009 Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) has unveiled a proposal for overhauling the state’s Medicaid program, altering both its funding and delivery. “It is time for us to do something different, and dramatically different,” said the state’s Health and Hospitals ...
Joe Emanuel
February 1, 2009
Commentary
Consumer-Directed Health Care Plan Falls Short in Arizona
Health Care News – Heartland Institute (Chicago, IL), February 1, 2009 EMaxHealth, February 1, 2009 After a lengthy post-election ballot-counting process, the Arizona Secretary of State’s office announced Proposition 101, a groundbreaking initiative proponents say would have enshrined consumer-directed health care into the state’s constitution by preventing government from forcing ...
Joe Emanuel
February 1, 2009
Commentary
Charge health insurance equally
January President Barack Obama and his new health czar, former U.S. Sen. Tom Daschle, have promised big changes for our health care system. In a number of states, though, many of their government-heavy ideas have already been tried — and failed. Paramount among the proposed changes are “guaranteed issue” and ...
John R. Graham
January 30, 2009
Commentary
Health-care budget realities
Before President-elect Barack Obama attempts to overhaul America’s health-care system and put us on the road toward “universal” coverage, he should have a chat with his new budget director, Peter Orszag. As former head of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the agency responsible for estimating the cost of federal legislation, ...
Sally C. Pipes
January 30, 2009
Business & Economics
Don’t let trial lawyers overdose on drug suits
President Barack Obama shattered some old paradigms for how to finance a campaign. But he and his Democratic colleagues stuck to the script when it comes to leaning on trial lawyers for campaign cash. During this last election season, federal Democratic candidates collected more than $136 million from lawyers, the ...
Sally C. Pipes
January 29, 2009
Commentary
Chicago Hospital Pricing: Is a 40% Discount Enough?
The Chicago Tribune reports that area hospitals are giving discounts of up to 40% to uninsured patients, or even “anyone who asks”. This may be a result of a law passed last year that attempted to compel some transparency and common-sense pricing for Illinois hospitals. As I’ve noted before (p. ...
John R. Graham
January 26, 2009
Commentary
Our View: Despite qualms of some, universal health care becoming a reality
When Juan Figueroa, president of Meriden-based Universal Health Care Foundation, introduced “SustiNet” two weeks ago the response was, for the most part, enthusiastic. And why shouldn’t it be? Foundation officials said that if implemented over a five-year timeline, SustiNet would save households and businesses a combined total of $1.75 billion ...
Scott Whipple
January 26, 2009
Commentary
Overhauling health care could boost the economy
There are plenty of reasons to overhaul our creaky health care system, ranging from its status as the most expensive system in the world to its failure to provide for the health of millions of our fellow citizens. But several recent studies suggest that there’s one more reason for reform: ...
Dean Calbreath
January 25, 2009
California
Free(ing) Health Insurance in California?
State senator Sam Aanestad is still rolling out good health-care legislation in the Golden State. A few months ago, he introduced a bill that would improve California’s high-risk pool for health insurance, by allowing its beneficiaries to buy low-premium, consumer-driven policies, and allow different premiums for smokers and the obese ...
John R. Graham
January 23, 2009
Commentary
Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying for State Take-Over of Health Care?
Last January, governor Schwarzenegger’s expensive and unwieldy proposal for so-called “universal” health care finally gasped its last breath, after a long year of lobbying and coalition-building by the governor’s team. Good thing, too, as I wrote at the time. But those who advocated it are more active than ever. Daniel ...
John R. Graham
January 22, 2009
Jindal Proposes Sweeping Medicaid Overhaul
Health Care News – Heartland Institute (Chicago, IL), February 1, 2009 Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) has unveiled a proposal for overhauling the state’s Medicaid program, altering both its funding and delivery. “It is time for us to do something different, and dramatically different,” said the state’s Health and Hospitals ...
Consumer-Directed Health Care Plan Falls Short in Arizona
Health Care News – Heartland Institute (Chicago, IL), February 1, 2009 EMaxHealth, February 1, 2009 After a lengthy post-election ballot-counting process, the Arizona Secretary of State’s office announced Proposition 101, a groundbreaking initiative proponents say would have enshrined consumer-directed health care into the state’s constitution by preventing government from forcing ...
Charge health insurance equally
January President Barack Obama and his new health czar, former U.S. Sen. Tom Daschle, have promised big changes for our health care system. In a number of states, though, many of their government-heavy ideas have already been tried — and failed. Paramount among the proposed changes are “guaranteed issue” and ...
Health-care budget realities
Before President-elect Barack Obama attempts to overhaul America’s health-care system and put us on the road toward “universal” coverage, he should have a chat with his new budget director, Peter Orszag. As former head of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the agency responsible for estimating the cost of federal legislation, ...
Don’t let trial lawyers overdose on drug suits
President Barack Obama shattered some old paradigms for how to finance a campaign. But he and his Democratic colleagues stuck to the script when it comes to leaning on trial lawyers for campaign cash. During this last election season, federal Democratic candidates collected more than $136 million from lawyers, the ...
Chicago Hospital Pricing: Is a 40% Discount Enough?
The Chicago Tribune reports that area hospitals are giving discounts of up to 40% to uninsured patients, or even “anyone who asks”. This may be a result of a law passed last year that attempted to compel some transparency and common-sense pricing for Illinois hospitals. As I’ve noted before (p. ...
Our View: Despite qualms of some, universal health care becoming a reality
When Juan Figueroa, president of Meriden-based Universal Health Care Foundation, introduced “SustiNet” two weeks ago the response was, for the most part, enthusiastic. And why shouldn’t it be? Foundation officials said that if implemented over a five-year timeline, SustiNet would save households and businesses a combined total of $1.75 billion ...
Overhauling health care could boost the economy
There are plenty of reasons to overhaul our creaky health care system, ranging from its status as the most expensive system in the world to its failure to provide for the health of millions of our fellow citizens. But several recent studies suggest that there’s one more reason for reform: ...
Free(ing) Health Insurance in California?
State senator Sam Aanestad is still rolling out good health-care legislation in the Golden State. A few months ago, he introduced a bill that would improve California’s high-risk pool for health insurance, by allowing its beneficiaries to buy low-premium, consumer-driven policies, and allow different premiums for smokers and the obese ...
Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying for State Take-Over of Health Care?
Last January, governor Schwarzenegger’s expensive and unwieldy proposal for so-called “universal” health care finally gasped its last breath, after a long year of lobbying and coalition-building by the governor’s team. Good thing, too, as I wrote at the time. But those who advocated it are more active than ever. Daniel ...