Health Care
Commentary
Arizona’s Prop 101: It’s Always Darkest Before It Goes Totally Black
Before the election, I concluded that Sen. McCain had a health care plan which would have allowed states and families more freedom to choose health care that they prefer, instead of that which the federal government prefers. Sen. Obama’s choice of Dr. Tom Daschle as the next U.S. Secretary of ...
Agriculture
California’s Newest Chronic Disease: “Preventionitis”
A major driver of health costs over the last couple of decades is chronic illness such as diabetes and heart disease. It’s time to add another chronic ailment to the list: “preventionitis.” Because much chronic disease is associated with bad lifestyle choices, many succumb to the utopian delusion that investment ...
Commentary
Rx: Assess need; research; plan
Rafael home-schools his young children while his wife earns their single income as a speech therapist. Their children are all beautiful with straight black hair and huge dark eyes that flash with intelligence. At church, the littlest, Clare, sings the hymns with such devotion she is a distraction to adults ...
Commentary
What does an Obama presidency mean for health care?
The Examiner (Washington, D.C.), November 13, 2008 One of the many challenges President-elect Barack Obama will face is healthcare reform. It was a centerpiece of his campaign, and the American people expect action. Healthcare reform proposals generally fall into two camps: Those that rely on government to expand access and ...
Commentary
This’ll Be Huge: WellPoint to Cover “Medical Tourism” Outside U.S.
A growing number of Americans are interested in going abroad for surgery. Hospitals in India, Thailand, and other countries are able to offer high-quality treatment for a fraction of the cost of American hospitals. This enterprise is called “medical tourism”. Indianapolis-based WellPoint, which covers 35 million Americans, has decided to ...
Commentary
Roadblock to health
Census officials just revealed that 17.2 percent of North Carolinians “1.5 million” went without health insurance between 2006 and 2007. These statistics aren’t surprising. North Carolina’s government has erected regulatory roadblocks that make health insurance too expensive. If state officials want to expand coverage, they must improve “health ownership” by ...
Health Care
Election 2008: An Unhealthy Outcome
The federal outcome of the 2008 election bodes ill for Americans’ ability to regain control of their health care dollars. Before the election, PRI compared the candidates’ health plans and concluded that Senator McCain’s proposal was generally superior. Senator Obama’s plan was ambitious and weakly defined, but with strong Democratic ...
Business & Economics
Product Liability Law, FDA Pre-Emption, and Public Opinion
On December 3, the U.S. Supreme Court began to hear Wyeth v. Levine, which will determine whether the FDA’s regulations governing the labels of prescription drugs “pre-empt” state tort laws. I’ve already discussed the details of the case, wherein Wyeth (the manufacturer) claims that the Vermont state court had no ...
Commentary
Health Plans Belly Up to SCHIP Trough
For those of us who believe that American families should control our health-care dollars, instead of government, employers, or other 3rd parties, the recent behavior of health-care lobbyists in DC is disturbing. A key insight of the political philosophy of “public choice” theory is that it is impossible for politicians ...
Business & Economics
Court ruling could curb medical research
Wyeth properly warned doctors and patients about the risks associated with administering Phenergan (“FDA pre-emptive rule to be challenged,” Nov. 2). The FDA-approved label contained prominent warnings: “Extreme care should be exercised to avoid … inadvertent intra-arterial injection. Reports compatible with inadvertent intra-arterial injection … suggest that pain, severe chemical ...
Arizona’s Prop 101: It’s Always Darkest Before It Goes Totally Black
Before the election, I concluded that Sen. McCain had a health care plan which would have allowed states and families more freedom to choose health care that they prefer, instead of that which the federal government prefers. Sen. Obama’s choice of Dr. Tom Daschle as the next U.S. Secretary of ...
California’s Newest Chronic Disease: “Preventionitis”
A major driver of health costs over the last couple of decades is chronic illness such as diabetes and heart disease. It’s time to add another chronic ailment to the list: “preventionitis.” Because much chronic disease is associated with bad lifestyle choices, many succumb to the utopian delusion that investment ...
Rx: Assess need; research; plan
Rafael home-schools his young children while his wife earns their single income as a speech therapist. Their children are all beautiful with straight black hair and huge dark eyes that flash with intelligence. At church, the littlest, Clare, sings the hymns with such devotion she is a distraction to adults ...
What does an Obama presidency mean for health care?
The Examiner (Washington, D.C.), November 13, 2008 One of the many challenges President-elect Barack Obama will face is healthcare reform. It was a centerpiece of his campaign, and the American people expect action. Healthcare reform proposals generally fall into two camps: Those that rely on government to expand access and ...
This’ll Be Huge: WellPoint to Cover “Medical Tourism” Outside U.S.
A growing number of Americans are interested in going abroad for surgery. Hospitals in India, Thailand, and other countries are able to offer high-quality treatment for a fraction of the cost of American hospitals. This enterprise is called “medical tourism”. Indianapolis-based WellPoint, which covers 35 million Americans, has decided to ...
Roadblock to health
Census officials just revealed that 17.2 percent of North Carolinians “1.5 million” went without health insurance between 2006 and 2007. These statistics aren’t surprising. North Carolina’s government has erected regulatory roadblocks that make health insurance too expensive. If state officials want to expand coverage, they must improve “health ownership” by ...
Election 2008: An Unhealthy Outcome
The federal outcome of the 2008 election bodes ill for Americans’ ability to regain control of their health care dollars. Before the election, PRI compared the candidates’ health plans and concluded that Senator McCain’s proposal was generally superior. Senator Obama’s plan was ambitious and weakly defined, but with strong Democratic ...
Product Liability Law, FDA Pre-Emption, and Public Opinion
On December 3, the U.S. Supreme Court began to hear Wyeth v. Levine, which will determine whether the FDA’s regulations governing the labels of prescription drugs “pre-empt” state tort laws. I’ve already discussed the details of the case, wherein Wyeth (the manufacturer) claims that the Vermont state court had no ...
Health Plans Belly Up to SCHIP Trough
For those of us who believe that American families should control our health-care dollars, instead of government, employers, or other 3rd parties, the recent behavior of health-care lobbyists in DC is disturbing. A key insight of the political philosophy of “public choice” theory is that it is impossible for politicians ...
Court ruling could curb medical research
Wyeth properly warned doctors and patients about the risks associated with administering Phenergan (“FDA pre-emptive rule to be challenged,” Nov. 2). The FDA-approved label contained prominent warnings: “Extreme care should be exercised to avoid … inadvertent intra-arterial injection. Reports compatible with inadvertent intra-arterial injection … suggest that pain, severe chemical ...
