Commentary
Commentary
California Students Need the Gift That Keeps on Giving
The holiday season finds Sacramento legislators scrambling for $700 million in Race to the Top money from the federal government. In the midst of the chaos, policy makers, parents and taxpayers should take time to reflect on what Californias six million public school students really need, starting with high expectations. ...
Commentary
Health Care Legislation Turns Medicare Into Slush Fund
President Obama has repeatedly pledged never to sign any proposal that would add one dime to the federal deficit, yet he and Congress are finding it impossible to cover millions of uninsured Americans without increasing deficit spending or taking the money from the current Medicare system. Finding money to achieve ...
Commentary
Cutting Medicare Advantage hurts seniors
President Barack Obama has promised time and again that his health reforms won’t force Americans to change insurance plans if they like what they already have. He’s willing to break that promise. A key provision of the Democrats’ reform plan would cut benefits in the Medicare Advantage program by as ...
Commentary
Hike In Long-Term Care Benefits Is Really Just Low-CLASS Trickery
The extent of smoke and mirrors in both the House and Senate health care bills is frightening. Much mischief is easily concealed in each 2,000-plus-page bill. One part of the health reform bills that has not garnered much attention is Congress’ expansion into long-term care. Just a few months ago, ...
Commentary
Federal Regulatory Burden on Health Care Increased By Over Half in Ten Years
So, I thought that I would find a decrease, or no change, in the relevant regulatory pages. I focused only on Medicare and Medicaid, regulation of private health insurance, and regulation of providers. However, I did not address the regulation of drugs or medical devices for safety and efficacy. The ...
Business & Economics
Pension tapeworm gnaws at budgets
A Register investigation reported Sunday that lucrative public employee pension benefits approved during the past decade have been “a toxin spreading through the budget books of cities and counties across California.” These escalating costs ultimately threaten many local governments’ solvency. Though many states experience similar fiscal threats, “California is the ...
Commentary
Electronic Health Records: Blah, Blah, Blah
An example of this just crossed my path. Back in September 2000, the Canadian and provincial governments committed to a nationally consistent EHR-system. The province of Ontario, which runs a government-monopoly, single-payer, health system for its 12 million residents, got to work developing a province-wide EHR system, eHealth. Under state ...
Commentary
Reduced Medicare Benefits Will Increase Cost of Private Insurance
However, the government will undoubtedly be successful in driving private insurers out of the Medicare Advantage program, threatening about 11 million seniors’ access to this valuable alternative. The key difference between Medicare Advantage and traditional Medicare is that the latter operates according to a Soviet-style, centrally determined schedule of fees, ...
Commentary
Even a ‘scaled-down’ health bill is dangerous
Last week, Democratic leaders in the Senate caved to Sen. Joseph Lieberman’s demands and stripped away some major provisions from their health reform legislation, including the public option and a plan that would have allowed middle-age Americans to “buy in” to Medicare. With Connecticut independent Lieberman’s support seemingly secured — ...
Commentary
The Senator Who Stole Christmas
One can understand their desire to wrap Obamacare up with a nice little Senate bow by Christmas Day. After all, the Senate bill would start (in any meaningful way) by around Christmas Christmas future, that is. The Congressional Budget Office says that less than 2 percent of the bill’s ...
California Students Need the Gift That Keeps on Giving
The holiday season finds Sacramento legislators scrambling for $700 million in Race to the Top money from the federal government. In the midst of the chaos, policy makers, parents and taxpayers should take time to reflect on what Californias six million public school students really need, starting with high expectations. ...
Health Care Legislation Turns Medicare Into Slush Fund
President Obama has repeatedly pledged never to sign any proposal that would add one dime to the federal deficit, yet he and Congress are finding it impossible to cover millions of uninsured Americans without increasing deficit spending or taking the money from the current Medicare system. Finding money to achieve ...
Cutting Medicare Advantage hurts seniors
President Barack Obama has promised time and again that his health reforms won’t force Americans to change insurance plans if they like what they already have. He’s willing to break that promise. A key provision of the Democrats’ reform plan would cut benefits in the Medicare Advantage program by as ...
Hike In Long-Term Care Benefits Is Really Just Low-CLASS Trickery
The extent of smoke and mirrors in both the House and Senate health care bills is frightening. Much mischief is easily concealed in each 2,000-plus-page bill. One part of the health reform bills that has not garnered much attention is Congress’ expansion into long-term care. Just a few months ago, ...
Federal Regulatory Burden on Health Care Increased By Over Half in Ten Years
So, I thought that I would find a decrease, or no change, in the relevant regulatory pages. I focused only on Medicare and Medicaid, regulation of private health insurance, and regulation of providers. However, I did not address the regulation of drugs or medical devices for safety and efficacy. The ...
Pension tapeworm gnaws at budgets
A Register investigation reported Sunday that lucrative public employee pension benefits approved during the past decade have been “a toxin spreading through the budget books of cities and counties across California.” These escalating costs ultimately threaten many local governments’ solvency. Though many states experience similar fiscal threats, “California is the ...
Electronic Health Records: Blah, Blah, Blah
An example of this just crossed my path. Back in September 2000, the Canadian and provincial governments committed to a nationally consistent EHR-system. The province of Ontario, which runs a government-monopoly, single-payer, health system for its 12 million residents, got to work developing a province-wide EHR system, eHealth. Under state ...
Reduced Medicare Benefits Will Increase Cost of Private Insurance
However, the government will undoubtedly be successful in driving private insurers out of the Medicare Advantage program, threatening about 11 million seniors’ access to this valuable alternative. The key difference between Medicare Advantage and traditional Medicare is that the latter operates according to a Soviet-style, centrally determined schedule of fees, ...
Even a ‘scaled-down’ health bill is dangerous
Last week, Democratic leaders in the Senate caved to Sen. Joseph Lieberman’s demands and stripped away some major provisions from their health reform legislation, including the public option and a plan that would have allowed middle-age Americans to “buy in” to Medicare. With Connecticut independent Lieberman’s support seemingly secured — ...
The Senator Who Stole Christmas
One can understand their desire to wrap Obamacare up with a nice little Senate bow by Christmas Day. After all, the Senate bill would start (in any meaningful way) by around Christmas Christmas future, that is. The Congressional Budget Office says that less than 2 percent of the bill’s ...
