Commentary
Commentary
States must remove government-imposed barriers to affordable and timely health care
The end of the COVID-19 public health emergency last month marked the end of several government waivers that helped expand access to care during the pandemic. Many of those waivers deserve to be made permanent. Paramount among them is the suspension of “certificate-of-need” laws that require health care providers to
Sally C. Pipes
August 6, 2023
Commentary
After COVID, Medicaid enrollment is declining. That’s cause for celebration
For most Americans, the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency was a relief. But some progressive activists and politicians would seemingly prefer that the crisis — and the gusher of federal spending it unleashed — never end. Democrats are telling everyone who will listen that the end of the
Sally C. Pipes
August 4, 2023
Commentary
Read about Medicare's downfalls on its 58th birthday
Medicare Enters its 58th Year in Poor Health
Medicare celebrated its 58th birthday on July 30. Unfortunately, the healthcare entitlement for seniors and the disabled isn’t aging gracefully. If current trends continue, Medicare’s Part A hospital insurance trust fund will run out of cash in just eight years. By then, roughly one in five Americans will be 65 or older and — thus eligible
Sally C. Pipes
August 2, 2023
Commentary
Bipartisan Price Transparency Reforms Will Improve Outcomes
Beneficial healthcare change is occurring – in a bipartisan manner too. The reform, referred to as the Transparency in Coverage (Tic) rule, improves the functioning of the healthcare market; and unlike the calls for price controls or increased government distortions, improving the efficiency of the healthcare market can achieve the
Wayne Winegarden
August 2, 2023
Business & Economics
Read the latest on unionization in CA
Latest Example of California’s Dysfunction Is Pro-Union Constitutional Amendment 7
Public works projects in California aren’t dead but with multiple co-morbidities, they’re in poor health. The most conspicuous example is the high-speed rail, maybe the biggest construction burnout in history. And, if critics of a proposed constitutional amendment are right, it will set a sorry tone for decades to come.
Kerry Jackson
August 2, 2023
Commentary
Hospitals are still neglecting transparency rules
The nonprofit group Patient Rights Advocate just published its fifth report exploring how hospitals are complying with federal price transparency requirements. About two-thirds are still flouting the rules. That’s unacceptable. Noncompliant hospitals are preventing patients and payers from shopping around for high-value care — and inflating healthcare costs in the process. The price transparency regulations went
Sally C. Pipes
July 30, 2023
Commentary
Medicare And Medicaid’s Midlife Crisis Should Be A Wake-Up Call For Reform
Sunday, July 30, marks the 58th anniversary of the creation of Medicare and Medicaid. They came into being in 1965 under President Lyndon Johnson and his “Great Society” program. Unfortunately, the programs are finishing out their sixth decade in a state of crisis. They’ve ballooned into enormously costly entitlements that
Sally C. Pipes
July 28, 2023
Commentary
PBM Industry Shadowy, Congress Shines Much Needed Light
The last few months have seen a flurry of activity on Capitol Hill regarding prescription drug reform, with a particular focus on pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs. The U.S. Senate Finance Committee is set to markup a bipartisan PBM reform bill within the next few days. The House Energy and Commerce
Sally C. Pipes
July 25, 2023
Commentary
President Biden Is Taking Affordable Health Insurance Away From Millions Of Americans
President Biden is reaching back into his old boss’s policy playbook to put new restrictions on short-term health plans. This month, the White House proposed a rule that will restore Obama-era limits on the plans. The president has derided short-term insurance as “junk” that offers little protection from big potential healthcare expenses.
Sally C. Pipes
July 24, 2023
Business & Economics
Read why tort reform is important for the economy
Tort Reform Offers A Win-Win Stimulus For The Economy
Alleviating the long-term burdens created by tort abuse should be a top priority regardless of the economic outlook. Considering our current economic struggles, however, the benefits from effective tort reform are more important than ever. The inflationary surge that began in mid-2021, even if it is ending, has left far
Wayne Winegarden
July 20, 2023
States must remove government-imposed barriers to affordable and timely health care
The end of the COVID-19 public health emergency last month marked the end of several government waivers that helped expand access to care during the pandemic. Many of those waivers deserve to be made permanent. Paramount among them is the suspension of “certificate-of-need” laws that require health care providers to
After COVID, Medicaid enrollment is declining. That’s cause for celebration
For most Americans, the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency was a relief. But some progressive activists and politicians would seemingly prefer that the crisis — and the gusher of federal spending it unleashed — never end. Democrats are telling everyone who will listen that the end of the
Read about Medicare's downfalls on its 58th birthday
Medicare Enters its 58th Year in Poor Health
Medicare celebrated its 58th birthday on July 30. Unfortunately, the healthcare entitlement for seniors and the disabled isn’t aging gracefully. If current trends continue, Medicare’s Part A hospital insurance trust fund will run out of cash in just eight years. By then, roughly one in five Americans will be 65 or older and — thus eligible
Bipartisan Price Transparency Reforms Will Improve Outcomes
Beneficial healthcare change is occurring – in a bipartisan manner too. The reform, referred to as the Transparency in Coverage (Tic) rule, improves the functioning of the healthcare market; and unlike the calls for price controls or increased government distortions, improving the efficiency of the healthcare market can achieve the
Read the latest on unionization in CA
Latest Example of California’s Dysfunction Is Pro-Union Constitutional Amendment 7
Public works projects in California aren’t dead but with multiple co-morbidities, they’re in poor health. The most conspicuous example is the high-speed rail, maybe the biggest construction burnout in history. And, if critics of a proposed constitutional amendment are right, it will set a sorry tone for decades to come.
Hospitals are still neglecting transparency rules
The nonprofit group Patient Rights Advocate just published its fifth report exploring how hospitals are complying with federal price transparency requirements. About two-thirds are still flouting the rules. That’s unacceptable. Noncompliant hospitals are preventing patients and payers from shopping around for high-value care — and inflating healthcare costs in the process. The price transparency regulations went
Medicare And Medicaid’s Midlife Crisis Should Be A Wake-Up Call For Reform
Sunday, July 30, marks the 58th anniversary of the creation of Medicare and Medicaid. They came into being in 1965 under President Lyndon Johnson and his “Great Society” program. Unfortunately, the programs are finishing out their sixth decade in a state of crisis. They’ve ballooned into enormously costly entitlements that
PBM Industry Shadowy, Congress Shines Much Needed Light
The last few months have seen a flurry of activity on Capitol Hill regarding prescription drug reform, with a particular focus on pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs. The U.S. Senate Finance Committee is set to markup a bipartisan PBM reform bill within the next few days. The House Energy and Commerce
President Biden Is Taking Affordable Health Insurance Away From Millions Of Americans
President Biden is reaching back into his old boss’s policy playbook to put new restrictions on short-term health plans. This month, the White House proposed a rule that will restore Obama-era limits on the plans. The president has derided short-term insurance as “junk” that offers little protection from big potential healthcare expenses.
Read why tort reform is important for the economy
Tort Reform Offers A Win-Win Stimulus For The Economy
Alleviating the long-term burdens created by tort abuse should be a top priority regardless of the economic outlook. Considering our current economic struggles, however, the benefits from effective tort reform are more important than ever. The inflationary surge that began in mid-2021, even if it is ending, has left far