Opinion
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Micromanagement of Health Insurance Market Will Hurt Michigan Consumers
Opinion -At the end of 2007, after a single perfunctory committee meeting, the Michigan House of Representatives passed a series of four bills which, if approved by the Senate and signed into law by Gov. -
Health Care Mandate Is Bad for San Francisco
Opinion -The day after Christmas, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White ruled San Francisco's attempt to expand its public health care initiative violated a longstanding federal law regarding government regulation of employee benefit plans. -
California Health Plan Would Cause More Problems than it Solves
Opinion -After nearly a year of tense negotiations, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) and Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez (D) jointly announced they had reached a compromise on a plan to add 3. -
Big Names Join HIT Game
Opinion -A group of employers including AT&T, Applied Materials, BP, Cardinal Health, Intel, Pitney-Bowes, and Walmart has created Dossia.org, an Internet-based personal health record. -
Consumer-Driven Plans Yield Savvy Health Care Consumers, Study Says
Opinion -Participants enrolled in consumer-directed health plans (CDHPs) are more likely to plan and save for health care coverage, according to a survey by Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA). -
Doctors Group Offers Innovative Reform Proposal
Opinion -An association of doctors and dentists has created a remedy for America's ailing health care system that does not include increasing taxes, requiring Americans to buy insurance, or burdening employers. -
Small Lifestyle Changes Can Yield Big Benefits for Chronic Disease Patients
Opinion -Even slight lifestyle adjustments can help avert the major negative economic impact chronic diseases are expected to have on the U.S. economy by 2023, according to a study by the Milken Institute's Center for Health Economics. -
FDA Should Not Regulate Tobacco: Poll
Opinion -A Zogby International telephone poll shows nearly two-thirds of Americans oppose the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) taking a role in regulating tobacco products--a proposal being considered in Congress. -
Medicare Offers MSAs
Opinion -November 15 marked the first day in Medicare's open-enrollment season, which runs until December 31. During this time, every Medicare beneficiary can choose the health plan he or she will use in 2008. -
Health Mandate Left Out of Wisconsin Budget
Opinion -The Wisconsin legislature approved the state's final budget on October 23--and did not include a controversial, near-universal health insurance mandate that would have forced every resident to purchase health insurance. -
Pressing Forward with Health IT
Opinion -A growing number of initiatives within the private sector, among industry groups, and at the state level to promote and adopt health information technology (HIT) have some analysts suggesting federal efforts have been less effective than developments -
CDHC Drives State-Level Policy Changes
Opinion -In an effort to help consumers comparison-shop, several states are now pushing hospitals to disclose their price lists for various procedures--a move that is being prompted by the growth of consumer-driven health care. -
FDA May Allow Pharmacists to Dispense Some Drugs Without a Doctor’s Prescription
Opinion -The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is considering adopting a new drug classification that would allow some medications to be sold from behind the counter (BTC)--requiring only a pharmacist's approval instead of a doctor's prescription. -
Grading the Candidates’ Health Reform Plans
Opinion -Twenty years ago Michael Dukakis campaigned for president with the boast, "I have insured everybody in Massachusetts." Of course he hadn't, and two decades later it still hasn't happened. -
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Real Health Care Reform
Opinion -My career spanned 50 years of employment in different areas of health care. -
Economic Rewards of Dual Tracking
Opinion -Author's note: The current U.S. political environment is unsuitable for implementing a system permitting patients to use late-stage experimental drugs if they choose. -
Clinic Cares for the Uninsured–Without Government Strings
Opinion -Dr. Alieta Eck prefers to practice medicine with as little government involvement as possible, and she sets a good example for those who are concerned about health care for the uninsured. -
Why Not Socialize Legal Care in America?
Opinion -Americans have a curious notion: Everything that's good should be a right, and everything that's bad should be a crime. The notion is probably more appropriate to a three-year-old's worldview than the running of a civilization. -
Democrats Speak Out on Health Care Plans
Opinion -According to the Democratic presidential candidates, the current U.S. health care system ought to focus more than it does on disease prevention to save billions of dollars in treatment costs. -
Third-Party Payment Is the Main Problem Facing U.S. Health Care
Opinion -In September, the ABC TV program 20/20 ran an hour-long special on health care. -
Book Has Meaty Message, Cheesy Delivery
Opinion -Noble Vision by Gen LaGreca Chicago: Winged Victory Press, 2005 338 pages, hardcover, ISBN 0-9744579-8-1, $27. -
Growing Waistlines and Shrinking Budgets. What’s a Politician to Do?
Opinion -Remember those feel-good Coca Cola TV ads from years ago? A group of youth sway to and fro, holding candles and merrily singing "I'd like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony. I'd like to buy the world a Coke and keep it company. -
Expert Comments: California Health Care Proposal Will Hurt Taxpayers
Opinion -(CHICAGO, Illinois - December 20, 2007) On December 14, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) and Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez (D) proposed legislation that would expand health insurance by increasing state payroll and cigarette taxes.
