Opinion
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Wisconsin Unveils New Rx Drug Subsidy Program
Opinion -On May 9 Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle (D) announced WisconsinCare, a new health initiative to replace the state's embattled SeniorCare program. -
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Germ Police Patrol Hospitals
Opinion -SAN ANTONIO--Like her counterparts at hospitals everywhere, Patti Grota knows it takes more than just rules and guidelines to make sure overworked doctors, nurses, and health workers keep their hands clean and avoid spreading infections among sick -
High Loss Ratios Undermine the Affordability of Health Insurance
Opinion -Nationwide, states are unveiling health reform proposals dealing with insurance company loss ratios. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) and Pennsylvania Gov. -
Domenici Mental Health Mandate Would Raise Costs, Hurt the Uninsured
Opinion -Sens. Pete Domenici (R-NM), Mike Enzi (R-WY), and Ted Kennedy (D-MA) are leading an effort that will ultimately drive up the costs of health insurance and may even inflict harm on the very people they are trying to help. -
Breaking the FDA Monopoly on Drug Access
Opinion -The following is an excerpt from the booklet More Choices, Better Health: Free to Choose Experimental Drugs, by Bartley J. Madden--the second in a several-part series. The complete booklet is also available online at http://www.heartland.org. -
Some Choose to Ignore, Others Deny Problem
Opinion -The amounts of money involved and the potential reaction to the tax consequences of having to fund government retiree health care and other post-employment benefits in addition to pensions are so great that some government officials are looking for ways -
Medicare Finances in Dire Condition
Opinion -The law that gave us Medicare prescription drugs says if Medicare's finances deteriorate sufficiently, the president must propose a remedy and Congress must expedite its consideration. -
Indiana’s New Health Care Law
Opinion -Expansion of the state's children's health insurance program to cover up to 39,000 additional needy children. Increased eligibility for pregnant women on Medicaid, which will help an estimated 17,000 Hoosiers. -
There’s No Shortage of Swell Ideas for Health Insurance Reform
Opinion -Just about everyone in California is coming up with a swell idea for creating a new health insurance system. Though Gov. -
Massachusetts Officials Say State Must Curb Health Cost
Opinion -To sustain the landmark Massachusetts health insurance initiative, the state must find ways to control the climbing costs of health care, policymakers said at a May 14 forum on the first year of health care reform. -
Solutions to the Uninsured Problem
Opinion -The following is an excerpt from the study Understanding the Uninsured and What to Do About Them, by the Council for Affordable Health Insurance, March 2007--the second of a two-part series. -
States Nearing Crisis in Retiree Benefits
Opinion -While early estimates suggested state and local governments have accumulated hundreds of billions of dollars of debt in unfunded "other post-employment benefits" (OPEBs), revised estimates now indicate those early numbers may have been much too low. -
HHS Aims to Adopt Electronic Medical Records
Opinion -The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is working on ways to adopt a national electronic medical records (EMRs) infrastructure within a year, while still trying to ensure patients' privacy. -
Independent Health Record Bank Act
Opinion -In response to public concerns regarding health data, last year Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) and Rep. Paul D. -
Adult Stem Cells a Success in Diabetes Trial
Opinion -Adult stem cells may hold the key to long-term remission of Type 1 diabetes, according to a study published in the April 11 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. -
Bill to Increase FDA Authority Moves Forward
Opinion -Congress is one step closer to passing legislation that would give the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) more authority in handling approval and monitoring of prescription drugs. -
Health Plans Adding Foreign Providers to Their Networks
Opinion -Though increasing numbers of uninsured patients are traveling abroad for low-cost medical care, few insurers over the past few years have included foreign providers in health plan networks. That trend, however, is beginning to change. -
Indiana Nearly Doubles Its Cigarette Tax
Opinion -In the closing hours of its 2007 session, the Indiana General Assembly on April 29 passed a cigarette tax to help pay for Gov. Mitch Daniels' (R) health care plan. Daniels signed it into law on May 10. -
The Dangers of Health Care Rationing
Opinion -One of the most fascinating books I have ever read on health economics is The Painful Prescription, an analysis of rationing in the British National Health Service (NHS) by Henry Aaron and William Schwartz. -
Time to End FDA’s Killing Ways
Opinion -Forever etched in golf fans' memories is not the remarkable 65 shot by Tom Watson in the first round of the 2003 U.S. Open, but the courage of his caddy, Bruce Edwards. -
Kansas Seeks Free-Market Health Care Reform
Opinion -A free-market health care plan promising less government interference and no new taxes could be on the horizon in Kansas. KanCare, created by newly elected state Rep. -
Calorie Ordinance Poses Problems for New York Restaurants
Opinion -On March 1, Wendy's International, Inc. removed calorie counts from its New York City franchise menus--the unintended consequence of a poorly crafted ordinance requiring restaurants to publish the information for customers. -
United Healthcare’s Acquisition of Sierra Health
Opinion -Consumers for Health Care Choices raised some hackles with its letter in late March to the Justice Department opposing United Healthcare's acquisition of Sierra Health in Nevada. The complaints against us fell into three categories.
