Opinion
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Congress Has New Health Policy
Opinion -The 110th Congress will begin soon under the leadership of the Democrats, who gained the majority in both the Senate and the House last November. -
Means-Testing Medicare: Stealth Tax on Upper-Income Retirees
Opinion -Starting in 2007, a new surcharge on upper-income retirees will require them to pay more for their Medicare Part B coverage based on their income as reported for federal tax purposes. -
Illinois Fast-Tracks School Vending Machine Food Bans
Opinion -In October 2006, a bipartisan group of Illinois legislators approved rules banning "junk food" sales in elementary and middle schools. -
Medicare Officials Call for Consumer-Friendly Reform
Opinion -Medicare officials say it's time to modernize the health plan by providing America's seniors with more information and choice. But critics say these are just euphemisms for confusion and higher cost. -
State Laws Can Cripple Market for Health Insurance: CAHI
Opinion -In 2006, individuals and employers faced yet another year of health insurance premiums increasing faster than the rate of inflation. Not coincidentally, that fall the U.S. Census Bureau reported another increase in the uninsured rate. -
AMA Drops Call for Soft Drinks Tax
Opinion -The American Medical Association (AMA) has backed away from a proposed resolution calling for states and the federal government to levy special taxes on "sugary drinks that are devoid of nutritional value. -
Consumer Power Report: Election Fallout
Opinion -Managed care companies took an instant hit in stock prices when the November 2006 election results came in. MarketWatch reported United Healthcare dropped 3 percent in one day, Cigna dropped 2 percent, and Humana was down 6 percent. -
Prescriptions for Progress
Opinion -The Cure: How Capitalism Can Save American Health Care By Dr. David Gratzer New York: Encounter Books, 2006 240 pages, hardcover, ISBN: 1-59403-153-3, $25. -
First ‘State Law Compliant’ Snack Food Launched
Opinion -When Clif Bar & Co. was devising its new organic energy bar for kids in early 2004, product developers at the Berkley, California-based health food manufacturer turned to California Senate Bill 19 for direction. -
NYC Proposes Trans Fat Ban
Opinion -Trans fatty acids (TFAs) will soon be a thing of the past in New York City restaurants if the city's Department of Public Health and Mental Hygiene gets its way. -
On-Site Clinics Offer Savings and Convenience for Employees
Opinion -In an effort to contain health care costs, a growing number of businesses are establishing on-site clinics for employees and their families, as well as fitness centers and wellness programs. The trend is being fueled by rising health care premiums. -
National Market Could Cure America’s Health Care Crisis: Policy Analysts
Opinion -Is the remedy to America's health care problems right under our noses? It could be, according to some health care analysts, if the opportunity available to federal government employees were extended to everyone else. -
Canadians Wait Longer for Medical Care
Opinion -In recent years, patients treated by the Canadian health care system have increasingly experienced lengthy waits to see providers. -
False Spring in Long-Term Care Winter
Opinion -Savvy public policymakers know that funding long-term care (LTC) will be a long, cold slog. -
Experts Say Importation Plan Would Reduce Innovation
Opinion -(Chicago, Illinois - December 21, 2006) This morning, Rep. -
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The Patient Safety Crusade–a Phony Crisis
Opinion -The American health care system is the biggest business sector in the country. As a result, it is a very attractive target for ambitious politicians and policymakers, with more than $2 trillion a year in expenditures. -
Experts Available for Comment On Direct-To-Consumer Advertising of Prescription Drugs
Opinion -(Chicago, Illinois - December 5, 2006) The U.S. Government Accountability Office is expected to release a study on direct-to-consumer advertising (DTC) of prescription drugs in the coming weeks. -
Info Technology Initiatives Gain Momentum in Health Care
Opinion -Communities are forging ahead with using health care information technology to exchange health data, while their state legislatures are busy concentrating on policy issues, according to a new survey. -
Electronic Health Records Use Still Lags
Opinion -Adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) by U.S. -
It’s About the Money, not the Children
Opinion -The City of Akron recently (November 17) decided to temporarily drop its lawsuit against paint manufacturers who at one time (decades ago) sold lead paint. -
Not Very Common Common Sense
Opinion -On November 9, The New England Journal of Medicine published the latest installment of the now-famous Nurses Health Study, which has followed closely the health of 82,802 women since 1976. -
New Federal HIV Testing Protocols Unveiled
Opinion -In a sweeping revision of federal guidelines, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended in September that doctors include HIV tests in routine medical care for all Americans between the ages of 13 and 64, regardless of patients' -
Firms to Modify School Snacks
Opinion -The William J. Clinton Foundation and five major food companies announced on October 6 that snacks sold to kids in public schools as part of school lunch programs and from vending machines on school property will contain less fat, sugar, and sodium.
