Opinion
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Analysis: Massachusetts Health Care Plan Intrusive, Expensive
Opinion -The new Massachusetts health plan has dominated the policy conversation recently, causing more division among conservatives than liberals. -
Illinois Legislators Lambaste Governor’s Subsidy Plan
Opinion -Illinois' Medicaid program owes $1.5 billion in late payments to pharmacists, doctors, nursing homes, and others. Yet starting this July, under Gov. -
Portable, Personal Health Insurance Solves Many Consumer Problems
Opinion -One of the peculiarities of the U.S. health care system is that most of us have insurance plans we didn't choose: Our employers selected them. -
50 Ways for Kids to Exercise–Indoors Or Out
Opinion -Does your child spend far too much of his or her free time watching TV or playing video games? Experts advise that two hours of TV or video games a day should be the limit to better assure kids will be healthy, strong, and creative. -
Pressure for Market-Based Medicaid Reform Rises
Opinion -Medicaid's skyrocketing expenditures are reaching a breaking point in state budgets, experts say, and state legislatures are responding with sweeping new reform bills that fundamentally change the way states finance and deliver the federally mandated -
‘Balancing Budget on Medicaid Providers’
Opinion -One Illinois lawmaker with firsthand knowledge of the impact of late Medicaid payments and low reimbursement rates is Senate Republican Leader Frank Watson (R-Greenville). Watson is a pharmacist and drugstore owner. -
County Officials Sound Off on Medicaid
Opinion -"It's kind of crazy that we don't have a Medicaid cap in place. Property values are fairly low, but our tax rate makes it very difficult to compete from an economic development standpoint. Something needs to be done! -
Maryland Considers, Pennsylvania Adopts Measures Aimed at Student Obesity
Opinion -Childhood obesity is a growing concern for health advocates and educators alike. In efforts to curb it, some states are turning to controversial measures that include having schools report children's body mass index (BMI) to their parents. -
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Medicaid Costs Are Busting Budgets for North Carolina Counties
Opinion -Counties across North Carolina are experiencing budget problems because of high and increasing Medicaid costs. -
U.S. Senate Considers Small Business Health Plans
Opinion -Since 2003, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and other groups have sponsored an annual campaign during the first week of May to "Cover the Uninsured." As a result, Congress often considers health legislation during the month. -
For Some, Medicare Drug Plan Pays Off
Opinion -When Lacey P. Green went to his neighborhood pharmacy to pick up five prescriptions, he thought he heard the pharmacist say he owed $250, but he was wrong. The cost, with his new Medicare prescription drug card, was just $50. -
Analysis: Medicaid’s Huge Hidden Costs
Opinion -In the 40 years since it was created to provide medical care to the needy, Medicaid has expanded far beyond that original mission. In 2004, Medicaid spending totaled $309 billion. -
Telemedicine Provides Benefits, but Security and Privacy Risks Abound
Opinion -The Internet is transforming the way Americans interact with the health care system, and consumers want more opportunities to use it. -
Embryonic Stem Cell Hucksters Exploit Misery
Opinion -There's bad news and more bad news for paralysis victims hoping some variety of stem cell will soon help them walk again. Adult stem cell paralysis treatment just suffered a major setback. -
New Policy Reports Identify Need for Greater Consumer Choice in Health Care
Opinion -Several new policy analyses, all published in the past few months, provide valuable insights into the need for and potential of free-market reforms of government health care regulations. -
Free-Market Health Care Alternatives Proposed in Illinois
Opinion -A proposal calling for market-driven solutions for covering the uninsured and reducing health insurance costs was presented Tuesday, May 9 at a meeting of the Affordable Health Care Task Force (AHCTF), a 28-member committee created as a result of the -
HHS Data Not Secure: Report
Opinion -A U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released March 23 pointed out possible flaws in data security at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). -
Consumers Want HSAs
Opinion -Getting policymakers to understand the value of health savings accounts (HSAs) may best be done by introducing them to constituents who own HSAs or high-deductible health plans (HDHPs). -
HHS Reports Medicaid Estate Recovery Low, Varies from State to State
Opinion -As states run their own Medicaid programs, they also handle their own estate recovery collections for Medicaid. States are permitted to try to recoup Medicaid spending by going after recipients' estates after they die. In February, the U.S. -
Legislators Eye Tobacco Tax Hike for Vermont Health Care Program
Opinion -On March 2, the Vermont House of Representatives passed a chronic care management bill, called Health Care Affordability for Vermonters (H.B. 861). -
Survey Shows CDH Support
Opinion -Deloitte Consulting has released its latest annual survey of large employers and has found a high degree of support for consumer-driven health plans (CDHP). -
Short-Term Plans Fill Coverage Gaps
Opinion -An Indiana-based insurer introduced a new short-term medical plan in March to provide immediate coverage to families and individuals who temporarily find themselves without health insurance. -
HSAs Proving Profitable for Employers
Opinion -USHEALTH Group is a small insurance company, with fewer than 200 employees, headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. In March 2005, the company received a renewal notice from its group insurance carrier, UnitedHealthcare.
