Opinion
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Drug Costs Drop Early in New Medicare Rx Program
Opinion -The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced in February Medicare's new drug coverage will have significantly lower premiums and lower costs to federal taxpayers and states than expected, the result of stronger-than-expected competition -
Analysis: Congress Strengthens Long-Term Care
Opinion -The Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) of 2006, signed into law by President George W. -
Patent Protection and Brazil’s HIV/AIDS Program
Opinion -Brazil has rolled out a successful and widely respected AIDS treatment program, which has relied in part on producing cheap, generic versions of antiretroviral therapy (ART) and in securing significant discounts for patented ART. -
‘Fair Share Health Care’ May Pose Threat to Fiscal, Physical Health
Opinion -In January, the Maryland General Assembly overrode Gov. Robert Ehrlich's (R) veto of Senate Bill 790, the "Fair Share Health Care Fund Act. -
Organizations, Experts React to Bush Health Care Plan
Opinion -Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP), the country's largest entrepreneurial group for women, praised President George W. Bush's plan for promoting flexibility and choice in the health care system. -
Some Hidden Costs
Opinion -Central to this study is the recognition that there are more costs in running the Medicare program than just paying claims costs that are regularly included, and are more transparent, in any private-sector assessment of administrative costs. -
President Proposes ‘Impressive’ Health Reforms in State of Union Address
Opinion -President George W. Bush spent only a few minutes addressing health care during the State of the Union address on January 31, but health policy experts are hailing his proposals as a major step forward for consumer-driven health care. -
San Francisco Considers HSA Mandate
Opinion -San Francisco Supervisor Tom Ammiano (D) introduced a revised "Health Care Security Ordinance" to the Finance Committee of the city's Board of Supervisors on February 1. -
HSAs Across the Country
Opinion -California State Assemblyman Greg Aghazarian's (R-Stockton) January 19 op-ed in Sacramento's Capitol Weekly detailed the efforts to get health savings accounts (HSAs) approved in California. -
Bush Offers Wide-Ranging Health Care Proposals
Opinion -Every February, the president of the United Sates sends his budget proposals to Congress for the coming fiscal year. Some are considered "DOA," dead on arrival, while others ignite policy discussions that eventually bear fruit. President George W. -
Consumers Demand Better-Fitting Health Plans, Study Says
Opinion -Early 2006 reports on the kinds of health plans Americans are purchasing signal a shift away from comprehensive health insurance with first-dollar coverage toward plans more tailored to individual or family needs. -
HSA Enrollment Tripled in Less than a Year, Study Says
Opinion -A January 2006 preliminary report from America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), which represents major insurers and health plans, revealed enrollment in health savings accounts (HSAs) has tripled since March 2005. -
New Guide Promotes Affordable Health Insurance
Opinion -Managing Editor's note: A guide designed to help state legislators understand why health insurance premiums have been rising was released in January by the Council for Affordable Health Insurance (CAHI). -
The Case Against Mandatory Coverage
Opinion -Writing in the Washington Post on January 18, business columnist Steven Pearlstein argued, "the president must acknowledge that there can be no credible reform without extending health insurance for every American--every employer should be required to -
Answering Jesse Jackson on the Prescription Drug Benefit
Opinion -Jesse Jackson, echoing the talking points of the Democratic Party, wrote recently in his syndicated column that the prescription drug benefit being rolled out for senior citizens on Medicare was "written by and for the insurance companies and the drug -
Ill. Task Force Makes Little Progress
Opinion -In 2004, the Adequate Health Care Task Force (AHCTF) was commissioned by Illinois' Health Care Justice Act to look into the issues of the uninsured, health care access, and health care affordability in the state. -
Michigan Proposes Onerous, Unusual Assisted Living Regulations
Opinion -Michigan's long-term care organizations have banded together in opposition to the state's effort to add new licensing provisions for assisted living providers. -
Senate OKs Electronic Health Records
Opinion -In response to President George W. Bush's challenge to Congress to develop standards for a nationwide electronic health record (EHR) network, the Senate approved the "Wired for Health Care Quality Act" (S. 1418) on November 18, 2005. -
New Bill Could Impede Spread of HSAs
Opinion -A bill (H.R. 4511) introduced December 13, 2005 in the U.S. -
Court Rejects Prescription Drug Price Controls in D.C.
Opinion -In December, a federal judge struck down a District of Columbia law that would have imposed price controls on prescription drugs. United States District Judge Richard J. Leon wrote in his December 22 decision, "the Court finds the D.C. -
AMA Offers Advice for a Healthy New Year
Opinion -In the final week of 2005, the American Medical Association (AMA) released a list of top resolutions to help people have a healthier 2006. -
How States Rank on ACEP Emergency Report Card
Opinion -Access to Emergency Care Seven states led the nation, earning "A" grades in the category--Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Maine, Massachusetts, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island--with no state receiving a failing grade. -
Experts Doubt Survey Findings on Health Plan Owners’ Satisfaction
Opinion -A December 2005 survey found people with consumer-driven health care (CDHC) plans were less satisfied than those in comprehensive health plans. -
AARP, Pharmacists Continue to Support New Medicare Drug Benefit
Opinion -The new Medicare drug benefit has been widely described in terms of "problems," "woes," "glitches," "growing pains," and "chaos"--all within the first two weeks of 2006.
