Opinion
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States Move to Restrict Medical Discount Cards
Opinion -At least a dozen states are considering legislation to restrict the sale of medical discount cards, which many uninsured persons or those with large-deductible health insurance policies use to reduce their out-of-pocket expenses. -
Benefits in the Balance
Opinion -A federal judge began hearing arguments in February over federal rules regarding employer-provided health coverage for retirees before and after their Medicare eligibility. The hearing before Judge Anita Brody of the U.S. -
Schiavo Case Brings Congress Back from Break
Opinion -The Terri Schiavo controversy came to Washington, DC in March, with Congress calling a special session and President George W. -
Preventive Medicine Brings High Costs, Limited Benefits
Opinion -Popular theories on how to control health care costs have had a hazardous side effect: higher costs. -
Current Tax Laws Hamper Consumer-Driven Health Care
Opinion -Consumer-driven health care has advanced more in the past decade than in any other period in history. Health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs), for example, received a boost from the Internal Revenue Service in 2002. -
Doctor Spending Nearly Eight Years in Prison Without a Trial
Opinion -"I want to go to trial on Monday; I've been locked up for nearly eight years," Dr. Tom Sell declared. "The federal court has no evidence, they have no witnesses. I want my trial one week from today. I am not incompetent in any way, shape, or form. -
My Turn: Health Care Revolution in Europe
Opinion -My visit to London a few months ago provided valuable lessons about the United Kingdom (UK) and its European Union (EU) neighbors. What was once unimaginable is happening: Europe's citizens, who once held fast to socialized medical care, are letting go. -
CMS Issues Final Rules for 2006 Medicare Drug Benefit
Opinion -The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued final rules for the new 2006 Medicare prescription drug benefit (Part D) and the new Regional PPOs under Medicare Advantage (Part C). The regulations run about 2,000 pages. -
Advertisement: Electronic Health Records Highlighted at TEPR 2005
Opinion -TEPR (Towards an Electronic Patient Record), the country's leading health care technology conference and trade show, will be held May 14-18, 2005 in Salt Lake City, Utah. -
Consumer Choice Matters: Absolutely the Next Big Thing
Opinion -In a January 31 Los Angeles Times article, Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar wrote the Bush administration wants to "move the nation away from the system of employer-provided health insurance ... [and toward] a system in which workers ... -
Bush Threatens to Veto Controls on Medicare Drug Spending
Opinion -Two days after Bush administration officials released new cost estimates for the Medicare prescription drug program, President George W. Bush threatened to make the first veto of his presidency against efforts to control the program's costs. -
Conrad Meier, Rest in Peace
Opinion -Conrad Meier, Heartland senior fellow and founding editor of Health Care News, passed away at 11:00 a.m. on March 18 with his family at his side. He was 70 years old.Conrad was a big man who liked to embrace others, funny, an extrovert, and smart. -
How to Reduce the Risk of Nutritional Diseases
Opinion -The United States is experiencing an epidemic of diseases related to poor nutrition. Rates of heart disease, stroke, type-2 diabetes, and obesity are all rising rapidly. -
New Mexico Takes Up Medical Marijuana
Opinion -New Mexico may become the eleventh state to allow seriously ill people to possess and use medical marijuana while it remains illegal under federal law. -
Noted Proponent of Health Care Reform Dies Unexpectedly
Opinion -(Chicago, IL) Conrad Meier, one of the nation's leading advocates of market-based reform of health care, passed away unexpectedly on March 18, 2005. He was 69 years old. -
Conrad Meier, Rest in Peace
Opinion -Conrad Meier, Heartland Senior Fellow and founding editor of Health Care News, passed away at 11:00 a.m. on March 18, 2005 with his family at his side. He was 70 years old. -
Big Rx Companies Offer Big Savings to the Uninsured
Opinion -More than 30 million uninsured Americans became eligible in February to receive savings of between 25 and 40 percent on 275 brand-name and generic prescription products through a private-sector discount program called Together Rx Access. -
Medical Bankruptcy Claims Are Biased and Grossly Exaggerated
Opinion -A new article in Health Affairs by David Himmelstein, Elizabeth Warren, Deborah Thorne, and Steffie Woolhandler is summarized in the media as revealing that half of all bankruptcies in the United States are caused by medical problems, especially -
What Will the Federal Prescription Drug Program Cost?
Opinion -"There has been no significant change in the cost of the prescription drug benefit. -
Conference Calls for Changes in Medicare/Medicaid
Opinion -The second annual World Health Care Congress convened in Washington, DC on January 30-February 1 with common messages echoing through the three days of meetings: increase quality, reward the best, increase communication, decrease costs, and reform -
Maine Legislator Seeks Repeal of 1978 CON Law
Opinion -The Maine state legislature will consider a bill introduced this session by State Rep. Tom Shields (R-Auburn) to repeal the state's Certificate of Need (CON) law, originally passed in 1978. -
Health Care Tax Credits Could Help Solve Nation’s Uninsurance Problem
Opinion -Support is growing for a proposed solution to the rising number of uninsured Americans: a federal tax credit for purchases of health insurance. -
Advertising Prescription Drugs: Is It Wasted?
Opinion -Anyone who watches television or reads popular magazines knows the amount of money spent on advertising for prescription drugs has increased dramatically in the past few years. -
Major U.S. Employers Unite to Sponsor Low-Cost Health Insurance
Opinion -A new program designed to provide affordable health insurance coverage to the uninsured beginning in September 2005 was introduced in late January at the World Health Congress in Washington, DC.
