Opinion
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01/2002: The Pulse
Opinion -You are invited to participate in an online discussion list dealing with many of the issues we report on here. To check it out, send an e-mail to [email protected]. -
Canada Saves Little with Generic Drugs
Opinion -Recently, a report on the cost savings of generic drugs made front-page news in Canadian newspapers. Malcolm Anderson and Karen Parent of Queen's University analyzed prices of 34 generic drugs introduced in Canada between 1995 and 1999. -
Maryland Single-Payer Proposal Would Cost 117,000 Jobs, Shrink Payroll Tax Receipts by $4.89 Billion
Opinion -A proposal to implement single-payer health care in Maryland could cost the state as many as 117,000 jobs and as much as $4. -
Insurance Industry Feels 9/11 Pain
Opinion -Prior to the September 11 terrorist attacks on New York City and the Pentagon, employers were bracing for a new round of health insurance premium increases. Washington-based Watson Wyatt Worldwide predicted a national average increase of about 14 percent. -
A Second Look at MSAs
Opinion -Reforming the U.S. health care system is always a matter of evolution, not revolution. Remember Medical Savings Accounts (MSAs)? For the last five years, they stumbled along slowly in a flawed federal pilot program. -
TennCare Reform Moves Ahead
Opinion -Starting last December, Tennessee officials were allowed to begin removing ineligible enrollees from TennCare, the state's troubled Medicaid managed care program, under a compromise agreement reached in federal district court. -
Table: Projected Economic Effect of Four Universal Health Care Alternatives
Opinion -Projected Economic Effect Four Universal Health Care Alternatives Proposal Loss of Jobs Loss inPayroll Taxes (billions) Tax Increase Effect Increase inPersonal Income Tax Medicaid expansion 30,618 $1. -
Rethinking a Drug Discount Program
Opinion -On July 11, 2001, President George W. Bush announced his Medicare Prescription Drug Discount Program. -
States Don’t Wait on Patients’ Rights
Opinion -When North Carolina Governor Mike Easley (D) signed “patients’ bill of rights” legislation, the state joined 45 others that have given more legal power to health care consumers. -
Politics, Law Delay Federal Rx Discount Card
Opinion -If you've flipped through a copy of Reader's Digest lately, you’ve probably come across an advertisement for the Reader's Digest-Merck Medco YourRxPlan. -
Soaring Malpractice Premiums Bleed Doctors, Rob Consumers
Opinion -Skyrocketing medical malpractice insurance premiums are wreaking havoc in communities throughout the United States. -
The FDA’s Victims
Opinion -The Food and Drug Administration, the federal agency that is supposed to certify the safety and efficacy of pharmaceutical products and medical devices, often drives excellent products off the market. I should know. -
Table: States Don’t Wait on Patients’ Rights
Opinion -State Year Enacted Provisions Alaska 1998 Ban on gag clauses, direct access, bans financial incentives Arizona 2000 Grievance procedures, direct access, experimental treatment Arkansas 1997 Inpatient care after childbirth, mastectomies, -
Table: Medical Malpractice Payments for Individual Physicians, 2000
Opinion -Medical Malpractice Payments for Individual Physicians, 2000 State Median* Total Rank Alabama $200,000 $34,839,809 24 Alaska 100,000 3,244,459 51 Arizona 150,000 68,920,361 15 Arkansas 91,880 15,220,747 42 California 55,000 -
01/2002: The Galen Report
Opinion -Those anticipating the next generation of miracle medicines should be appalled by the results of the World Trade Organization meeting in Doha last November. -
And Now, the Rest of the Story…
Opinion -The Clinton administration’s plan for universal health care never was about "the greater social good" or "doing the people's business. -
New Health Insurance Product Offered in Oregon
Opinion -In response to employers' cries for innovative products that shift more of the costs and responsibilities of health insurance to their employees, two companies are partnering to unveil a defined contribution health insurance plan to Oregon employers by -
Feds Threaten to Close Medicaid Loophole
Opinion -A bipartisan group of federal policymakers has vowed to block any plans the Bush administration might have to close the so-called "upper payment limit" loophole in the Medicaid state reimbursement formula. -
Here Comes Government Rationing
Opinion -Opponents of government control of health care—among them economists, policy analysts, and health care practitioners—have often warned that government control inevitably means government rationing of care. -
Private-Sector Safety Institute Empowers Patients
Opinion -Leading physician, hospital, and consumer advocates announced at a December 11 news conference in Washington, DC the launch of a new initiative formed to improve patient safety and health care quality, the Patient Safety Institute (PSI). -
Recession Strips Insurance from 725,000 Laid-off Workers
Opinion -While Congressional leaders and the White House debate an economic stimulus package that supports subsidizing people enrolled in COBRA, a new report says more than 725,000 laid-off workers have lost their health insurance since the recession began in -
There They Go Again
Opinion -Nature abhors a vacuum. That's why the media must fill every second of air time and every column inch of page space. -
Seeking Socialized Health Care in Maine
Opinion -Voters in Portland, Maine were asked in November if they wanted government-run health care. Nearly 52 percent (7,024) cast ballots in support of the non-binding resolution, while 48 percent (6,494) rejected it. -
12/2001: The Galen Report
Opinion -I have been criss-crossing the country and, as a result, I have no idea what—if anything—is happening in Washington on health policy. But I can report on some of the conferences and events I have been participating in.
