Opinion
-
10/2001: The Pulse
Opinion -It's not been easy getting back to work after the events of last month. We have all been affected by the attack, directly or indirectly. Before the attack, something as simple as the sudden closing of National Airport would have seemed a catastrophe. -
10/2001: State Legislative Update
Opinion -California HMOs are leaving rural California, and residents are being forced to pay higher premiums or go without coverage. At least 16 rural counties have lost some or all of their health maintenance organizations. -
10/2001: The Galen Report
Opinion -The magnitude of the losses for our country and the sadness, grief, and anger that all of us have experienced since September 11th’s incomprehensible tragedy have been extraordinarily difficult to bear. -
Defined Contribution Gains Momentum
Opinion -Defined contribution continues to make slow inroads into the benefits market. We previously reported MyHealthBank is entering the Washington market and UNICARE is entering Illinois. Now, UNICARE has announced it is also entering Indiana. -
HIPAA and the Criminalization of American Medicine
Opinion -Waste, fraud, and abuse in Medicare are serious problems . . . but so are the federal government's efforts to combat them. Of course, egregious cases of fraud take place, and those engaged in criminal activities should be stopped and prosecuted. -
Individual Health Insurance: Solution for the New Economy? Part 1 of 2
Opinion -The employer-based health insurance system was born during World War II, when the economy and the health care system were very different than they are today. -
Survey: Americans Want Health Care Choice
Opinion -A new survey, commissioned by Communicating for Agriculture and the Self-Employed (CA) and conducted by Strategic Research Group of Minneapolis, reports emphatically that Americans want more freedom in health care. -
Time to Cut Out the Middle Man
Opinion -During the last decade the health care industry, out of concern for growing health care costs, moved decisively away from traditional fee-for-service insurance to managed care. -
Uninsured Immigrants Burden the Health Care System
Opinion -Managing Editor’s note: The increase in the number of people without health insurance is one of the our most troubling social trends. -
09/2001: The Galen Report
Opinion -There is reason for some optimism on the health care front. -
Bush Takes Center Field on Stem Cell Funding Issue
Opinion -Six months ago, it would have been impossible to predict the stem cell research issue might become a defining moment for President George W. Bush and his administration. -
Conservatives Who Trust the Government on Stem Cell Research
Opinion -A number of prominent pro-life conservatives, including Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch and former Florida Sen. Connie Mack, have recently voiced their support for federal funding of human stem cell research. -
What Is a Stem Cell?
Opinion -Take out your pencils for a pop quiz: What's a stem cell? We bet most Americans—the majority of whom will have an opinion on stem cell research—can't answer that question. -
The Case for Managed Care: Part 3 of 3
Opinion -In Part Two, questions were raised about the way the U.S. health care system is organized. Fee-for-service and the independence of physicians and hospitals were shown to be linked with the high cost of health care. -
Medicare Drug Plan May Deliver Less than Expected
Opinion -A new Kaiser Family Foundation study has found that senior citizens experience “sticker shock” when drug benefit plans proposed by federal lawmakers are explained accurately to them. -
09/2001: State Legislative Update
Opinion -Georgia State and federal cuts in Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements have packed a financial punch. Some doctors, especially those in rural areas, have dropped out of government assistance programs rather than risk operating their practice at a loss. -
Losing Our Grip
Opinion -These days, everyone is claiming to be a winner in the patients’ bill of rights debate. Rep. -
HHS Issues Privacy Guidelines
Opinion -The U.S. Department Health and Human Services (HHS) released on July 6 the first set of privacy guidelines required by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). -
How to Insure the Health of Millions of Uninsured Americans Immediately
Opinion -Health insurance is expensive. -
Making a Federal Case out of Health Care
Opinion -You may recall that Capitol Hill’s race to regulate health care at Club Fed received one of the biggest booster shots nearly five years ago. We are still suffering from the side effects. -
CMS Encourages Innovation
Opinion -Since January 22, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, formerly the Health Care Financing Administration, has approved 910 new and pending Medicaid and SCHIP amendments and waivers. -
‘Just Gotta Learn from the Wrong Things You Done’
Opinion -I've long had an interest in health policy. But I first became passionate about health care during the epic battle over Clintoncare. I still regard that victory as one of my party's finest hours. -
09/2001: The Pulse
Opinion -Lots of people are making the connection that MSAs are a better way to empower patients than are lawsuits after someone is dead or injured. The Florida Times-Union argues the PBOR is actually a “trial lawyers’ bill of rights. -
States and the Patients’ Bill of Rights
Opinion -"We are very concerned about federal pre-emption of our state law, which is working well for the citizens of Ohio. Federal pre-emption is not necessary," said J.