Opinion
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Patients’ Bill of Rights An Unhealthy Remedy
Opinion -In an effort to help Americans unhappy with the service they’re getting from "managed care" health plans, federal lawmakers are laboring mightily to enact a "Patients’ Bill of Rights" that would let patients sue those plans when they feel they’ve been -
The Case for Managed Care: Part 2 of 3
Opinion -In Part One of this three-part series, we covered the macro history of managed care. -
NFIB, Fortis Team Up for Affordable Insurance
Opinion -The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) and Fortis Health have teamed up to make affordable health insurance plans available to 600,000 NFIB member businesses throughout the U.S. -
Tennessee Tax Protest: A Report from the Front Lines
Opinion -Police cars blockaded entrances to the Tennessee state capitol building, and troopers patrolled legislative hallways this week as the state legislature found itself under siege by thousands of angry taxpayers upset at a plan to implement a state income -
Bush Outlines New Approach to Medicare Reform
Opinion -President George W. Bush took a first step toward a new conversation on Medicare reform, listing eight reform principles before an audience of about 200 people from the health sector on a beautiful summer day in the Rose Garden. -
How Much Should We Spend on Health Care?
Opinion -Here we go again. Another round of health insurance rate hikes. This time, premiums are going up 10 to 20 percent, at times more. Health care costs generally are rising at two to three times the rate of inflation. -
07/2001: The Galen Report
Opinion -The June 4 conference on "Transformative Change through Market-Driven Health Care" was a major success with full attendance throughout the day. -
The Case for Managed Care: Part 1 of 3
Opinion -If your approach to analyzing the health care system is through anecdotes, this article is not for you. We will not discuss Aunt Hilda's latest problem with her insurance company. We will not examine Grandpa's hip replacement at his HMO. -
How Drug Price Controls Hurt Consumers
Opinion -Maine is at the forefront of efforts to regulate the price of prescription drugs. -
Canada No Model for Prescription Drug Reform
Opinion -The high cost of prescription drugs has caused many lawmakers to embrace Canada's nationalized health care system as a solution to America's woes. During her successful campaign last year, Michigan Sen. -
07/2001: The Pulse
Opinion -The editor of Employee Benefit News, David Albertson, notes it is difficult to tell if employers are really interested in defined contribution, or if the interest is just wishful thinking on the part of D-C proponents. -
MSAs for Everyone
Opinion -The idea behind Medical Savings Accounts (MSAs) is that individuals are able to own and control some of their own health care dollars. -
Missouri Debates Future of Certificate-of-Need
Opinion -At the end of 2001, some elements of Missouri’s Certificate-of-Need (CON) law are set to expire. The looming deadline has opened debate in the state about the continuing need for the program, which first went into effect more than 20 years ago. -
Survey Points Way to Affordable Health Insurance
Opinion -Representatives Richard Armey (R-Texas) and William Lipinski (D-Illinois), along with 23 cosponsors from both sides of the aisle, introduced the Fair Care for the Uninsured Act of 2001 (H.R. 1331) on April 3, 2001. -
07/2001: State Legislative Update
Opinion -Arizona As predicted in last month’s State Legislative Update, the high-risk pool legislation, formerly on a fast-track for approval, hit a brick wall in the Senate. -
Answering Critics of the Pharmaceutical Industry
Opinion -Complaints about prescription drug prices have escalated in recent months. Critics contend drugs cost too much and point to drug company profits as the reason why. -
CarCare and Medicare: A Fable for Today
Opinion -“Cars are just too expensive for seniors,” thundered the politician as he unveiled his new plan. Not daring to anger the AARP lobbyists nearby, his colleagues bobbed their heads in agreement. When the vote came up, the bill passed with nary a nay vote. -
Kentucky Offers New HIP
Opinion -Kentucky Access, the state’s new high-risk health insurance pool, has enrolled 164 Bluegrass State residents who previously were unable to afford or obtain health insurance, typically due to a pre-existing condition. -
Doing the ‘Do Something’ Shuffle
Opinion -Hope glimmered for America’s bloated medical economy on June 4, when Thomas Scully made his public debut as head of the Health Care Financing Administration, the federal agency that provides health insurance to over 74 million people through Medicare, -
Hawaii Lawmakers Reconsider Privacy Law
Opinion -Mass confusion has forced Hawaii lawmakers in the 2001 legislative session to put a medical records privacy law on hold and convene a special task force to review the law and recommend changes. The task force’s report was expected by July 1. -
New Jersey’s Health Insurance Disaster
Opinion -This is the story of how one state, New Jersey, destroyed its private individual health insurance market in the name of “health care reform.” It is a cautionary lesson to elected officials and policy analysts around the country. -
Patients Rights? Try Prisoners Rights
Opinion -It may sound healthy, this debate we're hearing in Washington over a "Patients’ Bill of Rights." But it's like listening to prisoners clamor for better food and more yard time. No matter what the outcome, they're still prisoners. -
Wrong Prescription for High Drug Prices
Opinion -One of the Clinton-Gore administration’s final acts before leaving office was to launch a campaign to demonize the nation’s pharmaceutical industry. -
Single-Payer Health Care Would Enslave a Nation
Opinion -Single-payer health care systems are frequently proposed as the solution to the problem of the uninsured. In theory, such arrangements would guarantee that all citizens have a health insurance policy.
