Health Insurance

More “Chicken Little” on Obamacare?

November 10, 2014 Health Insurance

The latest challenge to the Affordable Care Act has the press and pundits in a dither. The Supreme Court preempted a full panel in the Court of Appeals (District of Columbia Circuit) already scheduled to hear an appeal in December and agreed to hear King v. Burwell. Both proponents and opponents are both amped up […]

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The (Slowly) Shifting Center of Gravity in Healthcare

October 2, 2014 Health Care

A friend sent me an article from Crain’s on New York’s DSRIP program. (Here’s a related DSRIP article, this one from Modern Healthcare.) I think his query was largely, though not entirely, from a hospital perspective. And in return, I sent him this one from Health Leaders on the expansion of new health care businesses.  And then, […]

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What Would Coase and Williamson Say?

September 17, 2014 Economics

it will be interesting to see if they can pull this off. This from the New York Times: “Hospitals and Insurer Join Forces in California” In a partnership that appears to be the first of its kind, Anthem Blue Cross, a large California health insurance company, is teaming up with seven fiercely competitive hospital groups […]

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Consolidating the Gains in Health Coverage

November 7, 2012 Health Insurance

Across much of the political spectrum and even among some Republicans, I suspect that there will be at least one shared emotion: relief that a very long election campaign is over. One key implication is that there’s now no question that we will move ahead with implementation of the Affordable Care Act, “Obamacare.” There may […]

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Coverage Matters, Regardless of What the Supreme Court Says

June 25, 2012 Government

When the Supreme Court releases its decision today or later this week on the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), there will be analyses galore on the law, the politics, and on policy as well. We’ll likely join in. But, in the midst of all that as far as healthcare is concerned , there will be one […]

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The Health Care System in the US is Consuming its Consumers

May 31, 2012 Economics

The Health Care Cost Institute has released a new report, but which is still another reminder of why we cannot afford the US healthcare system. Last week, we pointed to a study that showed increasing dissatisfaction and increasing prices. The 2010 HCCI Health Care Cost and Utilization Report is the first report of its kind […]

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I Wonder if This Guy Has Health Insurance

March 27, 2012 Uncategorized

Ya gotta be kidding me. Watch the whole thing. Did he break anything practicing? Well, he’s in Melbourne, where they have universal coverage.

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Once Again, The Argument Against Single Payer

March 27, 2012 Federal Government

Even while supporting universal coverage, I wrote and posted arguments against a single-payer system in June, 2005. At some point, I would expect that link to become inactive, so I’ve copied it below in its entirety. Though I might tinker with a couple of minor things, for the moment I’ll leave it as originally written. […]

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Today in the Supreme Court

March 26, 2012 Medicaid

From today’s Supreme Court deliberations on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), here’s a sampler of some news and analysis. Here’s Adam Liptak from the New York Times, Justices Hear Argument That Health Case is Premature. For a different perspective, read Henry J. Aaron, a distinguished healthcare economist from the Brookings Institution. Here […]

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Once Again, Why Universal Coverage?

March 26, 2012 Government

I wrote and posted the following on my first blog on February 2, 2005. At some point, I would expect that link to become inactive, so I’ve copied it here in its entirety. I might tinker with a couple of minor things, but for the moment, choose to leave it as originally written: Implicit in […]

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