Government HealthCare
Medicare’s Benefits exceed Contributions by 300 Percent
Obama’s ‘Conversation’ on Entitlements By HOLMAN W. JENKINS, JR, WSJ A couple retiring last year paid $109,000 into Medicare but can expect $343,000 back from the system. Nobody should be surprised that public-sector workers in Wisconsin and elsewhere are fighting to preserve every penny of their promised benefits. Nobody should be surprised that state governors—and […]
While the US Gov’t is insolvent, the states aren’t far behind
The Hidden State Financial Crisis My latest research into opaque state financial statements suggests taxpayers will be surprised by how much pensions are underfunded. By MEREDITH WHITNEY, WSJ Next month will be pivotal for most states, as it marks the fiscal year end and is when balanced budgets are due. The states have racked up […]
Greek Jobless Lose Health Benefits
Amid Cutbacks, Greek Doctors Offer Message to Poor: You Are Not Alone By LIZ ALDERMAN, NYT NYT: ATHENS — As the head of Greece’s largest oncology department, Dr. Kostas Syrigos thought he had seen everything. But nothing prepared him for Elena, an unemployed woman whose breast cancer had been diagnosed a year before she came […]
Obamacare: What We Know Now
By Michael D. Tanner The CATO Institute January 27, 2014 For all intents and purposes, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, has been fully implemented. And while much of the media coverage has been dominated by the technical failures of the program’s initial rollout, we are also learning much […]
The Shifting Landscape of HealthCare Economics Part I
The rise of “managed care”, embodied most notably by the Health Maintenance Organization (“HMO”), has transformed doctor-patient relationships from the days when a doctor would come with their little bag to your home, to one of high costs and long waits. The battles over Healthcare Reform have only served to further confuse the dilemma we […]
Never Too Much of a Bad Thing
As costs have grown more and more over time, the legislative answer from both Republicans and Democrats has typically been to attempt ‘reform’ to these programs and insurance offerings. Each decade has seen attempts at reform which have generally added to the programs’ complexities and become fodder for lobbying. Certain treatments became mandated as part […]
The Shifting Landscape of Health Care Economics Part III
Lessons from The Clinton Era Jeff Selberg The U.S. health care landscape is changing in a way that’s reminiscent of shifts that occurred during the Clinton Administration. As a former hospital CEO who experienced first-hand that earlier land rush, I’m struck by the similar dynamics that are at work again in health care. To be […]