New NCPA Study: Medicaid Pharmacy Modernization Could Save States Billions Without Limiting Access
Pharmacy Choice – Pharmacy Choice reports on NCPA analysis of Medicaid drug benefits.
Are the Uninsured Getting a Free Ride?
Townhall – John Goodman’s latest commentary stirs debate over the actual costs of health care for the uninsured.
UK’s NHS Seeks to Limit Care for Smokers, Obese
Health Care News – NCPA Senior Fellow Devon Herrick is quoted on Britain’s government-run healthcare system in Health Care News.
What Health Reform Means For Medicare
Health Affairs Blog – John Goodman and Thomas Saving explain the
impact Obamacare will have on Medicare.
Health Reform Means Medicare Cuts for Seniors
NCPA – Medicare reforms will drastically reduce Medicare spending, according to a study from the National Center for Policy Analysis.
Louisiana Joins Eight Other States Seeking MLR Waivers
Health Care News – An analysis of possible consequences of the medical loss ratio (MLR) regulations required by Obamacare, with comments by Devon Herrick.
Money left over in your health savings account?
Money Magazine – Advice on the safest way to invest money with a health savings account.
How Should Medicare Pay for Medical Care?
The Health Care Blog – The economics of service vs. price for Medicare enrollees from John Goodman.
Update on Federal Medicaid Funding
NCPA – The richest states that spend the most money receive more money for Medicaid under the federal formula used to decide how much funding states receive, according to a new report by National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA).
Ryan's Plan
Townhall.com – John Goodman’s latest commentary compares ObamaCare to the Ryan plan.
Like Long Medical Wait Times, Crowded Emergency Rooms? You’ll Love ObamaCare.
Reason – This article on the predicted rise of emergency room visits under ObamaCare references Goodman’s calculations in Health Affairs.
Medicare Cures Won’t Fix Costs
Dallas Morning News Online – NCPA President John Goodman is quoted on Medicare costs in the Dallas Morning News.
Medicare by the Numbers
Texas Insider – Here are the five most important things you need to know about Paul Ryan, Barack Obama and Medicare. You won’t find this anywhere else.
Money left over in your health savings account?
CNNMoney.com – Since health savings accounts (HSAs) are linked to high-deductible insurance plans, you should keep enough in a savings or money-market account to meet your deductible (in fact, many HSAs require this).
How Safe is Your Hospital?
Townhall.com – Hospitals are dangerous places to be. At least if you are a patient. My colleagues Biff Jones and Pam Villarreal and I estimate that as many as 187,000 patients die every year for some reason other than the medical condition which caused them to seek care. We also estimate there are 6.1 million injuries caused by the health care system, including hospital acquired infections that afflict one in every 20 hospital patients.
The 'Harm' in Healthcare Spending
OneNewsNow.com – A new study from a non-partisan public policy research organization puts a price tag on the social cost of medical errors and other adverse events caused by the healthcare system — and one researcher has a suggestion that would alleviate the expense.
Social Costs From Medical Errors Could Near $1 Trillion, Researchers Find
Dallas Morning News Online – The social cost of adverse medical events could near $1 trillion yearly, according to newly published research.
GOP dodges Medicaid plan downside
Politico: Republicans talk a lot about how Medicaid block grants could help governors bring down their costs, but they don’t talk as much about what, exactly, the states would do with them.
Cost of Adverse Events/Medical Errors Equal to up to 45% of Health Care Spending
NCPA- The cost of death and injury from medical errors and other adverse events caused by the health care system itself is enormous, according to a new study by the National Center For Policy Analysis. The study is featured in the April issue of Health Affairs, which was released earlier today.
Medical Errors Cost Health Care System Billions
National Journal Online – As much as 45 cents out of every dollar spent on U.S. health care is related to a medical mistake, researchers reported on Thursday.
Entitlement Reform: What Next?
National Review Online – The Republicans have no plan to insure the uninsured. How do I know that? A New York Times editorial told me. So did Ezra Klein, writing in the Washington Post. But wait. Didn’t John McCain have such a plan during the last presidential election?
Understanding Rep. Ryan’s Plan for Medicare
Kaiser Health News – House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., left many details to Congress when he unveiled Tuesday his plan to make major changes to Medicare as part of a fiscal 2012 budget resolution. He says his overall objective is to convert Medicare into a premium support program for which the government will spend a specific amount for beneficiaries’ care, a fundamental shift from the current fee-for-service program. Backers of premium support say it is similar to the health insurance program for federal workers but others say it may not meet seniors’ needs.
Health Wonk Review Review: One of the Strongest Yet
Forbes.com – Jason Shafrin of Healthcare Economist hosts an unusually strong and interesting edition of Health Wonk Review.
No Capitalism Please, We’re Health-Care Providers
Connecticut Business News Journal – As economist Charles Phelps put it, the “health
care system… remains the most intensively regulated sector of the U.S. economy.”
John Goodman on Medicaid Outcomes
Forbes: I’ve been mentioning John Goodman’s name a lot recently, but he’s deserved it. Today, he’s published an excellent piece for Kaiser Health News, entitled “Is Medicaid Real Insurance?” that goes through many of the reasons why Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion will lead to poorer-quality care for lower-income families. An excerpt: