‘Balanced’ Should Take Into Account the Obama Health Law
By Betsy McCaughey President Barack Obama told the nation on Saturday that solving the nation’s debt crisis would “take a balanced approach, shared sacrifice, and a willingness to make unpopular choices.” Those are weasel words. On Tuesday, the president applauded a proposal from the “Gang of Six” — six U.S. senators who unveiled a a
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Panel Recommends Coverage for Contraception
By Robert Pear WASHINGTON — A leading medical advisory panel recommended on Tuesday that all insurers be required to cover contraceptives for women free of charge as one of several preventive services under the new health care law. Obama administration officials said that they were inclined to accept the panel’s advice and that the new
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Massachusetts Mess
IBD Editorial Failure: The Obama Health Law is supposed to increase health coverage and slow spending. The promises of RomneyCare in Massachusetts were the same. But it has neither brought universal coverage nor contained costs. The failure of former Gov. Mitt Romney’s health care reform to provide universal coverage in Massachusetts is well-documented. As many as
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Obama Will Reduce US to European Welfare State
By Betsy McCaughey Congress’s next fact-finding mission should be to the cramped living quarters of most Europeans, who also cannot afford modern conveniences. The lower standard of living in Europe should serve as a warning that the United States must avoid becoming “Europeanized.” In fact, the spendaholics in Congress should take a close look at the
Read MoreSquirming Sebelius
Congressional Committee Hearing HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius tries to wriggle out of answering Congress’s questions about the new denial of care mechanism in the Obama Health Law. To read the transcript, click here.
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We Can’t Afford to Train Fewer Doctors
By Herbert Pardes and Edward D. Miller Seeking to reduce the federal budget, Democratic and Republican lawmakers are looking at cutting funds for graduate medical education. Specifically, they’re considering reducing the Medicare reimbursement for doctor training, possibly in half, to cut about $4 billion from the federal budget. This could dramatically limit the ability of
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Oregon’s Verdict on Medicaid
By Michael Cannon Americans may be surprised to learn that little solid evidence exists to support the claim that expanding health insurance will improve the health and financial security of the uninsured; that some research calls into question whether broad coverage expansions improve health at all; and that some research even suggests that the overall
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Oregon’s Experience With Medicaid Expansion
By Gina Kolata When poor people are given medical insurance, they not only find regular doctors and see doctors more often but they also feel better, are less depressed and are better able to maintain financial stability, according to a new, large-scale study that provides the first rigorously controlled assessment of the impact of Medicaid.
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Medicare and Medicaid Chief in Race Against Time
By Amy Goldstein Don Berwick, the administrator in charge of Medicare and Medicaid, was having dinner in Dupont Circle not long ago with five of his predecessors when the conversation veered to how long he could keep his job. In the realms of health care, his is a pivotal role: overseeing two entitlement programs that
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Medicaid Payments Go Under the Knife
By Phil Galewitz To curb rising Medicaid costs, about a dozen states are starting a new budget year by reducing payments to doctors, hospitals and other health care providers that treat the poor. Some health care experts say the cuts, most of which went into effect July 1 or will later this month, could add
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