President Obama has told the Congress and the country that he will be using his pen and phone to get his priorities implemented. That has meant bypassing Congress and changing, or ignoring, current law. It is well known that this has occurred several times during the horrendous rollout of the Affordable Care Act (ACA / […]
Is Another Special Exemption from Obamacare on the Way?
Last week on June 18, Inside Health Policy reported that lobbying efforts were underway by organizations that represent Medicaid-dependent providers, such as home care services, establishments that care for the disabled, hospice care facilities, etc., to get a special carve-out from the employer health insurance mandate found in the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare.) Under the […]
Don’t Know Much About Algebra
Paul Krawzak wrote in the June 4 Roll Call about some disturbing news that came from an April Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report on the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare.) Said Krawzak, “In a little-noticed footnote to a report issued in April, ‘Updated Estimates of the Effects of the Insurance Coverage Provisions of the Affordable Care […]
The Veterans Administration is a Socialized Healthcare System
Who said the “VA is a socialized healthcare system?” Or waxed poetically, “I know about a health care system that has been highly successful in containing costs, yet provides excellent care. And the story of this system’s success provides a helpful corrective to anti-government ideology. For the government doesn’t just pay the bills in this system — it runs the hospitals and clinics …The system in question is our very own Veterans Health Administration, whose success story is one of the best-kept secrets in the American policy debate?” Or who declared the VA is a godsend? And who promised that he’ll “make the VA a leader of national health care reform so that veterans get the best care possible?”
The Federal 340B Discount Drug Program Needs Reform
The federal 340B drug discount program is in need of congressional oversight and reform.
What is the 340B Program and Why You Need to Care
Problems in the 340B drug discount program are growing and costs are increasing due as more entities participate in the program.
CAGW’s Obamacare Horror Stories
You may remember Sen. Harry Reid’s (D-Nev.) infamous floor speech on February 26 regarding Obamacare Horror stories. He said: Despite all that good news, there are plenty of horror stories being told. All of them are untrue, but they are being told all over America… Those tales turned out to be just that – tales, stories […]
So Long, Farewell…
This week Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Kathleen Sebelius resigned her position from the Department of Health and Human Services. Most policy people in Washington are not asking, “why?” but instead are pondering “what took so long?” Sebelius has been secretary at HHS since the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare) was written, passed by […]
Not So Fast — How Many Have Paid? How Many Were Previously Insured?
“ACA Total Blows Past 7 Million!” “Obamacare Comeback?” “More Than Seven Million Have Enrolled Under the Affordable Care Act, Whitehouse says!” blare numerous April 1, 2014 newspaper headlines. The president gave a speech in the White House Rose Garden stating, “Last night, the first open-enrollment period under this law came to an end. And despite […]
Showdown at Medicare Part D Corral
Medicare Part D is one of the few government-created programs that has consistently cost less than the Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO) original estimates. Every fall, seniors get to choose from a variety of plans for their drug coverage. Pharmaceutical companies, pharmaceutical benefit managers (PBM), and pharmacies know this and they compete vigorously for seniors’ business. A PBM is a third party administrator of prescription drug plans (Well-known PBMs are Catamaran, CVSCaremark, Express Scripts, Humana Pharmacy Solutions and USScript). PBMs negotiate drug prices, establish formularies, process, and pay prescription drug claims in private insurance, as well as Medicare. This robust competition among private sector entities is the major reason that Medicare Part D costs less than originally anticipated; rather than employing heavy-handed government edicts or price controls, market forces keep prices low and satisfaction high. So, why would the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) suddenly move to “fix something that ain’t broke”?