Modern Healthcare reported this week that Humana expects to lose 300,000 customers by the end of the year and that it may exit the Affordable Care Act (ACA) exchanges if the market does not turn around for them.
Broadband as a Moving Target
On January 29, 2015, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) redefined what constitutes minimum standards for broadband access, raising the bar from the original standard of 4 Megabytes per second (Mbps) for download speeds, and 1 Mbps for upload speeds, to 25 Mbps download speeds and 3 Mbps upload speeds.
House Sends Obamacare Repeal to the President
Yesterday evening, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 3762, the Restoring Americans’ Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act, by a vote of 240-181.
Tonight: The Reconciliation Rule!
This evening, the House Rules Committee will meet to set the debate parameters for H.R. 3762, the Restoring Americans’ Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act of 2015, a reconciliation bill that would essentially cripple Obamacare.
Gadgets, Gizmos, Spectrum and IP
On January 6, the 2016 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) kicks off in Las Vegas, Nevada. This annual event showcases a multitude of devices and inventions, demonstrating the ingenuity and entrepreneurship of inventors across a wide range of fields.
Official Time: Practically Opaque in Every Way
On May 9, 2013, President Barack Obama signed an Executive Order stating, “Openness in government strengthens our democracy, promotes the delivery of efficient and effective services to the public, and contributes to economic growth.” His pronouncement does not equate with reality: not all federal agencies are as open and transparent as the president wishes them to be. With apologies to Mary Poppins, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has proven to be practically opaque in every way: When it comes to reporting hours spent on “official time,” the last report OPM released on this virtual union subsidy was for fiscal year (FY) 2012.
From Boondoggle to Bailout: Governor Hogan’s Wrong Turn on the Purple Line
The March 2015 edition of WasteWatcher included an article about local transit projects, “Transportation Boondoggles: Streetcars and Other Things Lacking Desire.” One of the culprits was the proposed Purple Line, a bait-and-switch,* multi-billion dollar, 16-mile light-rail line connecting New Carrollton and Bethesda, two Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C.
When the Federal Government Goes Too Far
On February 2, 2015, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Tom Wheeler released a statement supporting federal preemption of state laws that restrict municipal broadband networks. On February 26, 2015, two other FCC commissioners agreed with the Chairman, and voted to overturn laws in North Carolina and Tennessee that restricted local municipalities’ ability to build government owned networks. Both states filed suit in March 2015 in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit to have the FCC’s decision overturned.
Single-Payer VA Healthcare Fails America’s Veterans
By any measure, those that serve in America’s military are the best of the nation. They sacrifice life and limb to defend the United States. They deserve the best medical care when they return home. However, numerous investigations over the past several years have exposed a systemic cancer of mismanagement and neglect in the federal department tasked with that care.
This is What Ash Carter’s Reform Looks Like
Upon assuming the office of Secretary of Defense in February 2015, Ashton Carter prioritized recruiting private sector companies – especially those in technology industries – to bid on contracts awarded by the Department of Defense (DOD). Carter, who holds a PhD in theoretical physics and lectured at Stanford, had the chops to appeal to Silicon Valley tech mavens.