Unbiased Analysis of Today's Healthcare Issues
As expected, more of the aged 18-64 market is shifting to marketplace coverage and Medicaid coverage, whereas the share of individuals uninsured or covered by other insurance arrangements are falling. There has been little change in employer coverage. However, it is possible that there is a broader shift away from employer coverage, but the improving economy…
Obamacare rate increases. Patent protection and health care innovation. Are kids dehydrated? Milk, honey and low-priced health insurance? Low vs. high-priced hospitals.
A study by Glied, Ma and Pearlstein (2015) says the answer is no. High worker wages are a reasonable place to start for explaining why US healthcare costs are so much higher than other countries as about half of healthcare spending is spent worker compensation. The study by Glied, Ma and Pearlstein does find that:…
Access to care is a key issue for the poor. But for many poor, African-Americans, access to care is not the only impediment to regular visits to their doctor. History can play a big role as well. For African-Americans, even going to a doctor can be a fraught historical act in Mississippi. There are the practical…
This month is Alzheimer’s awareness month. To draw attention to the burden of irreversible, progressive brain disorder, today the Healthcare Economist is providing some facts about the disease, courtesy of the CDC, the Mayo Clinic, NIH Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive disease that destroys memory and other important mental functions. It’s the most common cause of dementia — a…
There are a number of ways plans in health insurance marketplace can lower their premiums. One option is to increase cost sharing. Plans in the bronze and sliver tier have much lower premiums than those in the gold and platinum tier. Within any tier, plans can restrict patient access to lower cost providers; this also will reduce…
A cancer breakthrough. FDA regulation and pain meds. The Dow is killing me. Career planning for scientists Hot hands real?
Louise Norris hosts a hot-off-the-presses edition: Summertime! Health Wonk Review at Colorado Health Insurance Insider.
An interesting article from Politico shows that Mississippi was instituting a program—known as One Mississippi—that would allow small businesses employees to come together to purchase insurance at lower rates. It was seen as a conservative politically as it helped those who were working to access healthcare. This is exactly what one of the provisions of…
Typically most workers want more money. In the case of one man, however, an increase in the minimum wage may force him to work less. At $15 an hour, his annual income would become too high to qualify for CountyCare under the current income limit. So any salary gains could be wiped out by the…