Public Plan enrollment freeze

Many health reformers are urging President Obama to pass legislation which would create a public, Medicare-style health plan which would be available for all individuals.  The plan would be open to all…or would it.  If a government ran a huge deficit and had to cut spending, would there be an enrollment freeze if the public…

How to pay for health reform: Taxes

The New York Times is reporting that “to pay for a sweeping overhaul of the health care system, House Democrats will propose a surtax on individuals earning $280,000 and up and couples earning more than $350,000.”  Now, taxes in and of themselves need not be distortionary.  Let us assume that your employer takes $10,000 from…

5 Health Care Myths

Bob Laszewski has a great posts on 5 false  “solutions” to reduce health care costs.  These are: EMR: Making electronic medical records universal will greatly improve health care quality, but the impact on cost will be minor.  Better quality care can reduce iatrogenic injuries and reduce cost, but the cost reduction–if any–will likely be small…