Unbiased Analysis of Today's Healthcare Issues
In politics: He who desires to attempts to reform the government of a state, and wishes to have it accepted, must at least retain the semblance of the old forms; so that it may seem to the people that there has been no change in the institutions, even though in fact they are entirely different…
In 2013, Medicare launched the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement (BPCI) initiative. There were 4 models included in the program: Model 1 (least comprehensive): includes Part A services for the index hospitalization alone, and thus most closely resembles current fee-for-service payment. Model 2 (most comprehensive): encompasses Part A and Part B services for the index hospitalization, readmissions, and all other post…
For years, Republicans have campaigned to repeal Obamacare. The biggest question in their campaign is what to replace it with. One year ago, Republicans unveiled the Patient Choice, Affordability, Responsibility, and Empowerment Act (Patient CARE). Now, the Republicans have a new plan. What’s in the new plan? The Healthcare Economist reviews the highlights. No…
…are not very strong. Here are the penalties individuals will have to pay if they don’t have insurance: These penalties are not steep. The Kaiser Family Foundation estimates that the cost of a single employer health insurance plan in 2012 was $5,615 and the cost of a family plan was $15,745. This means that in…
Many people have asked me, what do you think about the Baucus health reform plan? Taking the bird’s eye view, the Baucus plan does a very good job at expanding insurance coverage. Eligibility limits for public plans (i.e., Medicaid and SCHIP) are more generous. Lower middle class and middle class individuals qualify for health insurance…
While President Obama’s speech to Congress had many components, I’m going to focus on those related to health care. I will also comment on the Republican response. OBAMA ADDRESS I applaud the President for specifically addressing the need for health care reform. “…we can no longer afford to put health care reform on hold. We…
The Wall Street Journal reports that China is aiming for Universal Health Care. The Chinese hope to cover 90% of the population within 2 years, and provide health coverage for all Chinese by 2020. “This all stands in contrast to China’s current system, which provides little government funding to government hospitals and requires patients to pay heavy out-of-pocket…