The trumpets are blaring to announce with great fanfare another “historic” political deal designed to give a boost to the sagging fortunes of health care reform and convince the public real progress is being made. Hospitals are linking arms with the Obama Administration and Congressional leaders to announce “savings” of …
Congress is, once again, confronted with the reality that when someone can spend someone else’s money, the cost goes up. The Congressional Budget Office estimates of spending and enrollment are not really surprising. So Congress is trying to shoehorn policies to meet the budget score. As a result, decisions are …
Sec. 142 Building on the Success of the Federal Employees Health Benefit Program so All Americans Have Affordable Health Benefit Choices (b) Sense of the Senate.—It is the sense of the Senate of that Congress should establish a means for all Americans to enjoy affordable choices in health benefit plans, …
President Obama, who had previously opposed an individual mandate for health insurance, has now opened the door to including such a legal requirement as a central feature of health care reform. An excellent explanation of the difficulties involved in the implementation of such a mandate was recently outlined in a …
Senators Max Baucus and Charles Grassley, the Chairman and Ranking Member respectively of the powerful Senate Committee on Finance have just delivered an indictment of the current health care system, including, strangely enough, the traditional Medicare program that top liberal health policy analysts and many in Congress want to use …
The Senateneeds to take its time with Obama’s Trillion Dollar Debt Plan. There are jut too many permanent government expansions tucked away inside this bill, especially on the health care front, including these four: Surprise #1—Congress as a predatory lender. Surprise #2—Former C.E.O.s and out of work politicians could Qualify …
Never do anything against conscience, even if the state demands it.—Albert Einstein Individual liberty is elemental to what is means to be an American. But in recent years the personal liberty and freedom of conscience of our doctors, nurses, and pharmacists have been threatened. Although “conscience clause” protections have been …
Senate leaders are preparing yet another big bailout package, this time for states in the form of increased federal matching rate for the $350 billion Medicaid program. If enacted, this would be the second time in less than ten years that Congress provided a “temporary” increase in the federal Medicaid …
