Insight, analysis & opinion from Joe Paduda
An oft-repeated goal of reform opponents is their desire to ‘get the government out of health insurance’. Let’s say they get their wish, and the vaunted free market is allowed free rein (or reign) to do as they would. What … Continue reading Be careful what you wish for: health insurance without regulation
Read More...There are some things I just don’t get. Bungee jumping, the Ruta de los Conquistadores, body piercing are near the top of the list, just under equity investors’ reactions to health reform. And it doesn’t look like my health investor … Continue reading Health plans, stock prices, and reform
Read More...Bob Laszewski has an excellent post on one of the key lessons from the Massachusetts experiment – the dangers of allowing people to buy into and drop out of coverage whenever they see fit. Evidently a number of people are … Continue reading Danger! Danger! Danger! lessons from the Mass experiment
Read More...Friday’s New York Times had an excellent piece about the major changes occurring in the type of policies gaining traction in the group health insurance market – consumer-directed health plans with high deductibles. According to the NYT’s Milt Freudenheim, more … Continue reading When health insurance…isn’t
Read More...Health care costs are on their way up – or more precisely, the rate of inflation is going to increase. Although the medical CPI, currently sitting at 2.8%, looks quite good compared to historical rates in the mid-single digits, there … Continue reading Health care costs are headed up – and so are premiums
Read More...I’d been meaning to get to the Center for Studying Health System Change‘s annual Wall Street comes to Washington meeting for several years – finally made it and it has been well worth the trip from Conn. There were two … Continue reading Preparing for McCain – health plans’ progress
Read More...I and others have taken Sen McCain to task for his wildly expensive health reform plan that somehow manages to cost more than the Obama or Clinton plans, while insuring far fewer people. How does he do this? By relying … Continue reading McCain’s health reform plan – More costly, less coverage
Read More...Health care ‘experts’ are coming out of the woodwork like termites after fumigation. Former Sec of State George Shultz and Stanford professor John Shoven are two of the latest emergent experts; they have written a book on reforming social security … Continue reading Shultz and Shoven miss the mark
Read More...Sen. Barack Obama has been taking hits for his ‘non-universal’ coverage approach to health care reform. His latest ads may indicate he is moving in the direction of ‘more’ universal coverage. Policy geeks will recall the contretemps among the Democratic … Continue reading Obama’s health plan
Read More...It looks like employers’ health care costs will increase by somewhere in the mid-to-high single digits next year. According to one survey, costs for employer-sponsored health insurance will average over $9300 per worker next year. That’s just 7% more than … Continue reading Why the good news on Employer health care costs?
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