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Viewing entries tagged with 'politics'
After SCOTUS: The Status Quo is Not an Option
Everybody and their brother will be blogging about the Supreme Court arguments on health care reform over the next several weeks. I do not want to add to the noise by focusing on the arguments and/or who has the winning position: many others will offer that kind of analysis.
The Unintended Consequences of Reimbursement Changes and Interplay with Practice Patterns
As we continue to focus on health care spending, it is important to look at the tools we’ve tried already and learn from our experience – especially our mistakes.
Health Care Quality and Cost Improvement: State-based approaches can’t go it alone
It is difficult to find an issue that is more politically contentious than health care; particularly the policy changes and programs that are needed to assure that Americans have access to needed care. The liberal position tends to see health care as a right, and seeks a strong centralized public role in assuring that all Americans have access to the same kinds of benefits and care. The conservative position sees fiscal and personal responsibility as the top priorities; tending to favor decentralized, private market solutions.
Congratulations to Governor Snyder
Michigan Governor Rick Snyder deserves special notice and acknowledgement for the courage and focus he displayed in his decision not to sign on to the letter signed by all other Republican governors, asking for changes to the Medicaid program and advocating for the repeal of the Affordable Care Act.
Let’s just start over?
I get asked to speak about health reform on a fairly frequent basis. It is actually quite fun, because health reform is so topical and there is always something new going on. I also enjoy the subject because there is always a range of viewpoints in any given audience: from those who strongly advocate for a single payer system to those who think the whole thing should be scrapped. It is interesting to hear the foundations for the various points of view.
What Does One Year Mean?
Well, the polling data are in! And, the results: people are just as confused about health reform today as they were when it passed a year ago; maybe, more so. In fact, 22 percent of those polled by the Kaiser Family Foundation believe health care reform has already been repealed and another 26 percent aren’t sure.
Bipartisan Opportunities in Health Care: the Push for Transparency
Despite the “Strum und Drang” over health care reform in Congress these days, there is actually some interesting bipartisan activity occurring. While the stridency on health care reform often gets the most notice, the bipartisan activity offers some hope that challenging problems can move forward in a constructive way.
The State and Federal Dance on Health Reform
The Affordable Care Act is a complicated law, in part because it builds off the current health care system to achieve some far reaching goals: significantly expanded access to care and control over the rate of cost increase. Though some describe the Act as a federal takeover of health care, in fact, much of the law is to be carried out in the states, with considerable state discretion over the design of many provisions.
Where is it all headed? Politics and Opinions About the Affordable Care Act
Since the January 31 decision by the Florida court that struck down the entire Affordable Care Act as unconstitutional, there has been endless speculation about what the court ruling means and what will happen next. Some Attorneys General who were party to the lawsuit have asked for an expedited decision by the Supreme Court on the constitutionality of the law; others have argued that Judge Vinson’s decision in Florida gives the states all the rationale they need to suspend implementation of the law in its entirety. The Senate held a vote on February 2 on the Republican proposal to repeal the law and not surprisingly, the repeal vote lost, 47 to 51 (Republicans voted unanimously for repeal). What is lost in all this focus on the legal and political strategy (especially: the theatrics) around the Affordable Care Act is what American consumers, businesses, and health care entities are actually saying about the law.
Health Care Reform: Values and Beliefs vs Economics
Ever since Bill Clinton took a turn at health care reform, the issue has often been discussed as an economic one. Bill Clinton first framed the health reform issue in 1992 before he took office. He had famously kept as a center piece of his campaign the idea that “it’s the economy, stupid” and health care became part of that dialog. He heard from the CEOs of many businesses, including the three Detroit automakers, that they were having a hard time competing in the global economy because they had to bear the cost of health insurance whereas their foreign competitors did not. So, when President Clinton convened his economic summit in Arkansas after he was elected but before he took office, health care was front and center.
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