tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63542432009-03-06T09:21:40.583-06:00A project of The Flint Hills Center for Public Policy, Kansas Health seeks to provide substantive information and fresh insights on health care issues in Kansas.Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14708379059006538160noreply@blogger.comBlogger539125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1157052489458591902006-08-31T14:18:00.000-05:002006-08-31T14:28:42.643-05:00

[Nina Owcharenko, "Provide alternatives to employer-based health care plans," The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 31 August 2006.]Heritage Foundation senior analyst Nina Owcharenko suggests moving toward tax credits and away from employer-based coverage as a way to alleviate the problem of the uninsured:The current system, which is dominated by tax-favored coverage offered through the workplace,

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1156952242511745922006-08-30T10:28:00.000-05:002006-08-30T10:38:11.866-05:00

[Alan Bavley and Lynn Franey, "More go without health coverage," The Kansas City Star, 30 August 2006.]Right on the heels of news that Wichita ranks among the most expensive cities to obtain health insurance, new Census data reveals an increase in the uninsured - with the South and West seeing the greatest growth:About 37 million Americans were poor last year, and 46.6 million lacked health

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1156951439198894342006-08-30T10:12:00.000-05:002006-08-30T10:24:45.406-05:00

[Editorial, "Reveal health care costs," USA Today, 30 August 2006.]An editorial in today's USA Today draws a link between consumer-driven health care and the move toward price transparency in health care:No sensible consumers would purchase a new car or refrigerator without knowing the price, or without asking a few questions about reliability.Yet they'll undergo cardiac surgery or a hip

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1156861895101147742006-08-29T08:54:00.000-05:002006-08-29T09:31:35.286-05:00

["The Waiting Game," The Wall Street Journal, 29 August 2006.]Unreasonable waits are widespread under the single-payer system to the north:Last week Ottawa-based Decima Research released results of a poll designed to answer the ultimate question in Canada: "How many wait too long for health care?" The firm says its survey of 3,070 Canadians "reveals that more than one in three Canadian households

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1156780154177609952006-08-28T10:36:00.000-05:002006-08-28T10:49:14.266-05:00

[William Lottero, Robert Seifert and Nancy Kohn, "Losing Ground: Eroding Health Insurance Coverage Leaves Kansas Farmers with Medical Debt," The Access Project, July 2006.]A recently-released report from The United Methodist Health Ministry Fund and The Kansas Farmers Union reveals that many farmers in Kansas face significant medical debt even if covered by traditional insurance: Overall, about

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1156779103777163252006-08-28T10:26:00.000-05:002006-08-28T10:31:43.780-05:00

[Andi Atwater, "Ranking for Wichita is flawed, insurers say," The Wichita Eagle, 27 August 2006.]A new ranking from eHealthInsurance places Wichita among the most expensive cities to obtain health insurance, but the numbers are under dispute:The best and worst rankings -- Wichita made the bottom five of the nation's 100 most populous cities -- are being published in today's Parade

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1156778750593150532006-08-28T10:16:00.000-05:002006-08-28T10:25:50.620-05:00

[Dave Ranney, "Firm’s Medicaid advice may backfire for state," The Lawrence Journal-World, 28 August 2006.]The Lawrence Journal-World's Dave Ranney peels another layer back in the ongoing Medicaid financing mess in his latest column on the subject:Ten years ago, state welfare officials fell head-over-heels in love with Maximus, a Virginia-based consulting firm that knew how to coax millions of

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1156515070313789882006-08-25T09:06:00.000-05:002006-08-25T09:11:30.486-05:00

[John Goodman, "What Causes Health Care Inflation?," NCPA Consumer Driven Health Care Blog, 24 August 2006.]NCPA president John Goodman points out a new NBER study that demand is driving rising health care costs:In the decades prior to the establishment of Medicare and Medicaid, health care spending was relatively moderate, and never rose above 6 percent of GDP. With the expansion of government

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1156514550382273162006-08-25T08:53:00.000-05:002006-08-25T09:03:40.403-05:00

[Julie Schmit, "Could walk-in retail clinics help slow rising health costs?," USA TODAY, 24 August 2006.]Consumer-driven innovation in health care delivery is gaining steam, as this recent article from USA Today indicates:The clinics, about 150 nationwide, provide convenient but limited service at a low cost. They treat common ailments only — such as strep throat, ear infections and allergies —

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1156430653210426322006-08-24T09:37:00.000-05:002006-08-24T09:44:46.156-05:00

[M.L. Baker, "Coming: Insurance Debit Cards That Reveal Health History," Extreme Nano, 23 August 2006.]UnitedHealth just announced that they will be delivering on a concept that has been discussed for some time in consumer-driven health care circles - a debit card that patients can use to pay at the time of service that also contains health care data:Patients covered by UnitedHealth Group will

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1156430230164091062006-08-24T09:33:00.000-05:002006-08-24T09:37:10.166-05:00

["Financial organizations banking on HSAs," United Press International, 23 August 2006.]A new survey reveals that the majority of financial organizations see health savings accounts as a solid investment:Eighty percent of financial organizations either offer Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) or plan to in the next year, a new survey says.Fifty-four percent of the 137 financial organizations surveyed

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1156429979613911602006-08-24T09:22:00.000-05:002006-08-24T09:32:59.650-05:00

["NPR Examines Kentucky, West Virginia Revisions to Medicaid Programs Under New Federal Law," Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 23 August 2006.]The federal system of government in the United States ideally should allow for 50 "laboratories of democracy," in which public policy can be adapted to local preferences and all can learn from the successes and failures of the others. In the case of the

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1156344216450981272006-08-23T09:33:00.000-05:002006-08-23T09:43:36.476-05:00

[Book Forum, "Crisis of Abundance: Rethinking How We Pay for Health Care," The Cato Institute, 29 August 29 2006.]The Cato Institute is hosting author Arnold Kling next Tuesday for a forum on his new book, Crisis of Abundance: Rethinking How We Pay for Health Care:Why do so many pundits say that America's health care system is in crisis? Economist Arnold Kling says that the fundamental challenge

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1156343573012201002006-08-23T09:22:00.000-05:002006-08-23T09:33:10.566-05:00

[Harley Gordon, J.D., "Financial Planners Risk Lawsuits for Failing to Recommend Realistic Plans for Long-Term Care," The Journal of Financial Planning, August 2005.]Stephen Moses of The Center for Long-Term Care Reform reports in the latest LTC Bullet that financial advisers face significant risk if they do not adequately alert clients to the costs of LTC:As long-term care planning becomes more

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1156266050202182872006-08-22T11:56:00.000-05:002006-08-22T12:00:50.226-05:00

[Editorial, "Granite Caring: Stephen's program shows promise," The New Hampshire Union Leader, 22 August 2006.]The Flint Hills Center has highlighted New Hampshire's Medicaid reform proposal as an example of a possible course for Kansas policymakers to follow. Here's an editorial from a New Hampshire paper praising the early success of the program:Though it is too early to draw definitive

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1156265148934902772006-08-22T11:34:00.000-05:002006-08-22T11:46:41.556-05:00

[Aparna Mathur, "Medical Bills and Bankruptcy Filings," The American Enterprise Institute, 19 July 2006.]As NCPA President John Goodman points out, a slew of recent research undermines the claim made last year that medical bankruptcies outpace all others. The latest is a study from AEI:The idea that more than half of all bankruptcies are caused by medical debt comes from a study by Harvard

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1155910816362026462006-08-18T08:46:00.000-05:002006-08-18T09:20:17.423-05:00

[Devon M. Herrick, "Inject competition into health care," The Baltimore Sun, 17 August 2006.]NCPA scholar Devon Herrick writes in this recent column that interstate competition for insurance would improve the outlook for consumer prices:Sponsored by Sen. Jim DeMint, Republican of South Carolina, and Rep. John Shadegg, Republican of Arizona, the Health Care Choice Act would increase access to

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1155907335633280872006-08-18T08:16:00.000-05:002006-08-18T08:22:15.656-05:00

["HSAs Growing Apace To Reach 3.6 Million Accounts By January, 2007," Press Release, Information Strategies, Inc., 17 August 2006.]A new survey reveals that health savings accounts have staying power in the marketplace:Defying critics and demonstrating resilient expansion, Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) continued their strong growth trajectory with indications that this fall’s sign-ups will blow

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1155823664539258222006-08-17T08:58:00.000-05:002006-08-17T09:07:44.543-05:00

[Kevin Freking, "Doctors taking less Medicaid patients," Associated Press, The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 16 August 2006.]A new study shows that low reimbursement rates are serving to discourage physicians from accepting Medicaid patients:Many people who rely on government health insurance for the poor have to search harder to find a doctor and increasingly are going to large practices, a study

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1155822416512225082006-08-17T08:33:00.000-05:002006-08-17T08:48:17.726-05:00

[Sally C. Pipes, "Arnold's Raw Deal: Gov. Schwarzenegger tries to sell price controls," The Wall Street Journal, 16 August 2006.]Pacific Research Institute president Sally Pipes takes Governor Schwarzenegger to task for trying to impose price controls on pharmaceutical companies in this recent column:Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is promoting his new discount drug plan as a "voluntary" agreement

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1155738450769970272006-08-16T09:19:00.000-05:002006-08-16T09:28:36.946-05:00

[Fred Schuster, "Health-care transparency," Letter to the Editor, The Kansas City Star, 15 August 2006.]U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Kansas City Regional director Fred Schuster announces the launch of a new tool for health care consumers in this letter, as well as making the case for a new approach to health care generally:The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1155737893343192132006-08-16T09:12:00.000-05:002006-08-16T09:18:13.886-05:00

[Andrea Petersen, "Covering Long-Term Care," The Wall Street Journal, 13 August 2006.]The Wall Street Journal reports that while consumers have thus far shown only limited interest in long-term care coverage, new products may increase demand:Firms are rolling out policies that allow consumers to get their benefits -- or a portion of their benefits -- in cash, making it possible for people to pay

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1155658306134822532006-08-15T10:45:00.000-05:002006-08-15T11:11:46.313-05:00

[Gary S. Mogel, "Premium cuts stifled on HSA-linked plans," Investment News, 14 August 2006.]A recent article in Investment News reports on the disappointment of some in early price savings on HSA-linked high-deductible health insurance plans, but hints at greater savings in the near future:"When we did our census earlier this year comparing best-selling products, premiums looked like they were

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1155582558051554862006-08-14T13:37:00.000-05:002006-08-14T14:09:40.843-05:00

[Jeff Donn, "Hope balanced against cost," The Associated Press, The Kansas City Star, 14 August 2006.]The Kansas City Star reports that a surge in the cost of treatments of undetermined effectiveness is not significantly affecting demand. What could cause such a situation to arise?In the last decade, an array of expensive new treatments has given some patients their first real fighting chance

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1155317914576707462006-08-11T12:29:00.000-05:002006-08-11T12:38:34.603-05:00

[Lynn Gresham, "Hot market for voluntary medical benefits," Employee Benefit News, August 2006.]Insurers have long been frustrated with the lack of interest from consumers in long-term care insurance. Part of this, of course, arises from incentives built into Medicaid, which offers relatively easy access to eligibility and coverage for LTC expenses. Insurers have not given up on LTC insurance,

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0