Category Archives: Health Care

Camelot Legacy Could End up Hurting Health Care

I usually don’t post about the horse-race element of American politics, but recent twists in the Senate race to fill the late Ted Kennedy’s seat have made the story too amusing to pass on an opportunity for commentary. If you don’t know the story, Republican candidate Scott Brown has posed an unexpected challenge to the Democrat [...]
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13 Attorney Generals Push the Dislike Button

In an earlier post I lamented but accepted the political deals that enabled the passage of the Senate version of the health care bill (note: I won’t call it reform). Apparently not everyone is as accepting as I was with how it happened. Attorney Generals from thirteen states are threatening to sue over the Nebraska [...]
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I Hope He Fails

I just finished reading Hayek on Hayek: An Autobiographical Dialogue, which paints a picture of Hayek the Man as well as Hayek the thinker/economist. I devoured it, which is rare for me since I tend to distract easily. It gives a sense of the intellectual and academic climate at various points in his career and [...]
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Down With Corporate Welfare

The health care bill recently passed in the House encourages the opposite: “This will be a feast of lobbying and rent-seeking as it will be tinkered with for years if it passes.  Who wins at that game?  Not you and me, but Big Insurance, Big Pharma, and Big Corporations in general, who can absorb the costs [...]
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Romer on Health Care Reform

In a previous post, I expressed doubt in CEA Chair Christinia Romer’s claim that savings from health care reform would counter-balance the deficits the federal government is currently running. Now, Romer has another testimony out that outlines the proposals for future savings. Here are a few: Incentives for preventive care and sensible promotion of a healthy lifestyle Tax [...]
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A Divisive Issue

“But we should not forget the cost of translating that noble aspiration into practical policy. As a matter of economic logic, President Obama’s goal of universal health insurance cannot help but undermine former President Reagan’s goal of lower marginal tax rates. Future generations of Americans may find health insurance more affordable, but they will also [...]
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60 Minutes proves it’s still worth watching

This segment from last night’s 60 Minutes couldn’t provide a better example of government waste and inefficiency. Steve Kroft investigates massive fraud in the form of false Medicare claims. Apparently, Miami cocaine kingpins have been replaced on the criminal hierarchy by fraudsters billing Medicare for non-existent power-scooters and prosthetic limbs. Attorney General Eric Holder claims to [...]
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Profit Motive

Senator Diane Feinstein on health care reform: My greatest fear is that we pass health reform legislation and premiums continue to increase.  I am concerned that without a public option, this will be difficult to accomplish.  Private, for-profit insurance companies have no moral compass, and will look for ways to avoid any regulations included in the [...]
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