Initially, the controversy over President Obama’s proposal that all insurers cover contraception focused on religious liberty. After polls revealed that 98% of sexually active Catholic women have used birth control, though, …
Health Insurance
Health Care Spending Levels Off: Temporary Blip or Start of a Trend?
The nation’s health care bill rose by less than 4% in both 2009 and 2010. In 50 years, health care spending has never increased at such a slow pace. Could this mean that, after a half century of eye-popping inflation in health …
Governor Pre-Judges Health Care Panel Findings
On Wednesday, Charleston’s Post & Courier.com revealed that South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley has actively used her influence to prevent the implementation of federal health care reform — and, arguably, spending federal …
Lipitor Already Cheaper After Patent Expiration
Drug prices almost always fall after a manufacturer’s patent expires and generics hit the market. But with its blockbuster cholesterol-fighting drug Lipitor going off-patent this week, drug maker Pfizer has launched an all-out …
How Health Care Reform Can Create Jobs — and Cut Costs
Nobody would be surprised to hear that spending more on healthcare will result in new jobs. But a new program announced by the Obama administration last week seeks to create new healthcare jobs and at the same time reduce …
On Tour Now: The Balancing Act at the Center of Healthcare Reform
The health reform legislation that President Obama signed in 2010 has been overshadowed by our broad economic problems, and its popularity appears to be hurting even among its supporters. In short, many Americans appear to be …
The Tragic Bungling of a ‘Class’ Act
Long-term care insurance for the masses came and went without much notice. Last week, the Obama administration quietly abandoned the CLASS Act, a provision slipped into health care reform two years ago that would have ensured …
Why Are Customers of This Health Insurer So Happy?
Kaiser Permanente’s stand-out performance in Consumer Reports’ national rankings of some 830 insurance plans raises an obvious question: What makes Kaiser so different? In a word: collaboration.