Howard Gleckman
What if your state helped you turn unused home equity into cash to pay for the care you need when you become old and frail? Mar 11
Jonathan Cohn
If the Democrats get their way, Blue Cross companies will have to change their business model, so that they act a bit more like the Blue Cross plans of old--the ones that helped schoolteachers, not stockholders.
Mar 08
James C. Capretta
One of the central arguments President Barack Obama has made on behalf of the health care plan he wants Congress to approve in coming weeks is that it would begin to address the problem of rising costs and thus also begin to bring down future federal budget deficits. But will it? Mar 05
Austin Frakt and Ian Crosby
There are exempt insurance practices that, at least in theory and under certain conditions, could help insurers defend and expand their market share against competitors. But the exemption simply does not shield the most straightforward kinds of conduct by which companies get big. Mar 04
Robert Laszewski
The White House health summit looks to this observer as a draw. Neither side scored any knockout blows. Feb 26
Jonathan Cohn
Republicans and Democrats should come together on one bipartisan issue at Thursday's health care 'summit': medical malpractice reform. Feb 22
Howard Gleckman
It is not clear why it’s happening, but some hospice officials blame both a bad economy and Medicare rules that unintentionally discourage doctors from referring all but those who are about to die. Feb 18
Michael L. Millenson
Twenty-seven years ago, President Ronald Reagan and a Congress split between Republican and Democratic control agreed to a radical new payment scheme for Medicare. The resulting legislation trimmed billions of dollars from the federal budget and caused medical inflation to plummet, yet still maintained quality of care. Feb 16
Judy Feder
Too many Democrats seem not to grasp the choice before them - the legislation simply has too much to offer to believe for a minute that doing nothing is the better choice. Feb 11
Jonathan Cohn
For most of last year, Republicans spent their time attacking Democratic plans for reform, rather than describing their own. But now they’ve put a plan on the table. Showcasing that plan--and comparing it to what the Democrats have proposed--might help clarify a few things. Feb 08