Health Care
Instead of a ‘Public Option’, We Need a ‘Personal Option’
Originally published at RealClearHealth Health care is a mess—and our political leaders aren’t helping. Presidential candidates only offer vague ideas to address our health care problems. From former President…
Read More: Instead of a ‘Public Option’, We Need a ‘Personal Option’Under Obamacare, Pennsylvania families have been forced to pay more for health care, and more than 800,000 Pennsylvania adults have received taxpayer-funded health coverage through a broken Medicaid system. Without Congressional action, states are unable to carry the full burden of Obamacare on their own. However, state policymakers can focus their own reform efforts on giving patients more control over health care and restoring Medicaid as a safety-net program. Access to health care should be measured, not by the number of those with insurance, but by the ability of individuals to independently secure the affordable, reliable care they deserve.
Health Care
Conservatives should care about health care
Philip Klein has a must read article about why conservatives should care about health in the The American Spectator. He makes the case that it is not enough to…
Media
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How free is PA’s health care market?
The Pacific Research Institute released their U.S. Index of Health Ownership, 2008 last week (full report in PDF). The report ranks states’ health care markets and regulations based…
Media
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Reduce the number of uninsured 25% – for free
A new study by University of Minnesota researchers finds that a simply policy change would reduce the number of uninsured by 25 to 33 percent (Greg Scandlen has a…
Media
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The Price of RomneyCare
Wall Street Journal on the escalating costs of the Massachusetts health care plan (RomneyCare): Thus the extra tab of $129 million, which may need to go higher…
Media
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State Budget Crises?
Cato’s Chris Edwards blasts the Wall Street Journal (and other media outlets) for their uncritical coverage of state budget “shortfalls.” The Times “treats any needed spending restraint as a…
Media
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Is “universal health care” a religion?
Michael Cannon pulls a troubling quote from an advocate of SCHIP expansion, who admits his support is based on faith, not evidence. Of course Cannon is a well-known…
Media
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Questionable Benefits of State Mandates for Health Insurance
The Pacific Research Institute a new study on the cost of health insurance mandates. As would be expected (see our commentary on autism and slacker mandates), they find…
Media
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New Mandates A Step Backwards in Health Care Reform
State lawmakers claim to hear the cries of Pennsylvania residents about the escalating costs of health care. Unfortunately, instead of pushing reforms to help lower the costs of care, some…
Commentary
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How much will an autism mandate cost?
The PA Health Care Containment Council allegedly has a study (it hasn’t been released, but some media are reporting on it) claiming that a new mandate that insurance companies…
Media
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Do Democrats want people to die?
Yesterday, I got an email from a lobbying organization, which masquerades as a grassroots organization, led by Governor Rendell’s campaign manager with the subject, “As The Senate Delays, People…
Media
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Address Health Care, Not Health Insurance
Letter to the editor in The Daily Item focus on the Senate Republican’s health care reform plan, specifically their proposal to aid free clinics. While I agree with…
Media
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Voters Send Mixed Messages on Health Care
Michael Tanner on polls about health care and the divergent proposals , concluding, “as November approaches, voters will reach a fork in the road, and as Yogi Berra says,…
Media
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An American Cure for Reforming Health Care
Tom Coburn presents his proposal to reform our health care system at the Manhattan Institute. Here is the core of the argument: How do we create a real…
Media
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More evidence on the failure of RomneyCare
Michael Tanner blasts positive media coverage of a new report on Massachusetts health care, pointing out the many reasons why RomneyCare is a failure (from the same report). Tanner…
Media
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Fixing Health Care in the States
The Wall Street Journal has two articles about health insurance reform in other states. First, from Florida, where the state has enacted a law that will allow low-cost, mandate…
Media
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The New Big Dig
Wall Street Journal on the pitfalls of RomneyCare.
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PA liability for state retiree health: $8.8 billion
The PA Office of the Budget released their actuarial report on retiree health care liabilities, revealing that the estimated unfunded liablity as of July 1, 2008 is $8.8 billion…
Media
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Address the Cost of Health Care
Here is a letter to the editor I sent to the York Daily Record on health care reform: I am responding to a May 4 op-ed by Rep. Eugene…
Media
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Medicaid Reform: Mending the Holes in Pennsylvanias Health Care Safety Net
Politicians and school officials frequently point to student performance on state tests as a primary measure of the quality of public education. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the…
Report
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Health Care Reform (the right kind) in the states
Georgia enacted a few of the health care reforms we have been touting. From the SPN Blog: Georgia eliminates a major tax inequity by allowing individuals to…
Media
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Savings from McCain’s Health Care Tax Credit
With the re-release of John McCain’s health care plan came a lot of criticism (along with praise) over who benefits from his tax credit. McCain would offer…
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