tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63542432011-08-05T17:27:17.608-05:00A 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.comBlogger5391100tag: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.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1155223303293042412006-08-10T10:13:00.000-05:002006-08-10T10:22:10.746-05:00

[Stephen A. Moses, "Medicaid Commission Overlooks Private Financing Options," Health Care News, The Heartland Institute, 1 August 2006.]Steve Moses of the Center for Long-Term Care Reform, who is currently finalizing a report on long-term care in Kansas for The Flint Hills Center, offers his review of a recent meeting of The Medicaid Commission in this Health Care News column:The Medicaid

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1155137146941180492006-08-09T10:17:00.000-05:002006-08-09T10:25:46.943-05:00

["Help with long-term care insurance offered online," The Dunkirk Observer, 8 August 2006.]The state of New York is working to reduce the burden of paying for long-term care through Medicaid by making it easier for citizens to shop for adequate coverage. Perhaps it is time Kansas policymakers took similar action:Long-term care insurance shoppers can go online effective immediately to compare

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1155136615494138162006-08-09T10:11:00.000-05:002006-08-09T10:16:55.496-05:00

["HSA Bank Reports Accountholder Balance Growth in 2006," Press Release, HSA Bank, 8 August 2006.]As a counter to concerns that people are not taking advantage of the opportunity to save for medical expenses using HSAs, HSA Bank just issued a report indicating that balances are rising significantly:HSA Bank announced today that its accountholders' average balances have increased by more than $350

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1155135335979061642006-08-09T09:40:00.000-05:002006-08-09T09:55:39.506-05:00

["Too successful: the hospitals forced to introduce minimum waiting times," The Daily Telegraph, 7 August 2006.Helen Disney, "Curing European Health Care," Wall Street Journal, 9 August 2006.]Right on the heels of news that Britain is warning against "over-performing" by treating patients too quickly and imposing minimum waiting times for medical care, Helen Disney reports that changes are afoot

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1155049496065619352006-08-08T09:59:00.000-05:002006-08-08T10:05:28.226-05:00

[Christopher Lee, "Thompson's Medicaid Reforms Could Benefit His Employers," The Washington Post, 8 August 2006.]Not only is Tommy Thompson's Medicaid overhaul proposal a flawed approach to reform the troubled program, but his motivation in presenting it is now coming under fire:Thompson, who served during President Bush's first term, is on the board of Centene Corp., a St. Louis-based company

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1154963882805025812006-08-07T09:46:00.000-05:002006-08-07T10:18:03.013-05:00

[Robert Tanner, "Governors wrestle with Medicaid changes," Associated Press, 7 August 2006.]A number of states are tackling major Medicaid reform, but for the most part the nation's governors seem content to meet once a year and either talk big about far-off plans or simply bemoan about the growing problem:For most governors, what's happened so far are just baby steps — but they are steps toward

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1154961208275006662006-08-07T09:16:00.000-05:002006-08-07T09:33:48.116-05:00

["DoctorPricing.com Makes Price Transparency Available to Health Care Consumers," Press Release, DoctorPricing.com, 7 August 2006.]A new service based out of Overland Park allows consumers to comparison shop for physicians by location and by specialty:As health savings accounts continue to become a preferred option for health care consumers, a great need is being created for transparency in

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1154709214474417902006-08-04T11:14:00.000-05:002006-08-07T10:19:57.500-05:00

[Christopher Lee, "Ex-health chief offers new Medicaid plan," The Boston Globe, 4 August 2006.]It's still too early to say for sure if Tommy Thompson's proposal to overhaul Medicaid suffers from a case of over-centralization, but early indicators suggest that's likely the case:The former Wisconsin governor, who garnered national attention in the 1990s for his state's welfare-to-work efforts, has

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1154707552550775892006-08-04T10:55:00.000-05:002006-08-04T11:06:16.490-05:00

[Karen Pallarito, "Bank on HSAs for Healthy Deposits," HealthDay News, Forbes, 3 August 2006.Thomas M. Anderson, "Save on Health Care: How to make the most of a pretax health savings account," Kiplinger's Personal Finance, August 2006.]Forbes re-printed a HealthDay News piece on health savings accounts that discusses their tremendous growth, and makes the following recommendations for interested

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1154619568297804782006-08-03T10:19:00.000-05:002006-08-03T10:41:13.496-05:00

[Laurie Dale Marshall, "Medicaid return," Letter to the editor, The Lawrence Journal-World, 3 August 2006.]In her response to my earlier letter, "Medicaid woes," Kansas Health Consumer Coalition director Laurie Dale Marshall states that she believes I am "suggesting that Medicaid is a failure and is a misuse of public funds, citing the return of Kansas Medicaid money as the tip of the iceberg."Of

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1154532519989559492006-08-02T09:52:00.000-05:002006-08-02T10:29:37.733-05:00

["CMS takes steps to improve coverage and sustainability of care for dual-eligible beneficiaries," Press Release, The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 27 July 2006.]CMS announced that it is introducing new policies to improve the financing of long-term care:These policies include new incentives for people to buy private long-term care insurance, improved rules governing the transfer of

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1154449260034656702006-08-01T10:57:00.000-05:002006-08-01T11:21:46.030-05:00

[Editorial, "Asking For A Crisis," Investor's Business Daily, 31 July 2006.]John Kerry's health care plan went over about as well as a lead balloon in the last Presidential election, but he's decided to give it another shot for old time's sake:Sen. John Kerry introduced his universal medical insurance plan Monday. Haven't we been down this dead-end road before?Of course we have — in 1994, when

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1154363261469014922006-07-31T11:13:00.000-05:002006-07-31T11:27:41.506-05:00

[Pamela Villarreal, "Federal Medicaid Funding Reform," NCPA Brief Analysis No. 566, 31 July 2006.]A new policy brief from NCPA breaks down federal Medicaid funding by state and compares those numbers to state poverty levels. As the analysis shows, Medicaid operates on a "rich get richer" model where wealthier states that spend more on Medicaid get more federal money in return. States like

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1154355183849936392006-07-31T09:03:00.000-05:002006-07-31T09:13:03.880-05:00

[Devon Herrick, "Medicine Can Be Consumer-Centric," Health Care News, The Heartland Institute, 1 August 2006.]NCPA's Devon Herrick reviews an important new book on U.S. health care in the latest issue of Health Care News:"For far too long, the [health care] news has been dominated by myths and misconceptions, and truth has been buried," Gregory Dattilo and Dave Racer write in their new book, Your

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1154109750767404942006-07-28T12:54:00.000-05:002006-07-28T13:02:51.136-05:00

[Stephen Heuser, "'Telehealth' systems slowly gaining," The Boston Globe, 26 July 2006.]The Boston Globe reports that cost-savings and convenience can be achieved at the same time thanks to improvements in technology:For more than a decade, medical-device makers have trumpeted so-called "telehealth" hookups as a revolution in the costly American medical system. The idea is that by tracking vital

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1154107487034076602006-07-28T12:12:00.000-05:002006-07-28T13:04:13.380-05:00

[John C. Goodman and Richard B. McKenzie, "Saving Health Insurance from the Minimum Wage," NCPA Brief Analysis No. 565, 28 July 2006.]John Goodman and Richard McKenzie make an interesting point about health insurance in a new policy brief - not surprisingly, it turns out that politicians are overlooking a serious unintended consequence of the move to raise the minimum wage:An unintended

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1154024103612445762006-07-27T13:07:00.000-05:002006-07-27T13:15:18.846-05:00

[Humberto Cruz, "Tax-advantaged health accounts can help you save on medical costs," The Boston Globe, 27 July 2006.]Financial advisors and columnists around the country are continuing to recommend the money-saving benefits of health savings accounts - here's an excerpt from a recent article in The Boston Globe:With insurance premiums rising more than three times faster than salaries, Americans "

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1153942905153250592006-07-26T14:29:00.000-05:002006-07-26T14:43:26.430-05:00

["CMS to fund state plans for transforming Medicaid to increase quality and lower costs," Press Release, The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 25 July 2006.]The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued a statement recently announcing the agency's commitment to significant Medicaid reform in the states, and backing up that commitment with funding to encourage innovation:States will

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1153942149183019482006-07-26T14:19:00.000-05:002006-07-26T14:29:09.276-05:00

["The New Force in Walk-in Clinics," Daily Policy Digest, The National Center for Policy Analysis, 26 July 2006.]The Wall Street Journal reports that the growth in retail clinics by providers outside the traditional health care market is finally getting the attention of the health care industry, and forcing the industry to compete:Staffed mainly by nurse practitioners who are licensed to treat a

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1153511926168554112006-07-21T14:48:00.000-05:002006-07-21T15:00:15.703-05:00

["CostRx: HSAs: A 'paternalistic device,'" United Press International, 20 July 2006.]In the second half of UPI's interview with NCPA President John Goodman, he takes on standard union arguments against HSAs:Q. Unions, particular the United Food and Commercial Workers, have not warmed up to the idea of the HSA. Jill Cashen, head of UFCW, recently said, "Expecting hourly wage workers to have to

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1153407810688046342006-07-20T09:56:00.000-05:002006-07-20T10:03:30.743-05:00

["CostRx: HSAs: A test of time?," United Press International, 19 July 2006.]NCPA's John Goodman answers objections about the benefits of health savings accounts from The Commonwealth Fund in this recent interview:Q. Cost-sharing is a cornerstone of the HSA, but a Commonwealth Fund study out this month showed that tax subsidies associated with HSAs would reduce cost-sharing for those who spend the

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1153336088478934052006-07-19T13:21:00.000-05:002006-07-19T14:13:37.796-05:00

[George Diepenbrock, "Ban on trans fats may not have a place at city’s tables," The Lawrence Journal-World, 19 July 2006.]Almost as if in response to The Kansas Health Policy Authority's recent statements that the body would be focusing on improving the health choices of Kansans, public officials in Lawrence are saying that personal responsibility is not something they should impose:Edward M.

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1153327328468429592006-07-19T11:35:00.000-05:002006-07-19T11:42:08.510-05:00

["Free to Choose: A Conversation with Milton Friedman," Imprimis, July 2006.]The latest issue of Hillsdale College's Imprimis features an interview of Milton Friedman by Hillsdale President Larry Arnn. The discussion includes some great insights by Friedman into the state of health care in the U.S.:LA: Is there an area here in the United States in which we have not been as aggressive as we

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1153255854509489122006-07-18T15:21:00.000-05:002006-07-18T15:50:54.573-05:00

[Andy Stern, "Horse and Buggy Health Coverage," The Wall Street Journal, 17 July 2006.]It's not every day that the head of a major union writes a column in The Wall Street Journal, and definitely not sounding like Greg Scandlen:"The employer-based system of health coverage is over" in the U.S., Andy Stern, president of the Service Employees International Union, writes in a Wall Street Journal

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1153232591389409652006-07-18T09:15:00.000-05:002006-07-18T09:23:33.813-05:00

Stephen A. Moses of The Center for Long-Term Care Reform, Inc., and Medicaid expert Michael Bond, both adjunct scholars of The Flint Hills Center, are spending a good bit of this week in Kansas discussing Medicaid reform with key officials and stakeholders. Here's an excerpt from the update Steve just posted on his website about the trip:The Center for Long-Term Care Reform has a longstanding

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1153165400369722342006-07-17T14:34:00.000-05:002006-07-17T14:43:44.113-05:00

[Dave Ranney, "Panel to promote Kansans’ well-being," The Lawrence Journal-World, 16 July 2006.]The Kansas Health Policy Authority recently announced a shift in focus away from health care spending and toward personal responsibility:If the Kansas Health Policy Authority has its way — and there’s a fair chance it will — you’ll soon be hearing more about staying healthy, less about health care.“

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1152888554419664572006-07-14T09:43:00.000-05:002006-07-17T14:55:31.550-05:00

[Michael Bond, "Romney Care: Bad Medicine for Michigan?," The Mackinac Center for Public Policy, 14 July 2006.]Flint Hills Center adjunct scholar Michael Bond argues in this recent column that Massachusetts’ new health care law is no model for other states to follow:The Romney plan goes into effect in July 2007, and essentially mandates health insurance for every state resident, as long as

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1152807200317707432006-07-13T11:06:00.000-05:002006-07-17T14:55:51.450-05:00

["Three-Year Study Shows Consumer-Driven Health Plans Continue to Stimulate Positive Changes in Consumer Health Behavior," Press Release, UnitedHealth Group, 12 July 2006.]A new three-year study provides dramatic data on the powerful impact consumer-driven health care is having on the health care sector:- Preventive Care - In each of the three years, up to 5 percent more of the CDHP members

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1152198246598922452006-07-06T10:00:00.000-05:002006-07-17T14:56:09.546-05:00

[Mary Katherine Stout and Matthew Hisrich, "Seeing Through the Cost of Health Care: Consumer-Driven Price Transparency in Kansas," The Flint Hills Center for Public Policy, 6 July 2006.]The Flint Hills Center for Public Policy teams up with The Texas Public Policy Foundation to release a new policy paper evaluating the controversial issue of price transparency in health care. Read the news

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1152198034887254472006-07-06T09:54:00.000-05:002006-07-17T14:56:26.916-05:00

["Medicaid reform moves forward with $12M deal," South Florida Business Journal, 6 July 2006.]The state of Florida took another step forward in its effort to increase competition and improve quality within its Medicaid program:Affiliated Computer Services said it has signed a two-year, $12 million contract with Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration.The Dallas-based health care program

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1152112779391993872006-07-05T10:19:00.000-05:002006-07-17T14:56:47.120-05:00

["US GAO sees Medicaid claims oversight weakness," Reuters, 3 July 2006.]As if in response to recent controversy in Kansas over state-level Medicaid claims abuse, a new GAO report questions whether the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is currently up to the task of preventing fraud and abuse:The federal agency responsible for overseeing Medicaid has failed to address some weaknesses in

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1151943967334009962006-07-03T11:25:00.000-05:002006-07-17T14:57:05.840-05:00

["HSAs and Account-Based Health Plans: An overview of preliminary research," America's Health Insurance Plans Center for Policy and Research, June 2006.]A new AHIP study on the consumer-driven health care market features some great graphics that really show how much impact the growth in this area is having:The number of HSAs is growingHSAs are not just for the youngHSAs are making an impact on

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1151684516801874882006-06-30T11:12:00.000-05:002006-07-17T14:57:25.023-05:00

[Thomas Kostigen, "Well-paying idea: How health-savings accounts can become a good investment," MarketWatch, 27 June 2006.]MarketWatch reports that Health Savings Accounts are growing in popularity, and the financial industry is taking note:More and more people are finding health-savings accounts are good for them. Enrollment in HSAs has skyrocketed since they were authorized two years ago. By

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1151683969131320672006-06-30T11:02:00.000-05:002006-07-17T14:57:47.353-05:00

[Dave Ranney and Mike Shields, "Kansas must repay $18.5M for Medicaid misspending," The Lawrence Journal-World, 30 June 2006.]Medicaid spending in Kansas is on a crash course as it is. Now that federal authorities are following through on their efforts to ensure states are not engaging in questionable accounting practices that over-bill the federal government, however, serious questions should

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1151594372720632292006-06-29T10:18:00.000-05:002006-07-17T14:58:06.446-05:00

[John C. Goodman, "Rationing U.S. Health?" American Conservative Union Foundation, June 26, 2006.]It's easy enough to say that in an ideal situation everyone would have everything they wanted all of the time, but when it comes down to it there aren't many who are interested in footing the bill for such an undertaking. Even if someone wanted to, economics teaches us that there is a scarcity of

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1151505897323518132006-06-28T09:39:00.000-05:002006-07-17T14:58:24.050-05:00

[Christian Hagist and Laurence J. Kotlikoff, "Health Care Spending: What the Future Will Look Like," NCPA Study No. 286, 28 June 2006.]The National Center for Policy Analysis just released new data on the growth of government spending in the U.S., and the numbers are sobering:European critics of the U.S. health care system often focus on the private provision of health care and health insurance.

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1151424553619732642006-06-27T11:03:00.000-05:002006-07-17T14:58:44.456-05:00

[John Goodman, "Portable, Personal Health Insurance Solves Many Consumer Problems." Health Care News, The Heartland Institute, June 2006.]The logic of tying health insurance to an employer was questionable even in a model where families rely on one income-earner who stays with the same company for a lifetime. As Americans move away from this and toward greater mobility - both in terms of

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1140209461942427742006-02-17T14:45:00.000-06:002006-07-17T14:59:00.540-05:00

["Retail Rumble," The Wall Street Journal, 16 February 2006.Tarren Bragdon and Adam Brackemyre, "A SOP to Socialized Medicine," The Wall Street Journal, 16 February 2006.There are plenty of good ideas floating around regarding health care reform - HSAs, consumer-driven health care, etc., but for some reason alot of government officials seem perennially drawn to the worst. Two cases in point are

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1130174530287258722005-10-24T12:20:00.000-05:002005-10-24T12:22:10.350-05:00

Published in The Wichita Eagle on September 20, 2005STATE SEEKS TO SLOW MEDICAID GROWTHBy STEVE PAINTER, Eagle Topeka bureauTOPEKA - A legislative panel began looking Monday for ways to rein in the rapidly rising cost of Medicaid, which covers health care expenses for the poor, the elderly and the disabled.The state's cost jumped more than 25 percent in the budget year that ended June 30 and has

Brian Moorenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1130173344306519492005-10-24T11:56:00.000-05:002005-10-24T12:10:25.640-05:00

Neufeld addresses issues with long- term health careBy RACHEL DAVISrdavis@gctelegram.comPosted in The Garden City Telegram on Wednesday, September 28, 2005 3:05:49 PMThe possibility of a Medicaid system collapse is looming closer, said Melvin Neufeld, chairman of the state House Appropriations Committee.Neufeld, R-Ingalls, addressed an audience of about 30 Tuesday at Fiesta Courtyard during a

Brian Moorenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1129046552831677652005-10-11T10:49:00.000-05:002005-10-11T11:29:30.210-05:00

Health Savings Accounts Available to Kansas Government EmployeesHealth Savings Accounts are now available to Kansas state employees as partof Governor Kathleen Sebelius' 2006 health plan, according to a press releaseposted on the Governor's Web site. HSAs provide employees direct control over the quality of their health carecoverage and save employees money in the form of lower annual medical

Brian Moorenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1124479817774729162005-08-19T14:21:00.000-05:002006-01-30T13:53:50.300-06:00

Aetna responds to consumer-driven market pressure[Vanessa Fuhrmans, "Insurer Reveals What Doctors Really Charge," The Wall Street Journal, 18 August 2005.]Lack of information is often held up as a reason why consumers cannot act rationally in the health care marketplace. As The Wall Street Journal reports, however, insurers are moving to address this issue:Starting tomorrow, Aetna Inc. plans to

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1124469216154826112005-08-19T11:32:00.000-05:002005-08-19T11:34:02.293-05:00

Colorado empowers Medicaid recipients[John Andrews, "Rocky Mountain Medicaid," The Wall Street Journal, 18 August 2005.]Policymakers that are willing to allow Medicaid beneficiaries more control over their care are increasingly finding that satisfaction increases and costs decline. Considering that cost and quality of care are the two perennial problems with Medicaid, this is a huge development:

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1124384851968756612005-08-18T11:53:00.000-05:002005-08-18T12:07:31.976-05:00

Galen Institute: 6 million HSA holders by 2008[Grace-Marie Turner, "Consumerism in Health Care: Early Evidence is Positive," The Galen Institute, 11 August 2005.] Grace-Marie Turner unleashes a torrent of data revealing the overwhelming success of consumer-driven health care in this recent report:As more Americans move into consumer-directed health plans, more and more studies are being produced

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1124383812340213092005-08-18T11:22:00.000-05:002005-08-18T11:51:34.040-05:00

More absurdity in The Cap-Journal[Greg Tarpinian, "Universal health care -- auto industry's last hope," MinutemanMedia.org, The Topeka Capital-Journal, 12 Friday 2005.]It used to be that The Topeka Capital-Journal was willing to consider opinion pieces from any and all. In those days, even The Flint Hills Center was able to get a piece or two printed. At some point, however, an executive

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1124297592387351272005-08-17T11:49:00.000-05:002005-08-17T11:54:42.020-05:00

S.C. earns more attention[Kevin Freking, "S.C. proposing to redefine Medicaid," Associated Press, The Wichita Eagle, 16 August 2005.]South Carolina's plan to salvage its broken Medicaid program is getting national attention as state leaders around the country attempt to come up with answers to this budget and health care headache. Michael Bond, who has written for and appeared on behalf of The

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1124226968280359652005-08-16T16:12:00.000-05:002005-08-16T16:18:29.293-05:00

Moses to debate long-term care at Cato eventSteve Moses of The Center for Long Term Care Financing will be appearing at a Cato Institute event that will be broadcast online:Medicaid and the Long-Term Care Crisis -- Who Should Pay?POLICY FORUMWednesday, September 7, 200512:00 PM (Luncheon to follow)Featuring Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform, Inc.; Vincent J. Russo,

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1124226698007473492005-08-16T15:36:00.000-05:002005-08-16T16:11:38.070-05:00

Humana opens doors to small employers["Humana to offer health savings accounts to all commercial groups," Louisville Business First, 28 July 2005.]Business First reports that Humana is making it easier for even the smallest employers to offer their employees health coverage:Humana Inc. is expanding its "Smart" family of consumer-driven products to include a health-savings account option for all

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1124209991965257682005-08-16T11:30:00.000-05:002005-08-16T11:33:11.973-05:00

Medicaid needs a makeover["Medicaid needs a makeover," NCPA Daily Policy Digest, 15 August 2005.]Medicaid reform is gaining steam both at the state and federal level, and as this entry from NCPA's Daily Policy Digest shows, the latter can be a big help to the former:The Medicaid program has deviated drastically from its original mission of covering the poorest individuals. Now some 53 million are

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1124144530092978672005-08-15T17:13:00.000-05:002005-08-15T17:22:10.096-05:00

Welfare reform as a model for Medicaid reform[Mary Katherine Stout, "Ending The 40-Year Entitlement," The Texas Public Policy Foundation, 29 July 2005.]In this recent column, TPPF health care policy analyst Mary Katherine Stout points out that Medicaid is not the first goverment program that needed to scale back from being an open-ended entitlement to return to its role as a safety net for the

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1124143815588390282005-08-15T17:02:00.000-05:002005-08-15T17:10:44.263-05:00

New prescription assistance program to become available in KansasOn Tuesday, Aug. 16, The Partnership for Prescription Assistance will be rolled out in Kansas at the Marian Clinic in Topeka at 10 a.m. This is a private sector effort to assist those most in need in obtaining medicine:The Partnership for Prescription Assistance brings together America’s pharmaceutical companies, doctors, other

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1123664687427409022005-08-10T04:01:00.000-05:002005-08-10T04:04:47.433-05:00

South Carolina: State Sens. Darrell Jackson (D) and Joel Lourie (D) last week sent a letter to Gov. Mark Sanford (R) urging him to withdraw a request for the federal government to approve his Medicaid reform plan, the AP/Charlotte Observer reports (Collins, AP/Charlotte Observer, 8/4). The state has requested a waiver from the federal government to end Medicaid eligibility for children at age 18

Brian Moorenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1123274045307739062005-08-05T15:02:00.000-05:002005-08-05T15:35:26.720-05:00

Knowing when to say when["Long-Term-Care Insurance," NCPA Daily Policy Digest, 5 August 2005.]A recent column from The New York Times is the subject of this entry from today's NCPA Daily Policy Digest. While clearly too few people are covered by long-term health policies, it is still important to act as a wise consumer when weighing the purchase of a plan:Only 10 percent of people over 65 own

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1123172079515803552005-08-04T11:09:00.000-05:002005-08-04T11:14:39.520-05:00

Who's on Medicaid?[Kevin Freking, "Cracks Found in Medicaid Verification," The Las Vegas Sun, 3 August 2005.]A new report from the Department of Health and Human Services indicates that states may be paying Medicaid benefits out to noncitizens:A majority of states don't verify claims of U.S. citizenship by those seeking Medicaid, which creates the potential for illegal immigrants to access the

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1123106854463729882005-08-03T16:55:00.000-05:002005-08-03T17:07:34.483-05:00

Clinton backs vouchers for Medicaid[Dana Milbank, "The Reformer and the Gadfly Agree on Health Care," The Washington Post, 22 July 2005.]With a presidential run not too far off, healthy skepticism is likely to greet Senator Hillary Clinton's embrace of a concept touted primarily on the right. Nonetheless, even if it is simply her political ambitions that lead to the implementation of sound

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1123020796798779752005-08-02T16:58:00.000-05:002005-08-02T17:13:16.806-05:00

While some governors find innovative solutions to Medicaid, Sebelius remains committed to bad ideas[John Hanna, "Sebelius will continue to push health care proposals," Associated Press, The Kansas City Star, 1 August 2005.Regina E. Herzlinger and Tom Nerney, "Medicine for Medicaid," The Wall Street Journal, 2 August 2005.]Amazingly, Governor Sebelius insists on continuing to push her tobacco tax

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1123019895557036182005-08-02T16:54:00.000-05:002006-01-30T13:56:13.126-06:00

Medicaid reaches historic proportions[Dennis Cauchon, "Medicaid insures historic number," USA TODAY, 1 August 2005.]USA Today calls attention to the incredible growth of Medicaid nationally in this recent article:The nation has so vastly extended taxpayer-funded Medicaid to the working poor this decade that it has produced the biggest expansion of a government entitlement since the Great Society

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1122998463691159782005-08-02T10:56:00.000-05:002005-08-02T11:01:03.700-05:00

S. Carolina Medicaid reform moving forward[Howard Gleckman, "Radical Surgery For Medicaid?", Business Week, 8 August 2005.]Mike Bond - who addressed legislators here in Kansas on Medicaid reform last year - is finding a more receptive audience elsewhere. The good news is there is still plenty of opportunity for Kansas policymakers to take a leadership role:The 40th anniversary of Medicaid is on

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1122933138909912362005-08-01T16:21:00.000-05:002005-08-01T16:52:18.950-05:00

Is there new hope for Medicaid reform in Kansas? New state legislator Kay Wolf of District 21 listed Medicaid as a key issue facing the Legislature, according to the Associated Press.On Friday, July 29, the Johnson County Republican committee selected Wolf to replace Rep. Dean Newton as District 21’s state representative. Newton vacated his seat officially on July 22 to serve as a Vice President

Brian Moorenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1122663438013940352005-07-29T13:44:00.000-05:002005-07-29T13:57:56.740-05:00

Eagle highlights WIBA HSA plan [Deb Gruver, "Help for small business," The Wichita Eagle, 29 July 2005.]The Wichita Independent Business Association's decision to offer health savings accounts to its members is saving significant costs for some. Even better, about half of those enrolled were previously without insurance:WIBA in June began offering two insurance plans featuring health savings

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1122589686902270142005-07-28T17:19:00.000-05:002006-01-30T13:58:06.906-06:00

Mandate mania["Avoiding Costly Mandated Benefits,", NCPA Daily Policy Digest, 28 July 2005.]NCPA just released "Health Insurance Choice," a great piece highlighting the spread of mandated health coverage benefits:Mandated health insurance benefits are state regulations that require insurers to cover specific services and specific providers. Currently, there are 1,823 state-mandated benefits among

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1122498527142245672005-07-27T16:01:00.000-05:002005-07-27T16:08:47.143-05:00

Nebraska getting serious about Medicaid reform["Panel Will Try to Curb Medicaid," RedNova News, 26 July 2005.]Missouri recently made significant changes to its Medicaid program, and Kansas legislators are increasingly talking about the need to address the issue here. Nebraska is moving on the issue now, as well:Ten Nebraskans will set out Wednesday on a quest to stop Medicaid from becoming the

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1122497960913593522005-07-27T15:50:00.000-05:002005-08-03T14:17:22.910-05:00

eHealthInsurance releases new HSA data["Health Savings Accounts: The First Six Months of 2005," eHealthInsurance, 27 July 2005.]eHealthInsurance just released an update to its earlier "HSAs: The First Year in Review." The update reveals that coverage is becoming even more affordable and a greater number of those with limited incomes and who were previously uninsured are taking advantage of HSAs:

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1122412533266302782005-07-26T15:57:00.000-05:002005-07-26T16:15:33.296-05:00

WSJ praises Association Health Plans[Editorial, "Cheaper Health Insurance," The Wall Street Journal, 25 July 2005.]Previous posts on Kansas Health (here and here) have highlighted U.S. Representative John Shadegg's (R-Arizona) attempts to foster competition by creating a national health insurance market. His bill is now moving forward, and the editors at The Wall Street Journal - certainly no

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1122391177487138462005-07-26T10:13:00.000-05:002005-07-26T10:20:09.173-05:00

Progress on Medicaid reform in other states[Susan Konig, "Medicaid Reform: Florida, South Carolina Lead the Way," Health Care News, The Heartland Institute, 1 August 2005.]The Heartland Institute summarizes reform efforts on Medicaid at the state level in this recent column:The nation's governors agree on at least one thing: They have a problem with Medicaid.Medicaid reformers in several states

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1122323925709359892005-07-25T15:38:00.000-05:002005-07-25T15:38:45.716-05:00

Medicaid called "the 800-pound gorilla that's been eating our lunch"[David Klepper, "Medicaid spending under scrutiny," The Kansas City Star, 24 July 2005.John Hanna, "Medicaid issue looming," The Topeka Capital-Journal, 25 July 2005.All of the sudden, Medicaid is making headlines. Either this means that Kansas policymakers are serious about tackling the issue next session or this is just

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1122063056853503572005-07-22T14:45:00.000-05:002005-07-22T15:10:56.883-05:00

Census Bureau: Uninsured on the rise[Joel Mathis, "More Kansans doing without health insurance," The Lawrence Journal-World, 22 July 2005.]The Journal-World reports on the distrurbing trend toward higher rates of uninsured Kansans in this article:New figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau on Thursday also suggest a rise in the number of uninsured local and state residents. The bureau reported

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1122060878569545772005-07-22T14:31:00.000-05:002005-07-22T14:34:38.576-05:00

New guide to Health Care Spending Accounts released[Health Care Spending Accounts: What You Need to Know About HSAs, HRAs, FSAs, and MSAs, America's Health Insurance Plans, July 2005.]The letter soup of acronyms currently associated with consumer-driven health care plans can get pretty confusing. Foruntately, America's Health Insurance Plans - a national trade association representing the health

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1121978581283575902005-07-21T15:34:00.000-05:002005-07-21T15:43:01.290-05:00

Surprise - Consumer-driven health plans require people to be consumers[Kaja Whitehouse, "Fees of Health-Savings Accounts Draw Scrutiny of Consumers," The Wall Street Journal, 20 July 2005.]Here's an interesting concept: not all products are created equal. The tone of this article suggests almost complete surprise upon finding out that it pays to be a savvy customer:While some providers offer

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1121872825890320502005-07-20T09:55:00.000-05:002006-01-30T13:59:11.253-06:00

CDHC and the Internet make for a great combination["Hunting For Hospitals That Measure Up," Business Week, 13 June 2005.]In a recent op-ed for The Flint Hills Center, Greg Scandlen had this to say about the way consumer-driven health care will impact the marketplace:Now that people control their own resources, they will demand reliable information they can use to make good decisions.There is a

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1121799647453523342005-07-19T13:51:00.000-05:002005-07-19T14:02:02.786-05:00

How does Kansas stack up on estate recovery?[Ron Shawgo, "States vary on Medicaid recovery," The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, 17 June 2005.]When it comes to estate recovery, states have wide latitude in how aggressively they pursue the matter. And, despite recent federal legislation making the pursuit mandatory, some states are taking the federal rules with a grain of salt. All of this can

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1121721623626548322005-07-18T15:51:00.000-05:002005-07-18T16:20:56.046-05:00

HSAs push health care into the electronic age[Jennifer A. Kingson, "Health Care at the Swipe of a Card," The New York Times, 16 July 2005.]The New York Times reports in this article on the trend toward making consumer-driven health care more consumer-friendly:The paper-pushing method of paying medical bills, which has long been fairly resistant to the electronic age, is about to be challenged as

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1121712032409486072005-07-18T13:28:00.000-05:002005-07-18T13:41:20.040-05:00

More government = less bureaucracy?[Roy Wenzl, "Doctors find selves buried in bureaucracy," The Wichita Eagle, 17 July 2005.] It's understandable that physicians are growing weary of bureuacratic overhead whittling away at their time with patients as well as their bottom lines, but the idea that all of that will somehow improve if the federal government just took over is more difficult to

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1121282007298965882005-07-13T14:03:00.000-05:002005-07-13T14:13:59.603-05:00

Kansas Health Partners Benefit Association resigns, backs HSAs[Kenneth Daniel, "Small Business Health Group Resigns," KsSmallBiz, 11 July 2005.]Frustrated with inaction and poor leadership by the Kansas Business Health Policy Committee, The Kansas Health Partners Benefit Association has nullified their public-private partnership:The KHPBA/KBHPC partnership was formed four years ago by the

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354243.post-1121187730222541972005-07-12T11:54:00.000-05:002005-07-12T12:02:48.303-05:00

Kansas Bioscience Authority a fancy name for corporate welfare[Terry Rombeck, "Bioscience Authority up and running," The Lawrence Journal-World, 12 July 2005.]Targeted tax breaks and incentives that put government in the business of picking winners and losers are a bad deal for taxpayers and undermine efforts to achieve a true competitive marketplace:The Kansas Bioscience Authority is officially

Matthew Hisrichnoreply@blogger.com0