Health

Federal Medicaid Funding Reform

Medicaid is a joint federal-state health care program, primarily for the poor. At the federal level, Medicaid is an entitlement, implying that each enrollee has a right to benefits, regardless of the…
Saving Health Insurance from the Minimum Wage

Political support is growing in Congress for another increase in the federal minimum wage. A bill now under consideration would raise the minimum hourly wage from $5.15 to $7.25 over the next two year…
Health Care Spending: What the Future Will Look Like

The United States has very meager spending controls. If current trends continue, U.S. government health care spending will consume an ever growing portion of national income — far more so than any oth…
Consumer-Driven Health Care Spurs Innovation in Physician Services

Consumer-driven health care (CDHC) is leading to new models for the delivery of medical services. Consumer-driven health plans generally include personal accounts — such as Health Reimbursement Arrang…
How to Create a Competitive Insurance Market

Rep. John Shadegg (R-Ariz.) has introduced the Health Care Choice Act (H.R. 2355), which would increase access to individual health coverage by allowing insurers licensed to sell policies in one state…
Transparency in Health Care

Consumers may soon be able to shop for health care the way they shop for groceries. But in order for patients to become savvy shoppers in the medical marketplace, they must be able to discover what th…
Health Savings Accounts: Answering the Critics, Part III

Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) allow patients to manage some of the dollars spent on their health care. Critics say that giving health care consumers the ability to control their own spending will hav…
Health Savings Accounts: Answering the Critics, Part II

Consumer-driven health care (CDHC) allows patients to manage some of the dollars they spend on health care. Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) are a mechanism for them to do so.