Publications -- Health
Sep 05, 2008 |
BA #629 – The John McCain Health PlanIf you listen only to presidential campaign rhetoric, you might conclude that Barack Obama has proposed bold new changes for our health care system, while John McCain is offering only small improvements. If so, you are in for a surprise. Most health policy analysts believe that Sen. McCain is proposing the most fundamental health care reform. |
Sep 05, 2008 |
BA #628 – The Barack Obama Health PlanSen. Barack Obama has released only sketchy details about his health reform plan. The Commonwealth Fund has produced a very detailed plan, however, which it encourages readers to view as very similar to Obama's. Thus, one can assume the Commonwealth plan details apply where Obama has been vague. |
Aug 28, 2008 |
BA #626 – Crisis of the Uninsured: 2008Despite claims that there is a health insurance crisis in the United States, the number of U.S. residents without health insurance actually fell in 2007, according to new Census Bureau numbers. The Census says the number of uninsured fell from 47.0 million to 45.7 million. Furthermore, the proportion of uninsured fell half a percentage-point, from 15.8 percent to 15.3 percent. |
Aug 21, 2008 |
BA #624 – Physician Care and TelemedicineThe use of information technology in diagnosing, treating and monitoring patients — known as telemedicine — is adding a new dimension to modern health care. Entrepreneurs are using the telephone, the Internet and personal computers for innovative solutions to traditional problems of health care delivery. These advances are not only making care more accessible and convenient, they are also raising quality and containing medical costs. |
Aug 12, 2008 |
BA #623 – Medical Tourism: Health Care Free TradeGlobal competition in health care is allowing more patients from developed countries to travel for medical reasons to regions once characterized as “third world.” Many of these “medical tourists” are not wealthy, but are seeking high quality medical care at affordable prices. To meet the growing demand, entrepreneurs are building technologically advanced facilities in India, Thailand, Latin America and elsewhere, and are hiring physicians, technicians and nurses trained to American and European standards to run them. |
Jul 24, 2008 |
ST #313 – Medicare Spending Across the MapThough talk of fundamentally reforming Medicare has been limited lately, the baby boomers' imminent retirement and the continued rise in health care costs will force Medicare back to the forefront of upcoming policy discussions. |
Jul 08, 2008 |
BA #620 – Five Family Friendly PoliciesThe most significant economic and sociological change of the past half-century has been the entry of women into the labor market. Public policies that govern the workplace have not kept pace with this demographic shift, however. For the most part, tax law, labor law and employee benefits law were designed decades ago on the assumption that the typical household would have a full-time working husband and a homemaker wife. |
May 20, 2008 |
BA #618 – Insuring New Jersey's UninsuredIndividual health insurance policies in New Jersey are among the most costly in the United States due to over-regulation and expensive mandates. Two radically different bills have been proposed recently to reduce the number of uninsured in the state by making health coverage more affordable. One proposal would mandate that individuals purchase insurance. |
Apr 21, 2008 |
ST #311 – State Health Care Reform: Key Questions and AnswersOne of the biggest problems in health care reform is that parties with different viewpoints do not agree on basic facts. Some view the private sector as the source of U.S. health care woes and an expansion of government control as the solution. Others believe that ill-considered government interference is the main source of the problem. |
Mar 17, 2008 |
BA #612 – Giving No Credit Where It Is Due: Social Security DisabilityThe disability insurance component of the U.S. Social Security system is funded by a 1.8 percent payroll tax. It pays benefits to disabled adults who have earned a required number of credits based on previous years of work. The benefit amount is based on the wages taxed for Social Security. Most people do not realize that the system penalizes those who leave the workforce for a few years. The system often penalizes women, who are more likely to move in and out of the workforce. |
