Publications -- Regulations

Jun 28, 2001

BA #363 – Fighting the Last War

Congress is considering several versions of a Patients Bill of Rights. In the Senate, the "bipartisan" McCain-Kennedy-Edwards bill is going to duke it out with the "propartisan" Breaux-Frist-Jeffords bill and others. In the House, Rep. Charlie Norwood (R-Ga.), declaring that he was tired of waiting for the White House to compromise, prepared to move ahead with his own legislation. Meanwhile, Andrew Card, the White House Chief of Staff, announced that the President will veto any legislation that goes too far.

Apr 27, 2001

BA #360 – Financial Privacy: The Choice Is in the Mail

In one of the largest financial-customer notifications ever, banks and other financial institutions are mailing information to every customer of record to clarify how they collect and use people's financial information and what options customers have with regard to the sharing of this information. Many bank customers have already received notices. The mail campaign is a result of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999.

Apr 19, 2001

BA #356 – MSAs for Everyone, Part III

The idea behind Medical Savings Accounts (MSAs) is that individuals are able to own and control some of their own health care dollars. Instead of turning all the money over to an employer or insurance company, part of the funds are placed in an account from which patients pay directly for medical services. Further, individuals ultimately get to keep any MSA funds they do not spend

Apr 19, 2001

BA #355 – A Better Patients' Bill of Rights

Congress is poised to pass a law specifically designed to encourage litigation against health plans. Advocates of the so-called Patients' Bill of Rights are selling this legislation as necessary to permit members of health maintenance organizations to sue their plans. However, this is not an accurate description of the bill:

Apr 04, 2001

BA #354 – Creating Factories Behind Bars

The Bush administration has announced its intention to reach across party lines and look at old problems in new ways. Perhaps nowhere would this strategy reap a greater harvest than in jointly alleviating the 93 percent unemployment rate behind the gates of American prisons and a workforce shortage that threatens American competitiveness.

Mar 13, 2001

BA #351 – Medicaid Waivers: Wrong Cure for High Drug Prices

The Health Care Financing Administration (the agency that runs Medicare and Medicaid) can waive some federal requirements for Medicaid eligibility to allow states to experiment with new ways of delivering health care to the poor. Near the end of the Clinton administration, HCFA granted waivers to Maine and Vermont for programs allowing many people ineligible for Medicaid to get Medicaid prescription drug coverage.

Feb 23, 2001

BA #349 – The Gun Show "Loophole:" More Gun Control Disguised as Crime Control

Numerous studies have shown that gun shows are not a significant source of guns used in crime. Ignoring this evidence, some gun control activists claim that 70 percent of the guns used in crimes come from shows. And Handgun Control, Inc. asserts that "25-50 percent of the vendors at most gun shows are unlicensed dealers."

Feb 14, 2001

BA #348 – California's Electrical Mess: The Deregulation That Wasn't

In 1994 California enacted legislation intended to deregulate the electric power business in the state and establish a competitive market. By January 2001, flaws in the California approach had become evident with the state's utilities driven to the brink of bankruptcy and Californians suffering electricity shortages and blackouts.

Feb 05, 2001

BA #346 – Canada: A Health Care System on the Edge

Patients are lined up in the hallway, stretcher after stretcher. There are so few chairs that anxious relatives stand by the gurneys for hours. A woman with a migraine sits with her hands pressed to her ears. She waits like this for a couple of hours, perhaps longer.

Dec 08, 2000

BA #344 – Myths about Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance

For more than 50 years, America has relied on employers as the primary source of health insurance coverage. For the most part, this has been a successful approach, providing coverage in 1998 to 155 million people, compared to only 15.5 million who purchase their own coverage.