Federalizing Medicaid
Here is a new post I’ve got up at the Health Care Cost Monitor, in which I try to convince folks that even Republicans should be in favor of federalizing Medicaid. I’d love your feedback, as I’m still developing this idea.
Similar Posts
Finally: Something Republicans and Democrats Can Agree On
ByadminThe United States Medicare program is forbidden, by law, from negotiating with pharmaceutical companies. This was part of a negotiation that was reached at the time that the government, under the leadership of George W. Bush, created Medicare Part D, to cover prescription benefits for Medicare recipients. The pharmaceutical industry was quite worried that government…
Why It Is So Difficult to Kill the Death Panel Myth
ByadminIn August of 2009, Sarah Palin claimed that the health legislation being crafted by Democrats at the time would create a “death panel,” in which government bureaucrats would decide whether disabled and elderly patients are “worthy of healthcare.” Despite being debunked by fact-checkers and mainstream media outlets, this myth has persisted, with almost half of…
Can States Afford to Take Federal Medicaid Dollars?
ByadminStates face a tough choice right now, of whether to expand their Medicaid roles with 90% of the costs being borne by the government. (Medicaid is a combined Federal/State program to pay for healthcare of low income individuals and families.) Why is taking money from the Feds a tough decision? For starters, it means supporting,…
When Governments Nudge Physicians to Use EMRs
ByadminPhysicians have been, at best, slow to adopt electronic medical records. But who can blame them? These computerized systems often cost lots of money, and force physicians to spend gobs of valuable time learning a new way to track how they care for patients. On the other hand, we would all be better off if…
Who Wants to Take a Pill to Prevent Breast Cancer?
ByadminOn April 14, The United States Preventive Services Taskforce concluded that women with an elevated risk of breast cancer – who have never been diagnosed with breast cancer but whose family history and other medical factors increase their odds of developing the disease–should consider taking one of two pills that cut that risk in half….
When Physicians Pay Attentions to Costs, They Promote Public Health!
ByadminThis week, my good friend Reshma Jagsi and I published an article in the New England Journal of Medicine, in which we explain why physicians are doing their job, as physicians, when they pay attention to healthcare costs. Here is a snippet from that article, and a link to find the full version. Health care costs…