Quote of the Day

Kaiser Permanente was the prototype health maintenance organization (HMO) that sparked the managed care revolution, seeking lower costs supposedly without compromising quality. So why should a low cost leader come in with the highest premiums for Covered California - California's new exchange that is being established under the Affordable Care Act (ACA)?

Three-fourths of likely voters believe that the biggest problem in health care today is that it is too expensive or not worth the price. When allowed to select only one option as to who is responsible for the costs, close to half blame the insurance companies, with far less blame placed on others.

We rarely respond to criticisms of Medicare for All since most of them are driven by conservative/libertarian ideology devoid of any acknowledgment of health care justice. Single payer advocates simply cannot have an intelligent discussion with someone who does not believe that society has a moral obligation to ensure that absolutely everyone has affordable access to appropriate health care.

Although, with guaranteed issue, health plans will no longer be able to adjust premiums based on the health status of the applicant, they will still be able to adjust them through community rating.

In this article, Richard Eskow of Campaign for America's Future scores the effectiveness of several features of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) as it is being implemented. His take is that Obamacare provides only marginal improvements to a "fundamentally broken system."

Everyone should have health care when needed. Immigrants are taxed to support our Medicare program, yet many of them are prohibited from participating in Medicare, Medicaid, and the state insurance exchanges currently under development. Not fair.

The poorest of the poor, those living below the federal poverty level, are ineligible for subsidies for the exchange plans, and they will not be able to enroll in Medicaid in those states that have refused to expand eligibility beyond those who are already qualified.

According to the Milliman Medical Index (MMI), the average projected cost for health care today for the typical family of four with an employer-sponsored preferred provider plan (PPO) is $22,030. That includes an employee contribution to the premium of $5,544, out-of-pocket expenses of $3,600, both totaling $9,144, plus an employer contribution of $12,886 which is actually paid by the employee through forgone wage increases.

This RAND Health report provides an excellent perspective on how emergency departments (EDs) have evolved into institutions providing a greater central role in health care delivery. It is a particularly valuable report because it sets aside many misperceptions about ED functions - misperceptions that can lead to flawed policy recommendations.