Archive for the ‘Medicaid/Medicare/SCHIP’ Category

“Medicare has lower administrative costs”

Wednesday, August 13th, 2008

I often hear this from people who defeind confiscating taxpayer's money without their consent to pay for a government run insurance program for the elderly.  They use this argument to justify wanting "Medicare for all."  How does a defender of individual respond?  Here's a way: "If government employees can keep administrative ...

Medicare pays squat, Pathways HomeCare Center closes

Thursday, July 31st, 2008

Earlier this month ABC news reported that physicians were dropping Medicare patients because the program paid then too little.  Last week the Denver Business Journal reported that Pathways HomeCare Center of Aurora, which provides medical supplies and durable medical equipment to Medicare and Medicaid patients, will close as of Thursday, July 31, general manager ...

Colorado health care agency under investigation

Thursday, July 17th, 2008

From 9 News: Legislators grilled the state's health care agency Monday over multi-million dollar mistakes and the firing of a whistle-blower, but the agency denied there was any wrongdoing. "A smoke-and-mirrors game is being played," said Rep. Frank McNulty (R-Douglas County) on the legislative audit committee. "Something is dead wrong at the ...

Incremental persuasion: Medicare and Medicaid

Wednesday, July 16th, 2008

This post is about incremental persuasion and Medicare, and is intended for those who value each individual's freedom to choose whether or not to give to charity, which charity to support, and persuading others to share the same value.  If this does not describe you, I beg of you not ...

More doctors drop Medicare patients

Tuesday, July 15th, 2008

I like Ted Kennedy's slogan "Medicare for all." It reminds voters that America already has a highly successful, popular single-payer program, albeit only for the elderly. — Paul Krugman, June 13 2005 How "highly successful" is Medicare?  Consider the following story from ABC News: The Houston Chronicle reported last week that more ...

Medicaid strains ER more than uninsured

Friday, July 11th, 2008

A common rationale for compulsory insurance is that the uninsured get their medical care from emergency rooms for free, and pass on the cost to the insured.  I debunked this reasoning in an earlier post.   Yet, for those who do not agree with my critique (if you don't agree, please ...

SCHIP director: SCHIP lacks “actual evidence of the benefits for children”

Wednesday, July 9th, 2008

Via Michael Cannon at Cato-at-Liberty: Like other advocates for children’s health, I have an almost religious conviction that the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) is effective public policy. ... Although I have no empirical evidence to support the assertion that SCHIP is a beneficial and effective way to invest in ...

Overtreated with Medicare

Thursday, July 3rd, 2008

According to the OECD, patients in the United States pay only 13% of their medical expenses out of pocket (as of 2005).  This is equal to the United Kingdom, and less than Canada, both of which have (nominally) single-payer health care.  The consequence of patients spending so little for their own ...

Dehumanizing doctors

Tuesday, July 1st, 2008

Problem: Doctors may stop seeing Medicare patients because the reimbursement rates are so low. The solution?  At least one blog commenter wants to make Medicare the only game in town so doctors either put up or shut up.  Bloomberg News reports: James King, a doctor in Selmer, Tenn., doesn’t take new Medicare patients. More ...

Kling on health care delivery

Friday, June 20th, 2008

Arnold Kling has written an insightful article on health care delivery at The American: As an economist who has studied healthcare, I am familiar with the statistical evidence that America’s system is inefficient. However, my father’s recent hospitalization and death gave me a new perspective. What I saw in healthcare delivery ...