Governor’s Paid Leave “Fix” Leaves the Biggest Problems Untouched
Earlier this year, I warned that Virginia’s proposed Paid Family and Medical Leave Act would create one of the most expansive and expensive paid leave programs in the country. I had hoped the Governor’s new amendments issued just before midnight last night would fix those concerns. They don’t. The legislation would still establish a statewide insurance system funded by mandatory payroll contributions from workers […]
Richmond Community Hospital: Poster Child for Reforming 340B
Nonprofit hospitals in low-income neighborhoods should be the backbone of the American safety net system for low-income people who lack insurance. Instead, thanks to a federal program called 340B, many nonprofit hospitals have made maximizing revenue their primary goal, not providing charity care. Thanks to a New York Times investigation, Richmond Community Hospital has become the starkest example of a […]
The Public Option: A New Unaffordable Government-Controlled Health Insurance System
At this critical moment, Virginians – and all Americans – are depending on our health care system like never before, and they deserve access to affordable, high-quality health coverage and care. Unfortunately, some politicians are proposing a one-size-fits-all new government health insurance system called the public option that could have negative consequences for hardworking Virginians, […]
Can We Talk Common Sense Yet?
We are now a little over 4 months into dealing with covid-19 in Virginia and it’s time to take stock of where we are. Let me start by saying that, while I did not like the shutdown of businesses, I understood why it was happening. We had little to no knowledge of the disease. We […]
Wise King Ralph Rules: Less Choice for the Self-Employed
According to Governor Ralph Northam, the way to ensure access to quality, affordable medical insurance for Virginians is to reject bills that would… expand access to health insurance for Virginians. Last week Northam vetoed two bills passed with broad bipartisan support that would have allowed self-employed people to buy insurance through professional groups such as […]
Wear a Mask
You should wear a mask when you leave the house. In East Asia and the Czech Republic, huge numbers of people now wear masks, and that has greatly reduced the spread of coronavirus. Mask-wearing is a key reason why the virus spread less in East Asia than in Western countries like Italy, Spain, and the […]
Is Questioning Obamacare Now A Third-Rail Issue in Virginia?
Three health insurance proposals which passed the Virginia General Assembly only to be vetoed are now front and center in the November election. What were they? Were they efforts to weaken and ultimately destroy the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) or efforts to provide lower-cost choices for those unable to afford ACA policies?At the end of […]
State’s Strand of Budget Worry Beads Capped by Expanded Medicaid
Call them the Secretary of Finance’s worry beads. It is easy to imagine Aubrey Layne putting his fingers on one bead on the strand after another as he asks the economic powers outside his control to smile on Virginia and avert any recession (or even a hiccough) that would slice into the state’s revenue. Layne, […]
More Reason for Cynicism about Medicaid Expansion
More than 300,000 Virginians have something today they didn’t have last year — health insurance through Medicaid, observes Virginia Public Radio. What they don’t have is a primary care physician. Many are still seeking primary care treatment at hospital emergency rooms. Admissions to the emergency room of Norfolk General Hospital have increased 7% this year. […]
Real Medicare Doesn’t Match Political Promises
We had been on Medicare exactly two days when our first premium increase notice arrived, a nice healthy 5% jump. This isn’t the Medicare Heaven that I keep hearing about from the presidential contenders. I want that Medicare, the idyllic one described by Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. Surely their “Medicare for All” wouldn’t […]