Medicaid Expansion Update–Part 1
As part of Obamacare, states are invited–it was going to be essentially federal compulsion, but the Supreme Court changed this last June–to sign up millions of new people for Medicaid, the health insurance program for the non-elderly. Washington is to pay the expansion’s entire cost for three years, and (ratcheting down to 90 percent) nearly […]
Does Obamacare Actually Ration Medicare?
(Publisher’s note: Obamacare will continue to be controversial regardless of who wins the presidential race next month. Medicare is a huge issue in the health care debate taking place here in Virginia and around the country. This article adds to that public policy debate.) Among 45 new government organizations created by the Affordable Care Act, […]
The Impact of Obamacare and Ryancare on Medicare
(Publisher’s note: Medicare is a huge issue facing our state’s elderly population and those preparing for retirement – those 50 years old and older. This article will hopefully put some of this raging debate into perspective.) In a high-stakes battle for the votes of senior citizens, Romney, Obama, and their respective supporters have been trading […]
Medicaid Expansion in Virginia? Maybe Not.
The Obamacare ruling from the Supreme Court in late June is best known for upholding the requirement that people buy health insurance. But it also gave cash-strapped states a significant break. They can no longer be forced to expand their Medicaid programs, as the health-care law sought beginning in 2014. The court ruled that it […]
A Tale of Two Marks: How Virginia Keeps Healthcare Costs Needlessly High
This column originally ran in the Washington Times.) Nearly one billion people worldwide now use Facebook, less than ten years after its founding. But what if, before Mark Zuckerberg launched Facebook, he had been forced to obtain a government permission slip by proving to bureaucrats that there was a “need” for his service? Without such […]
America’s Actual Health and Welfare Crisis
EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson says we face grave threats to human health, welfare and justice. She’s absolutely right. However, the dangers are not due to factory or power plant emissions, or supposed effects of “dangerous man-made global warming.” They are the result of policies and regulations that her EPA is imposing in the name of […]
ObamaCare Continues to Strain Small Business
This article was originally published in the American Legislative Exchange Council’s policy blog, the AmericanLegislator (www.americanlegislator.com). A Gallup Poll released in February found that nearly half of small business owners pointed to potential healthcare costs (48 percent) as a reason for not hiring new employees. Even though 23 percent of small employers at the beginning […]
Southwest Virginia: One of the Nation’s Unhealthiest Regions? Rural Appalachia: Disparities within Disparities
For decades, rural Appalachia has been relatively hidden from view, and as a consequence, the health disparities within the area have gone largely unnoticed by the general public.
Maybe They Should Have Called It the "Unaffordable" Care Act
Unintended consequences and federal legislation go hand in hand. Just a few months out of the gate, Obamacare is already falling short of lofty promises; pushing at least one low-cost, Virginia-based insurance provider out of business.
In Defense of Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli
A response to Delegate Ken Plum’s critique of Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli.