Re-education Camp

What a bizarre week it has been, with oil still gushing into the Gulf, growing global political and economic instability, and virtually no private-sector jobs being created in our still-struggling economy. And the president spends yet another week talking about health reform?! Clearly, he knows this massively unpopular law is causing political trouble for Democrats or he wouldn't be trying so hard to re-educate the American people about what's in it. But the sugar-coated message about the early benefits just isn't selling.

Consumerism in Europe

How extraordinary it was in London and Paris last week to hear broad agreement about the value of consumer choice, competition, portability, and the essential role that private providers play in health care in Europe.

The world has turned upside down.

I was in Paris to speak at the first pan-European conference focusing on the issue of private hospitals, organized by the European Union of Private Hospitals and its president, Dr. Max Ponseille and vice-president, Alberta Sciachi. More than 400 people attended, including members of the EU parliament, former health ministers, and many corporate CEOs. CONTINUE READING >>

Good News!

Ten million Americans now are covered by HSA-qualified health plans, according to a survey released today by America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP). This is an increase from eight million last year and six million in 2008. These are people enrolled in high-deductible health insurance plans that qualify them to open tax-free Health Savings Accounts (HSA/HDHP). Clearly the solid growth shows the popularity of the HSA/HDHPs and their continuing appeal, even during a health reform debate that has gone in completely the opposite direction.

More Bad News for ObamaCare

Early Warning Signs

Fortune magazine has a blockbuster report out this week that shows major companies are beginning to recognize the extraordinary risk of continuing to provide health benefits for their workers under ObamaCare. It reports that "many companies are examining a course that was heretofore unthinkable, dumping the health care coverage they provide to their workers in exchange for paying penalty fees to the government." If this happens -- and there is every incentive for companies to do this -- the costs of the health overhaul law would skyrocket, and tens of millions of Americans would lose their job-based plans and be forced to get coverage in the publicly operated state exchanges due to begin in 2014.

Washington Rules

The more people delve into the details of this monstrous health overhaul law, the more shocked and appalled they become. Today's case in point: A new requirement that would bury small business in a tsunami of paperwork and that has virtually nothing to do with health care. Here's an example of how it works: The Galen Institute is required to file a Form 1099 for payments to independent contractors to whom we pay more than $600 in a year. Basically, this applies to the several consultants who provide valuable services to us. It's a hassle to file these forms, but manageable.

More Danger Signs

The White House is trying to spin the new report from Medicare chief actuary Rick Foster as only half bad because it concludes that, while the health overhaul law will cost more, it will cover more -- 23 million people will remain uninsured (instead of 24 million previously estimated). But looking at the details of Foster's report shows many, many danger signs of ObamaCare and how many of its promises will be broken...

Overhaul Law: Gotcha

Nothing seems to have amused readers of The New York Times this week more than correspondent Robert Pear's news story on Tuesday about members of Congress possibly legislating themselves and their staffs out of health insurance. As we reported last week, this sloppily drafted bill never was intended to become final law but was merely a Christmas tree to get 60 votes (on Christmas Eve) in the Senate to advance the legislative process.But Democratic leaders concluded that passing the Senate bill through the House was the only way any major health overhaul bill could be signed into law after newly elected Scott Brown broke the Senate's filibuster-proof majority.