Parsing Health Policies: Failure To Renew Health Center Funding Could Trigger A ‘Crisis’; Can The GOP Improve The Senate’s Bipartisan Health Bill?
Editorial pages examine a range of policy issues, from the need for Congress to act regarding funding for community health centers to the impact of the Trump administration's so-called Obamacare "sabotage" as well as what the Wall Street Journal calls the "game of health care thrones."
Boston Globe:
The Health Care Crisis No One Is Talking About
Millions of Americans are at risk of losing their access to health care because Congress did not renew funding for the community health center program at the end of the fiscal year, Sept. 30. Unless we renew funding immediately, 70 percent of funding will be cut, the doors of 2,800 community health centers will close, and 9 million patients will lose access to quality health care. (Sen. Bernie Sanders, 10/31)
Los Angeles Times:
On Eve Of Obamacare Open Enrollment, More Evidence Of Impact Of Trump's Sabotage
Several important conclusions emerge from the latest statistics about Affordable Care Act premiums, issued Monday on the eve of open enrollment for 2018 plans, which begins Wednesday. First, gross premiums will rise substantially for next year and enrollment is likely to fall, mostly because of Trump administration efforts to sabotage the law. Second, millions of Americans will be insulated from those increases thanks to the administration’s profound ignorance about how the law works. Because government subsidies will be higher in 2018, many will pay less for equivalent coverage than they pay this year—in some cases, nothing. (Michael Hiltzik, 10/30)
The Wall Street Journal:
About That ObamaCare ‘Sabotage’
Democrats are accusing the Trump Administration of “sabotaging” Obama Care by discontinuing illegal subsidies to insurers, but last week even an Obama-appointed judge in California said otherwise. The ruling deserves more public attention. (10/30)
The Wall Street Journal:
House Republicans Can Improve The Bipartisan Health Bill
The Senate has a good chance of passing a sensible bill, put forward by Sens. Lamar Alexander (R., Tenn.) and Patty Murray (D., Wash.), to stabilize American health-insurance. But to get the bill through the House, Democrats will need to accept reasonable suggestions from Republicans. (Robert C. Pozen, 10/29)
The Huffington Post:
An Iowa Teenager Didn’t Wreck His State’s Health Care Market. Here’s Who Did.
Lurking behind the parties’ different approaches to the Affordable Care Act’s problems is a deep philosophical divide about health care policy ― and, in particular, whether it’s fair to spread the burden for medical expenses across the broadest possible swath of the population, even though it means healthy people end up paying more than they would otherwise. Pretty much every conservative health care proposal seeks to divide the population between healthy and sick in a way that may leave the former better off, but only at the expense of the latter. (Jonathan Cohn, 10/29)
The Wall Street Journal:
Game Of Health-Care Thrones
The Affordable Care Act seems here to stay, including its incentives for health-care industry consolidation. Big Government drives bigger business. The latest evidence is CVS Health Corp.’s mooted $66 billion bid for insurer Aetna Inc., as companies look for ways to make money beyond being regulated utilities. (10/29)
The Wall Street Journal:
How Democrats Learned To Love Insurance Companies
Democrats used to denounce health insurers as greedy, but lately their mutual interest in propping up ObamaCare has made these former foes into something more like frenemies. The cost for the most popular ObamaCare silver plans will increase 37% on average next year. Democrats and insurers are both blaming soaring premiums on the Trump administration, which is purportedly trying to sabotage the law. (Allysia Finley, 10/30)
RealClear Policy:
Private Health Care Would Be Less Expensive For All
Bernie Sanders recently declared that “health care must be recognized as a right, not a privilege.” There are a number of problems with this idea — some philosophical and some economic. While Senator Sanders is right that in a society as wealthy as ours, a person should not be denied proper health care because of lack of income, his approach will not solve this dilemma. In fact, it is likely to result in a less efficient health care industry with lower health outcomes than if we moved to a market-based health care system. (Gary Wolfram, 10/30)
Forbes:
Medicare Spends Far More On Older Adults Who Need Personal Assistance
Want to know if an older adult is likely to use lots of medical care? Just ask if she needs help with living activities such as bathing, dressing, or getting out of bed. In a new study with important implications for both caregivers and policymakers, researchers at the Long-Term Quality Alliance (LTQA) found that Medicare spends an average of three times as much on an older adult who has these functional limitations than on a senior who does not. ... This study is important because it highlights the consequences of the flawed way we care for older adults: Medicare does not pay for personal assistance yet those who need it are likely to be very high users of medical care, which Medicare does pay for. (Howard Gleckman, 10/30)
