Viewpoints: Detailing The Cadillac Tax; Health Care And Longevity’s Decline
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Health Affairs Blog:
About That Cadillac Tax
In December 2015, Congress delayed implementation of the so-called Cadillac tax, a 40 percent excise tax on high-cost employer health benefit plans. Now scheduled to be implemented in 2020, the Cadillac tax would effectively cap the current tax exclusion for employer health benefits. By excluding health benefits from taxable incomes, the current tax break creates incentives for employers to pay more of employees’ compensation via health benefits instead of taxable wages, possibly leading to overuse of health care services and driving up health costs. (Jeff Lemieux and Chad Moutray, 4/25)
Modern Healthcare:
Healthcare Alone Won't Reverse Coming Longevity Decline
If Stephen Curry misses a free throw with the game on the line in the NBA finals, everyone will say he choked. If the two highest-paid teams in Major League Baseball this year (the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees) fail to make the playoffs, no one will congratulate them on a job well done. (Merrill Goozner, 4/23)
The Washington Post:
Obamacare Disaster Will Be Obama’s Enduring Domestic Legacy
Historian David Maraniss notes, in Sunday’s Post, that President Obama came to office with the goal of changing “the trajectory of America” and leaving “a legacy as a president of consequence, the liberal counter to [Ronald] Reagan.” On the foreign-policy front, he is the anti-Reagan for certain. Reagan defeated Soviet communism and left us a safer world; Obama presided over the rise and metastasis of the Islamic State and left us a far more dangerous one. Domestically, Ronald Reagan told the American people: “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are ‘I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.’ ” Obama wanted to convince Americans that they were not terrifying. And the way he was going to do it was through the only great liberal legislative achievement of his presidency: Obamacare. (Marc A. Thiessen, 4/25)
The Wall Street Journal:
Obamacare? Zika? Which Health Stories Americans Actually Follow
There has been a lot of health news over the past year, but which health stories really got through to the public? How about stories about Obamacare ranging from Republican efforts to repeal the law to stories about progress meeting enrollment targets? Or public health scares such as measles outbreaks or Zika? The scandals in VA health care? What about the stories about the political fight in Congress over Planned Parenthood funding? It turns out Obamacare, known formally as the Affordable Care Act, didn’t make the list of top health stories. The story that broke through the most? The fight over Planned Parenthood funding. Public health scares also broke through. And one health policy story with a consumer angle made the top group: rising drug prices. (Drew Altman, 4/25)
Modern Healthcare:
Healthcare Providers Take Heat Over Debt Collection Lawsuits Against Patients
With surprise medical bills and high out-of-pocket costs getting increasing political attention, some hospitals and physician groups are drawing criticism for aggressive collection actions against patients. (Harris Meyer, 4/25)
The Cleveland Plain Dealer:
Antibiotic Stewardship Programs Vital For Public Health: Cody Carroll
Antibiotic resistant bacteria, or "superbugs," are on the rise. The recent outbreak of an antibiotic resistant strain of the rare blood disease, Elizabethkingia, that has killed 18 people total in Wisconsin and Michigan serves as a reminder of the growing public health threat of resistant bacterial infections. (Cody Carroll, 4/24)
The Huffington Post:
Want To Change The Conversation About Abortion? Listen To Women.
In Missouri, getting an abortion is a herculean task. Restrictive abortion legislation has caused all but one abortion provider in the state to shut down. If you do manage to get an appointment at that clinic, you are legally required to receive in-person “state-directed counseling that includes information designed to discourage [women] from having an abortion,” and then wait at least 72 hours after said counseling to get the procedure. This makes Missouri one of the most restrictive states in the U.S. when it comes to abortion, in a country where more than 230 abortion restrictions were enacted between January 2011 and January 2015. (Emma Gray, 4/25)
The New York Times:
Oklahoma’s Unabashed Attack On Abortion
Give Oklahoma lawmakers points, at least, for honesty. They wanted to ban abortion, so they voted effectively to do just that — without offering any pretense of trying to protect women’s health, as supporters of other virulent anti-choice laws in states like Texas have done. Last Thursday, the Oklahoma House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to bar doctors from performing abortions in all cases except to save the woman’s life. A doctor who violates the law would be committing a felony, punishable by up to three years in prison and the loss of his or her medical license. (4/25)
Modern Healthcare:
We Can't Lose Focus On Quality In Pursuit Of Healthcare Value
It's widely recognized that the U.S. pays more for healthcare than other developed nations, yet achieves comparatively worse health outcomes, leading for calls to lower costs to improve value. But what if we increased quality at the same cost? (Catherine MacLean, 4/23)
