Viewpoints: Scrutinizing GOP Health Plans, Drug Price Regulation And Insurance Mergers

CNN: What Foes Get Wrong About Plan To Lower Health Costs
Presidential campaigns can be hesitant to put out policy proposals because these ideas are easily caricatured and attacked by political opponents. So, it takes some real courage to put plans in front of the electorate. That's why Bobby Jindal, Marco Rubio and Scott Walker deserve credit for their willingness to put forth thoughtful proposals to repeal the Affordable Care Act and replace it with sensible, patient-centered reforms. There are certainly policy differences between the three candidates' proposals, and voters would be well-served by a robust discussion about the distinctions between them. (Lanhee J. Chen, 9/13)

Bloomberg: The Danger Of Managing Drug Prices
Right now, the U.S. accounts for a disproportionate share of the profits that make it attractive to keep looking for new drugs, precisely because we do not have a pricing board that attempts to hold down reimbursements to levels closer to marginal cost. That means we're providing a disproportionate share of the incentive for new research. Every so often, there is a clamor about lowering our prices and forcing other countries to pay their "fair share" of research costs, but there is no practical way to do it. So the only question is, are we willing to subsidize new research? (Megan McArdle, 9/11)

The New York Times: Regulators Need To Scrutinize Health Insurance Mergers
Two proposed mergers involving four of the nation’s biggest health insurers could reduce competition in an important industry. That’s why federal and state regulators need to closely study these deals and, if necessary, force the companies to sell some parts of their businesses. (9/14)

Forbes: Decrypting The 'Cadillac Tax,' Part 2
Section 9001 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), set to take effect in 2018, imposes what it calls an “Excise Tax on High Cost Employer-Sponsored Health Coverage”, which has come to be known as the “Cadillac Tax.” This is a 40 percent tax on employer-sponsored health benefits that are defined as “excess benefits.” ... I’ll explain why some conservatives (or at least, some people who generally oppose the ACA) support the “Cadillac Tax” – or at least, think it’s a reasonable approach, if not the one they’d prefer. (Robert Book, 9/11)

Forbes: Iowa Scraps Waiver For Obamacare Medicaid Expansion
Iowa’s experience with Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion has been turbulent. In 2014, state officials agreed to expand Medicaid, despite the fact that the Obama administration denied virtually all of their requests for flexibility. ... The program has seen double-digit premium hikes, one carrier becoming insolvent, both carriers eventually leaving the program, skyrocketing enrollment, cost overruns, and changes that make Medicaid enrollees less accountable. With that unfolding, it’s no wonder state officials announced in July 2015 that they were closing the Medicaid expansion waiver. (Jonathan Ingram and Josh Archambault, 9/14)

The Washington Post: Don’t Let Lobbyists Decide What Your Children Eat At School
Five years ago, Congress brought some healthfulness to the National School Lunch Program , which spends more than $10 billion a year to feed about 30 million K-12 students. The law is up for renewal this month, and the School Lunch Industrial Complex is trying to make it less healthful again. Its arguments in favor of lowering nutritional quality for the nation’s children don’t add up, and Congress should reject them. (9/13)

The Wall Street Journal: Mandatory Paid Sick Leave’s Ill Effects
President Obama signed an executive order on Labor Day requiring federal contractors to provide paid sick-leave benefits to employees and called on Congress to follow with a nationwide paid sick-leave law. His announcement emphasized standing up for the middle class. But there is scant evidence that mandatory paid sick-leave regulations help workers, and some evidence they do harm. (Maxford Nelson, 9/13)