The Economics of Being Kinder and Gentler in Health Care
The high cost of health care in the United States has deterred Americans from taking action to help those who cannot afford it, an economist writes.
View ArticleShorter Workweeks Are Likely in New Year
More employees are likely to be working shorter workweeks in 2014, as government policies nudge them and employers in that direction, an economist writes.
View ArticleMedicare Advantage and the ‘Theft’ of $156 Billion
Changes to payments to Medicare Advantage plans introduced by the Affordable Care Act are more equitable for all taxpayers, an economist writes.
View ArticleThe Real Health Care ‘War’ on the Young
Those who criticize Obamacare as discriminatory against young men have turned a blind eye to how health insurance premiums are traditionally established, an economist writes.
View ArticleShe’s a 29er
Provisions of the Affordable Care Act are likely to hurt young women whose employers cut their hours from full time to part time, an economist writes.
View ArticleThe Employer Mandate: Dukakis All Over Again
The delays in carrying out various aspects of the Affordable Care Act are eerily similar to those of a Massachusetts health care law passed in 1988 at the urging of Gov. Michael Dukakis, an economist...
View ArticleThe Affordable Care Act’s Multiple Taxes
A new tax created by the Affordable Care Act and little noticed to date is likely to have significant impact on the labor market, an economist writes.
View ArticleHow the Medical Establishment Got the Treasury’s Keys
The struggle over American medical costs can be traced in part to the inherently inflationary terms of the deal that created Medicare nearly a half-century ago, an economist writes.
View ArticleHow to Shave $1 Trillion Out of Health Care
Shaving $1 trillion out of health care costs would not reduce health outcomes, but would provide many other benefits, writes an economist.
View Article‘Romneycare’ and the 29ers
The Affordable Care Act is far more likely to cause disruptions in the labor market than the Massachusetts health reform of 2006, an economist writes.
View ArticleThe Bad Economy Behind the Health Care Slowdown
A new study from the Kaiser Family Foundation helps sort out how much of the recent moderation in health care costs is related to causes other than the economy.
View ArticleHammurabi’s Code and U.S. Health Care
If society values doctors' treatment of the rich and the poor equally, it should look at equity in the fees they receive for different patients, an economist writes.
View ArticleHealth Coverage Worthy of a Senator
A provision forcing members of Congress to get their health insurance under the exchanges set up by the Affordable Care Act may prompt them to make such coverage too attractive, and ultimately weaken...
View ArticleWhat the Oregon Health Study Can’t Tell
A landmark study of the health and care of Medicaid patients provides some striking findings, but the longer-term conclusions that can be drawn are limited.
View ArticlePatterns of Changes in Health Insurance
Well-paid employees are likely to retain their employer-provided health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, and lower-paid employees are likely to be shifted to insurance exchanges, an economist...
View ArticleMassachusetts Employees Will Keep Their Health Plans
Because the state's employees are relatively highly paid, the impact of Massachusetts' health care reform is likely to be different than that of the Affordable Care Act, an economist writes.
View ArticleAffordable Care Act Could Be Good for Entrepreneurship
The health care law is expected to produce a sharp increase in self-employment next year because of access to insurance on the individual market, according to a new report.
View ArticleThe Culprit Behind High U.S. Health Care Prices
Employers are to blame for high and widely divergent prices for health care in the United States, an economist writes.
View ArticleThe Dollar Value of an Extra Year of Life
The cost of a new treatment for hepatitis C has renewed a debate about drug prices and whether its cost exceeds the price society is willing to pay, an economist writes.
View ArticleThe Power of Sebelius
Kathleen Sebelius's decision on how to calculate premium adjustments for health insurance could add billions to the federal deficit, an economist writes.
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