Abstract: Fifty years ago, America began a grand experiment by transferring to the federal government the fiscal responsibility for individuals with mental illnesses. During that half-century, it has become increasingly clear that the experiment has been a costly failure, both in terms of human… Read more
Revised and Updated on January 12, 2012 Download a PDF version with hyperlinks to House and Senate Appropriations Committee documents: Appropriations Tracker: FY 2012 Designed to inform American policymakers and citizens, the… Read more
House appropriators deserve two cheers for their recently released bill funding the Departments of Labor (DOL), Health and Human Services, Education, and related agencies for fiscal year (FY) 2012.[1] Disappointingly, the legislation only slightly reduces federal spending. Nevertheless, its policy riders take important steps in the right direction.… Read more
The Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) new preventive services guidelines are a disaster for freedom of conscience and a fresh illustration of the political hammerlock “reproductive rights” organizations have on the Obama Administration. Forcing private insurance plans to pay for morally controversial offerings such… Read more
Abstract: Imagine that the 2010 health reform legislation goes into effect as planned. If the skeptics are correct and it fails to control long-term federal health spending, what could a future Congress do to modify it? There are three approaches. Congress could (1) clamp… Read more
Abstract: The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) is not so much a set of norms to regulate conduct as an authorization to administrators to produce norms to regulate conduct. Implementation of the Act will require many years and literally thousands of administrative… Read more
Among Obamacare’s hundreds of pages was tucked a new government-run long-term care program, the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Program.[1] CLASS was poorly designed, and actuaries criticized it as being unsustainable well before the passage of Obamacare.[2] It appears from three recent congressional appearances… Read more
Testimony before Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Health Care, District of Columbia, Census and the National Archives United States House of Representative … Read more
Medicare Advantage (MA) plans are private insurance options available to Medicare beneficiaries. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA)[1] cuts deeply into the projected payments to MA plans. Millions of Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in MA plans, or who would have been enrolled if not for the cuts,… Read more
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA)[1] sets new federal insurance rating rules that bar insurers and employer-sponsored health plans from imposing preexisting-condition exclusions under any circumstances, require insurers to provide individual insurance coverage on a guaranteed-issue basis, and limit the extent to which insurers can vary… Read more
A set of provisions included in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA)[1] gives the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) sweeping new powers to impose a wide range of detailed benefit requirements on employer-sponsored health plans and major medical policies sold by health insurers.… Read more
Americans want health care reform—but not the reforms put in place under the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act (PPACA). The new law moves America’s health care system in the wrong direction, transferring vast powers to Washington bureaucrats who will control the dollars and decisions that should be in… Read more
Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA),[1] Congress has enacted record-breaking Medicare payment reductions. Most of these are reductions in Medicare payment updates to non-physician providers. To a lesser degree, these reductions are attributable to certain health care delivery reforms.[2] The Office of the… Read more
Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA),[1] the federal government, through the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), is legally required to sponsor at least two national health insurance plans beginning in 2014.[2] These OPM-sponsored plans would automatically be eligible to compete against private health… Read more
With enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA),[1] states “shall” establish a health insurance exchange in accordance with federal rules and guidelines. If a state chooses not to establish an exchange, the federal government will step in and set up such an exchange for that… Read more
The Obama Administration's mandate under the Obamacare statute that many religious employers provide health care...… Read more
The enormous storm brewing over health care in the last several years has included debate on everything from costs of...… Read more
New legislation introduced in the U.S. House yesterday would prohibit the use of federal money for advertisements...… Read more
The House of Representatives is expected to vote as early as tomorrow on H.R. 1173, the Fiscal Responsibility and...… Read more
A remarkable page in the history of American conscientious objection is being written by citizens throughout the United...… Read more
Monday on The Daily Show, comedian Jon Stewart interviewed Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen...… Read more
[caption id="attachment_89280" align="alignnone" width="585" caption="Colorado Christian University is one of many...… Read more
As the year draws to a close, we take a look back at a few of the victories and challenges for religious liberty during...… Read more
Yesterday, the Administration released data from the 2011 National Health Interview Survey that shows, among other...… Read more
In a rare scenario in Washington, common sense trumped politics this week as the Department of Health and Human...… Read more