Lecture posted June 13, 2007 by Tom Coburn, M.D., Joseph R. Antos, Grace-Marie Turner
Competition: A Prescription for Health Care Transformation
Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.: Every so often, we are fortunate
to have someone who comes to Washington, to the Congress, who
really intends to make things happen. Senator Tom Coburn is clearly
one of that rather rare breed of lawmaker who really comes with a
mission, with a sense of urgency, and with a desire to bring about
significant change. We've seen Senator Coburn in…
Lecture posted December 17, 2004 by Robert E. Moffit, Ph.D., Joseph R. Antos, Jeff Lemieux, Daniel L. Crippen
Will Congress Contain Medicare's Exploding Costs?
ROBERT
MOFFIT : Recently, David Walker, the Comptroller General
of the United States, noted that the official debt of the United
States is more than $7 trillion, which is about $24,000 for every
man, woman, and child in America. Mr. Walker told the National
Press Club, however, that if you count the unfunded liabilities--in
other words, the promised benefits of…
Lecture posted July 30, 2004 by Grace-Marie Turner, Joseph R. Antos
The Medicare Drug Discount Card: First Phase of a Market Revolution?
ROBERT E.
MOFFIT, PH.D:
When it comes to health policy, the intensity of
opposition to a proposal is sometimes directly proportional to its
potential for success. Given some of the heated congressional
rhetoric on our topic, that appears to be the case with the
Medicare prescription drug discount card. Today, we will examine
the discount card program; how it works;…
Backgrounder posted April 26, 2004 by Joseph R. Antos
Fixing the New Medicare Law #2: How to Promote Real Medicare Cost Containment
Cost
estimates of the new Medicare law are at the center of a national
debate.
The
Senate's budget rules last year put an absolute limit of $400
billion on how much Congress could spend in adding a new
prescription drug benefit and making other changes in the Medicare
program. The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and
Modernization Act of 2003, signed…
WebMemo posted April 8, 2003 by Joseph R. Antos, Alfredo Goyburu
Comparing Medicare and Private Health Insurance Spending
Introduction
Limiting the
growth of health care spending is a top priority. Comparing the
performance between Medicare and private insurance is receiving
most of the attention, with some arguing that Medicare cost control
has been more effective over the long term than private-sector
efforts.
Examining several
data sources -- with results displayed below…
Backgrounder posted July 23, 2002 by Joseph R. Antos, Grace-Marie Turner, Robert E. Moffit, Ph.D.
Time for a Sensible Medicare Drug Benefit
Members of Congress are trying to outdo
each other in offering senior citizens a prescription drug benefit
under Medicare. The House of Representatives has already enacted
the Medicare Modernization and Prescription Drug Act of 2002 (H.R.
4954). The House bill would create a new prescription drug benefit
as a federal entitlement, estimated to cost $311 billion over…
WebMemo posted July 19, 2002 by Joseph R. Antos, Grace-Marie Turner, Robert E. Moffit, Ph.D.
It's Time for A Sensible Medicare Drug Policy
Members
of the Senate are trying to outdo each other in offering senior
citizens a prescription drug benefit under Medicare. In this
feverish process, many policymakers are drafting badly designed
legislative proposals that lack the serious structural reform
necessary to improve the Medicare program -- guaranteeing an
explosion of new costs that further jeopardizes…