By Jane M. Orient, M.D. The Senate has finally unveiled its heretofore secret plan for pretending to repeal the (Un)Affordable Care Act (ACA, UCA, or ObamaCare): the Better Care Reconciliation Act. There’s the excuse that they can’t repeal ACA by the reconciliation process, even though, as Michael Cannon of Cato explains, “ACA’s health insurance regulations […]
The American Medical Association has announced its opposition to the Senate’s plan to revise (“repeal”) the Affordable Care Act (ACA or Obamacare), stating that the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA) violates the Hippocratic principle to “do no harm.” It also focuses, like the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), on loss of “access to…insurance,” which is not […]
By Alieta Eck, M.D. – http://zhcenter.org Nothing could be more confusing than fees charged by hospitals and doctors. There are many reasons why hospitals would like to keep it that way. I remember sitting in a hospital staff meeting and hearing about negotiations to merge two hospitals that were about a mile apart. The argument […]
by Kris S. Held, M.D. Republicans may take another stab at getting rid of ObamaCare, better called the Unaffordable Care Act. But most Americans will hold their applause until they find out whether this next attempt will improve their situation, or make insurance even more unaffordable and further restrict their ability to even have a […]
This week’s health policy news roundup curated by Jane Orient, MD Political machinations continue after Ryan Care was withdrawn for lack of enough votes. Strategists try to figure what will satisfy the Senate parliamentarian on reconciliation rules, what will attract enough support from moderates and from conservatives, what the CBO score will be, how the […]
By Alieta Eck, MD – http://zhcenter.org Imagine that you don’t feel well. You have had nausea and vague abdominal pain for a week, and you notice that your belt is getting tighter. You have not seen a doctor in a while and sense something could be seriously wrong. So what do you do? Here are […]
By Alieta Eck, MD As the controversy rages between those Republicans who want full repeal and those who want to retain what might be “good” about ObamaCare, we are not asking the right questions. While they are arguing whether or not to keep the ObamaCare subsidies (or the equivalent as “tax credits”), is anyone asking […]
By Jane M. Orient, MD: In his Feb 28 address to the Joint Session of Congress, President Trump called the Affordable Care Act (ACA, or “ObamaCare”) an “imploding disaster.” His references to soaring premiums, contracting choices, and market collapse are all spot on. And of course everybody wants “reforms that expand choice, increase access, lower […]
A number of proposed Republican replacements to the Affordable Care Act (ACA or ObamaCare) are circulating, but the best one seems to be getting the least attention, according to the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS). Sen. Rand Paul, M.D., (R-KY) has proposed a plan that “focuses on helping people obtain insurance that suits […]
As we enter the second month of the 115th Congress, Marilyn Singleton, MD, JD is out with her review of the latest medical care related proposals on Capitol Hill, from full ACA repeal to Medicare for all and everything in between. Full Repeal of the Affordable Care Act On January 9, 2017, H.R. 370, […]