Two Substantive Sides to Debate Over Obamacare’s ‘Cadillac Tax’ October 2, 2015 Perspective In this column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman says debate about whether to keep or repeal the Cadillac tax is more than a debate between sound policy and good politics, there are strong substantive arguments on both sides.
What’s the Political Power of Those Newly Insured Under Obamacare? December 3, 2015 Perspective In this column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman takes a look at whether the 17 million people newly-insured since 2014 will make an impact in the first presidential election since Affordable Care Act enrollment began.
Donald Trump’s Health-Care Plan and Where the ‘Repeal and Replace’ Slogan Falls Short March 3, 2016 Perspective In this column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman discusses Donald Trump’s health plan and why “repeal and replace” is not a good description for Republican alternatives that have very different objectives than the Affordable Care Act.
The Affordable Care Act After Six Years March 23, 2016 Perspective In this column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman examines the role of the Affordable Care Act in the health system on its sixth anniversary, and how the hot debate about the law may have created an exaggerated impression of the good and the bad it can do.
How Health Care Factors Into the Presidential Campaign April 6, 2016 Perspective In this column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman discusses how health care issues have cooled in the election season but matter more for certain voting groups than others, and for “health care voters” encompass more than the Affordable Care Act.
What Paul Ryan’s Stance on 2016 Means for Health Care April 13, 2016 Perspective In this column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman discusses the implications of Paul Ryan’s decision to rule out being drafted as a Republican presidential candidate for the 2017 health care agenda and how it could focus greater attention on proposals to change Medicare and Medicaid along with the Affordable Care Act.
Obamacare? Zika? Which Health Stories Americans Actually Follow April 25, 2016 Perspective In this column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman analyzes the Kaiser Health Policy News Index to determine which health stories in the news have broken through to the public the most in the last year. One conclusion: it wasn’t the Affordable Care Act.
JAMA Forum: Reports of Obamacare’s Demise Are Greatly Exaggerated April 26, 2016 Perspective In this post for The JAMA Forum, the Kaiser Family Foundation’s Larry Levitt discusses UnitedHealth’s exit from Affordable Care Act marketplaces, the possibility of bigger premium increases in 2017, and why these challenges are unlikely to significantly affect long-term sustainability of the market and the law.
Clinton-Sanders Contest Fuels Democratic Support for Expanding Obamacare May 1, 2016 Perspective In this column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman discusses how the debate between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders about how to get to universal coverage has generated more support among Democrats for expanding the Affordable Care Act (and less support for the law as is).
Partisanship’s Grip On The Affordable Care Act May 10, 2016 Perspective In this Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank column Drew Altman analyzes data from an upcoming Kaiser poll and discusses how partisanship is the dominant factor shaping views of the Affordable Care Act for Republicans and Democrats enrolled in marketplace plans.