On Medicaid Expansion, Red States Will Be Watching Red States June 30, 2014 Perspective This was published as a Wall Street Journal Think Tank column on June 30, 2014. Since the Supreme Court made expanding Medicaid optional for states under the Affordable Care Act, 26 states have expanded Medicaid. Three of the 24 states that have not–Indiana, Utah and Pennsylvania–are considering expanding via federal waivers that…
Does the Affordable Care Act Cover the Uninsured? June 19, 2014 Perspective Drew Altman, in The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, discusses what a new Foundation survey finds about one of the biggest questions about the Affordable Care Act: whether it covers the uninsured.
The Truth About Those ‘Greedy’ Seniors June 13, 2014 Perspective In The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman asks, “what’s your image of America’s seniors?” and provides some facts on the income and assets of Medicare enrollees.
How Much Political Coverage of the Health-Care Law Is Too Much? June 5, 2014 Perspective This was published as a Wall Street Journal Think Tank column on June 5, 2014. With primaries underway and the midterms approaching, coverage of the Affordable Care Act will increasingly focus on politics. Many political reporters may take temporary control of the health-care beat during the leadup to November. News organizations should…
An Opportunity Amid the VA Problems May 30, 2014 Perspective This was published as a Wall Street Journal Think Tank column on May 30, 2014. Gen. Eric Shinseki resigned when it became clear that the problems in the VA health-care system were systemic, not one-off acts of a few bad apples. No administration wants another problem, especially with veterans who have served our country and who matter politically,…
What’s Driving the GOP Health Plan May 30, 2014 Perspective This was published as a Wall Street Journal Think Tank column on May 30, 2014. Conservative House Republicans are pushing for a vote on a GOP health-care plan, presumably to appeal to their base, to give GOP candidates health reform ideas to talk about on the campaign trail and to show that…
Avoiding the Wrong Lessons From the VA and HealthCare.gov Problems May 27, 2014 Perspective This was published as a Wall Street Journal Think Tank column on May 27, 2014. Problems with the launch of HealthCare.gov and with veterans hospitals allegedly concealing long waits for care feed a narrative that government doesn’t work. But many government programs, including Medicare and Social Security, work well. And there are…
In Health Care, Sometimes It’s Provider Choice vs. Price May 20, 2014 Perspective Drew Altman, in The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, examines the tradeoff between choice of doctors and hospitals and price when choosing a narrow network.
The Next Big Health-Care Issue May 12, 2014 Perspective Drew Altman, in The Wall Street Journal‘s Think Tank, writes that the next big concern for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will be how much premiums increase in exchanges for 2015. He discusses the factors to focus on to put this issue in perspective when states report premium increases.
The Twin Goals of Health Insurance May 9, 2014 Perspective Drew Altman, in The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, examines a study finding Massachusetts’ health reform saved lives in the context of health insurance’s twin goal: better access to improve health and economic security.
