Pulling it Together: REPOR(t) May 26, 2010 Perspective In today’s column I investigate a somewhat lighter topic than my last column on micro-simulation modeling: What was the impact of shows like Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show and Stephen Colbert’s The Colbert Report on the health reform debate? Who among us has not wondered about the answer to this…
Pulling It Together: The “R” Word Is Back December 9, 2008 Perspective Longer ago than I care to admit, I got my start in health policy at M.I.T. when I wrote a book about health care regulation. The book was about a long forgotten attempt to rationalize the health care system through an elaborate health planning program set up in the seventies under the National…
Peering Into the Black Box of Insurance Rating June 7, 2011 Perspective Recently, the New York Times reported that private health insurers continue to seek large premium increases despite seeing lower than expected use of medical care and booking record profits. The story highlights a significant problem for health policy: the lack of good, public information about how health insurers manage health…
Measuring the Affordability of Employer Health Coverage August 24, 2011 Perspective A recent draft regulation issued by the Treasury Department describes who is eligible for premium tax credits to help them afford coverage offered through health insurance exchanges beginning in 2014. Tax credits will be available to people with incomes between 100 and 400 percent of the poverty level who are…
The Connection Between Health Coverage and Income Security August 3, 2015 Perspective In this column in The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman shows how expanding health coverage and improving economic security for working Americans are connected even though they are often part of separate policy debates.
In Employer Health Insurance Costs, Stability Is the New Normal September 12, 2014 Perspective In his latest column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman looks at the sharply slower growth in premiums for employer health benefits and what it might mean for the future of employer-sponsored coverage.
Health-Care Deductibles Climbing Out of Reach March 11, 2015 Perspective In this column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman explores the trend of higher deductibles in health plans and discusses a new analysis showing that many people with private insurance don’t have sufficient financial resources to pay a mid- or high-range deductible.
No, Medicaid Isn’t Broken May 15, 2017 Perspective With Medicaid about to be a focal point of debate in the Senate, Drew Altman’s Axios column looks at why the idea that the program is broken is more urban legend than fact.
The Republicans’ Jekyll-and-Hyde Health Care Plan June 22, 2017 Perspective In this New York Times op-ed, “The Republicans’ Jekyll-and-Hyde Health Care Plan,” Drew Altman examines the Senate health plan.
Surprise Bills Often Hit in Emergencies December 9, 2019 Perspective In an Axios column, Drew Altman previews new data highlighting that people with critical health issues are especially vulnerable to these bills.
