Anyone over the age of 30 has lived through a rather profound shift in federal priorities. A half-century ago, defense accounted for 45 percent of federal outlays at $405 billion. Medicare and health, combining for $45 billion, constituted five percent…
Last week the Trump administration announced it will allow states to impose a “community engagement” requirement on healthy adults getting Medicaid, the public health insurance program for lower income people. So far, ten states intend to do it, though not…
When the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that states could experiment with work requirements and volunteer community service as prerequisites for Medicaid eligibility, the melodramatic response from the Democrats and their media allies was as predictable as…
An aphorism much favored by my fellow dipsomaniacs goes thus: “Dogs are smarter than people. A dog won’t eat or drink anything that has made him sick in the past.” In other words, fill up Fido’s water bowl with Booker’s,…
When the Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis advised the President to declare a national emergency to deal with the overdose epidemic, HHS Secretary Tom Price wisely suggested that this step wouldn’t be particularly useful: “[T]he opioid…
Health care snatches the same portion of our purses as income taxes did in 1981 when Ronald Reagan famously slashed rates. So why did Reagan’s party punt on legislation to alleviate the crippling burdens health-care costs put on citizens? In…
It’s no grand revelation that Republicans have bungled the Obamacare repeal bill beyond belief. Senator Mitch McConnell wants a Senate vote on full repeal of Obamacare with two years to come up with a replacement. This would be the ideal…
As a physician, I treat Medicaid patients in New York City. Perhaps to your surprise, I can say with assurance that my patients receive good care. Those looking for a bottom-line may read no further. For those interested in the…
All Democrats and an odd coalition of very moderate and very conservative Republican Congressmen in effect voted that Obamacare was preferable to Trump-Ryan health reform. President Donald Trump was not pleased: “The best thing politically is to let Obamacare explode,”…
Speaker Paul Ryan’s proposed “American Health Care Act” (a.k.a. RINOcare) got a bit of a makeover on Monday. Now the pig has rouge and eye shadow in addition to lipstick. To be fair, some of the changes are good ones. Amendments…
