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…
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.
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.
Corporate Leaders Are Getting Bullish On Government Action On Health Care Costs April 29, 2021 Perspective In this Axios column, Drew Altman explores whether the long struggle with rising health costs has caused the tide to turn in corporate leaders’ attitudes towards government involvement in controlling health spending and whether it is part of a larger shift in comfort with government action to solve problems.
JAMA Forum: Don’t Be Surprised if the Next Big Health Care Debate Is About Drug Prices February 6, 2020 Perspective In this post for The JAMA Forum, Larry Levitt examines both the Democratic candidates’ proposals and the Trump administration’s record on lowering drug prices, which remains a top issue for the public with bi-partisan support.
Tracking the Role of Health Care in the 2020 Election: What Do The Polls Tell Us February 28, 2020 Perspective In this February 2020 post for The JAMA Health Forum, Mollyann Brodie and Ashley Kirzinger examine the role health care has played in the primary election to date, what the polling data says about the issue, including Medicare-for-all and a public option, and what to expect from the issue during the rest of the 2020 election campaign.
Get Ready for a Lot of Biden Executive Orders on Health Care January 7, 2021 Perspective In this column for the JAMA Health Forum, Larry Levitt explores what President-elect Biden might do to advance his health care vision both through legislation and through executive orders and waivers and demonstrations.
