Health Care

WPC's Center for Health Care develops patient-centered solutions to reduce costs and improve the availability and quality of health care for businesses and individuals, providing the only detailed, independent critique of health care issues available in the Northwest.

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What's New

Obamacare Turns Three, Remains Unpopular

April 17, 2013 in Publications
By

Roger Stark, MD, FACS, Health Care Policy Analyst

, April, 2013

President Obama signed the federal health care bill, The Affordable Care Act (ACA), into law three years ago. Let’s look at what has happened over the past three years.

The law remains extremely unpopular with Americans. Since passage, polls have consistently shown at least 50 percent of voters disapprove of the law. A recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll revealed that only 41 percent of respondents actually understood the law while 57 percent did not.

Update on Health Insurance Mandates

April 10, 2013 in Blog

Benefit and provider mandates in health insurance plans drive up the cost of health insurance. Each state, through either statute or regulatory action, controls the number and type of mandates required in plans sold in that state. Not all mandates are created equal, however. Some add less than one percent to the overall cost of the plan, whereas others such as mental health parity can add 10 percent to the cost. On average, each mandate adds 0.5 to 2.5 percent to the overall price of the insurance plan.

The Doctor Will See You … By Skype

April 9, 2013 in In the News
Heartlander Magazine
Source: 
Heartlander Magazine
Date: 
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Link: 
http://news.heartland.org/newspaper-article/2013/04/09/doctor-will-see-you-skype

Biosimilar Drugs Should Not Be Confused with Generic Drugs

March 8, 2013 in Blog

Generic drugs and biosimilar drugs should not be considered equals. Typical drugs are made from small molecules and are chemical substances. Generics can be reproduced by simply replicating the chemical formula of the parent drug. Biologic drugs are made from living, large molecules and their biosimilar replication in form does not guarantee the same function as the parent drug.

HB 1349 Would Weaken Insurance Reserves in Uncertain Economy

March 1, 2013 in Publications
By

Roger Stark, MD, FACS, Health Care Policy Anslyst

, March, 2013

Introduction

By law, health insurance carriers must retain a certain amount of money, or capital, above and beyond the company’s fixed liabilities. These reserves are an indicator of a company’s ability to pay claims, and the level of these reserves reflects the carrier’s financial stability.

Background

The Tragedy of Expanding Medicaid

February 22, 2013 in Blog

Florida's Republican Governor Rick Scott has been a leading opponent of ObamaCare, yet this week he came out in favor of expanding Medicaid in his state through the Affordable Care Act. The reasoning is it is "free money" or "money left on the table if we don't expand" or a "job creator" or expansion will "hold down health care costs." These are all faulty reasons at their worst.

The bottom line is Medicaid expansion is a bribe from the federal government.

Dr. Roger Stark updates us on the cost of Obamacare

February 10, 2013 in In the News
770 KTTH (Seattle)
Source: 
770 KTTH (Seattle)
Date: 
Friday, February 8, 2013
Link: 
http://kiroradio.com/listen/9952091

An Encouraging Medicaid Waiver for Florida

February 6, 2013 in Blog

Medicaid began in 1965 as a government safety net for poor children and their families. It expanded over the past 47 years to include disabled individuals and patients needing long term care. In 1975, 10 percent of Americans were enrolled in Medicaid. This number increased to 20 percent last year.

2013 Legislative Briefing

Dann Mead Smith, Paul Guppy and the full research team from Washington Policy Center presented their findings and key issues this Legislative Session on government reform, small business issues, environmental policy, health care and education reform to over 100 legislators, key staff and WPC supporters at our 2013 Legislative Briefing, held at the Capitol in Olympia on Monday, February 4.