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.
Publications
Is Being on Medicaid Better than Having No Insurance at All?
Does having health insurance actually save lives or improve health more than being uninsured? This question has not been answered until very recently.
Justice Roberts Tax Ruling Endangers Obamacare
Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on the constitutionality of the individual mandate imposed on Americans by the Affordable Care Act (ACA), or as the president calls it, Obamacare. The individual mandate states that every adult over the age of 18 must own federally approved health insurance or pay a penalty. The court essentially dodged the constitutionality of whether the government has the power to require citizens to buy a certain consumer product, however, and approved the mandate provision by ruling the penalty for not having health insurance is a tax.
Analysis of King County’s Proposed Mandatory Drug Take-back Program
Introduction
Officials in King County are considering imposing a mandatory drug take-back program on drug manufacturers, but research shows this approach will do little to protect the environment. There are real concerns that hormones found in water will have environmental impacts. Studies show that, like caffeine, the hormones in the water are not coming from people improperly disposing of medicine, but properly taking birth control pills.
The Mandatory Drug Take-back Program Will Not Solve Environmental Problems
Medicaid Expansion Is Wrong for Washington State
Expanding Medicaid is a key element of the federal Affordable Care Act, more commonly known as Obamacare. Originally, the law required states to extend the public health program to cover individuals and families who make up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level. If a state refused, the feds would cancel all of its Medicaid funding.
Obamacare Turns Three, Remains Unpopular
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.
HB 1349 Would Weaken Insurance Reserves in Uncertain Economy
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
Washington State Should Not Expand Its Medicaid Program
The existing Medicaid entitlement program began in 1965 as a government safety net to help poor children and their families earning less than 133 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL). Congress has steadily expanded the program to include aid for disabled and long-term care patients. By 1975, 10 percent of Americans were enrolled in Medicaid. This number grew to 20 percent last year. Medicaid enrollment in Washington state has grown 50 percent faster than the overall population since 1993 and now totals 1.2 million people.
Obamacare Implementation Begins, While State Officials Propose More Health Care Taxes
Although it was intended to reduce health care costs, the federal Obamacare law contains a broad series of new taxes now taking effect in advance of full implementation of the mandatory program in January 2014. For example, a new 2.3 percent tax on medical devices started this month, which will raise the price of all medical supplies, from thermometers to pacemakers, used by doctors and nurses. Medical suppliers must pay the tax even if they don’t make a profit.
What the Election Means for Health Care in Washington State
The 2012 election has set the direction for America’s health care system. The Affordable Care Act (ACA), or ObamaCare, will continue to be implemented until it is fully in place in 2018. What will this mean for Washingtonians?
Broken Promises and ObamaCare Realities
We now have two-and-a-half years experience with the Affordable Care Act (ACA) or, as the President calls it, ObamaCare. During the debate in 2009 proponents told the American people to expect many benefits from the law in the following years.
