The Folly of Expanding Government Health Care
By Marc Kilmer, posted March 2, 2009
At both the state and federal level, expanding government health care programs is in vogue. President Obama is doing it and Governor Strickland is trying to do it. While this government action may sound good and earn plaudits from the press, in reality it is expensive and unnecessary. But when...
Mandating Insurance Not the Answer
By Marc Kilmer, posted May 27, 2008
Should the state government force you to buy something just because you live within the borders of Ohio? Most people would be opposed to such an intrusive government mandate, and you have yet to find the Ohio government attempting this. That could all change, however, if the Healthcare Coverage...
By Marc Kilmer, posted October 1, 2007
Bipartisan majorities in the House and Senate have passed a bill to reauthorize the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Democrats are salivating at the prospect of the President's promised veto of this bill. The reality, however, is that expanding SCHIP will actually hurt kids, not...
Government Health Care Expansion Inefficient
By Marc Kilmer, posted September 10, 2007
When Governor Strickland entered office, he made it a priority to expand the state’s health insurance program for children. Claiming that it was needed to help those whose families could not afford insurance, Strickland and the General Assembly expanded coverage for children living in families up...
Should the poor pay for health insurance for the middle class?
By Marc Kilmer, posted July 18, 2007
If a politician ever suggested that taxes should be raised on the poor in order to pay for a product that people in the middle or upper class could already afford, it is not likely that this politician would have much of a future in office. So why, then, are so many members of the U.S. House and...
Almost overnight, health care has become a security issue. The news from London and Glasgow brings a striking reminder that Al Qaeda is willing to exploit any national weakness.In the case of the British, it's an ongoing physician shortage brought on by the inherent shortcomings of their...
'Sicko' Control of Health Care
By Ken Blackwell, posted June 27, 2007
Michael Moore got slammed by Larry King tonight. The outlandish documentarian was bumped from the "The Larry King Show" by none other than an ex-con, Paris Hilton. Mr. Moore's film "Sicko," though, is certainly abuzz among liberal pundits. Mr. Moore offers a solution to millions of Americans without health insurance — government-run health care, just like Cuba.
Ten Facts to Consider Before Expanding Medicaid
By Marc Kilmer, posted June 12, 2007
The issue of health insurance has become a much discussed topic around Ohio. With 1.2 million Ohioans reportedly lacking health insurance, efforts are underway in the General Assembly to provide the uninsured with some sort of coverage. Governor Ted Strickland is pushing an expansion of the State...
By Marc Kilmer, posted April 23, 2007
Though news stories and politicians often portray those without health insurance as a monolithic group of poor people who want insurance but can’t afford it, the reality is more complex. Many people choose to go without insurance because they place a low value on it. Moreover, about two thirds of the uninsured are without coverage for only part of the year, though they are counted in surveys as “uninsured.”
Health Care Regulation is Misguided
By Marc Kilmer, posted January 17, 2007
Legislation mandating “mental health parity” and other health insurance regulations will increase the cost of insurance, thus increasing the number of uninsured in Ohio. Legislators should attempt to lower costs by reducing government interference in the health care market, and searching for ways to increase consumer freedom.
Reform, Don't Expand, Medicaid
By Marc Kilmer, posted January 10, 2007
Though this year’s decrease in Ohio’s Medicaid expenditures is welcome, it does not justify increasing Medicaid enrollment. Increasing enrollment is shortsighted, and will do nothing to contribute to the long-term solvency of Medicaid. Ohio needs to pursue lasting, market-based reforms to ensure Medicaid’s viability in the future.
Candidates Have Widely Divergent Medicaid Plans
By Marc Kilmer, posted September 20, 2006
Medicaid is growing at an unsustainable rate in Ohio. Representative Strickland’s Medicaid proposals will worsen the crisis while Secretary Blackwell’s plan will move Ohio in the right direction.
Strickland Health Plan Will Cost Ohio Taxpayers
By Marc Kilmer, posted September 19, 2006
Gubernatorial candidate Ted Strickland’s health care plan is ambitious but short on detail. From what he has released to the public, however, his plan would involve hundreds of millions of dollars in new spending and a major expansion of the Medicaid program.
Viewpoint: Ohio Should Follow Florida's Lead on Medicaid
By Michael T. Bond, Ph.D., posted June 24, 2005
Medicaid reform is central to the stability and health of Ohio's budget going forward. Fortunately, Ohio state legislators just passed a budget bill that includes some initial steps in the right direction. Much more effort remains for the next session, however, but policymakers in Ohio...
Viewpoint: Ohio Medicaid drug reforms are shortsighted
By Michael T. Bond, Ph.D., posted March 15, 2005
The Ohio Commission to Reform Medicaid recently released its recommendations on improving Ohio’s health plan for the poor, and these recommendations are now impacting legislation. The good news is that the Commission did develop many outstanding recommendations for improving the quality of care for...
Viewpoint: Medicaid Nursing Home Cure as Bad as the Disease
By Michael T. Bond, Ph.D., posted March 1, 2005
Quality nursing home care is currently undermined by Ohio’s payment system. Policymakers should address the problem by shifting the system toward market-based incentives.
Single-payer is bad medicine for Ohio
By Matt Hisrich, posted September 28, 2004
Are Ohioans ready for socialized medicine? Joining a ballot initiative already in the works, House and Senate Democrats recently introduced proposals to do just that. [1] There's only one problem, though. Such plans will wreak havoc on Ohio's already fragile economy and undermine the quality of the state's health care.
Reform, Don’t Expand, Medicaid
By Marc Kilmer, posted December 31, 1969
Because of this year’s decrease in Medicaid spending, some policy makers are calling for an expansion of the health program. This is short sighted. The decrease is small and will not last. Incoming policymakers should use the decrease as breathing room to enact true Medicaid reform.
Ohio Medicaid Should Follow Russian Path
By Michael T. Bond, Ph.D., posted September 7, 2004
To solve the Medicaid crisis facing Ohio, Gov. Bob Taft and the state legislature established the Ohio Commission to Reform Medicaid (OCRM). It consists of nine distinguished Ohioans who are donating their time and skills to resolve the enormous problems facing the Ohio Medicaid Plan.
Across the country, the 43 million Americans without health care insurance coverage are becoming a hot-button political issue. While a portion of this group has been shown to include many who opt against coverage despite having the means to acquire it, there nonetheless remain those who simply have...
Medicaid Managed Care: Learning from Ohio's Past, Looking Towards Ohio's Future
As a new year begins, budget issues have been largely resolved in the short term, but will inevitably continue to loom large in Ohio and across the country in coming years. Down the road, policymakers will face some tough decisions about cuts and taxes. Along with education, one of the biggest...
Frequently Asked Questions About Dietetics Regulation
By Casey Burnett, posted February 27, 2004
1. To what extent is the unregulated practice of dietetics harmful to consumers? It's not clear that the unregulated practice of dietetics is harmful to consumers in a systematic way. For example, a 1999 West Virginia preliminary performance review of the board of licensed dieticians found that...
Is Medicaid Really a Health Care Program for the Poor?
By Michael T. Bond, Ph.D., posted February 27, 2004
Medicaid is touted to be the Federal-State program to provide health care to the poor. But is this really true? In the State of Ohio Medicaid reported in 2001 a total of 1,676,157 individuals as receiving benefits from the program according to the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services. At...
Dietician Licensure Protects Dieticians and Not the Public
By Pamela A. Popper, posted February 13, 2004
In 1987, the Ohio legislature passed a law creating the Ohio Board of Dietetics. As has been the case in almost every state where dietitian licensure has been proposed to the legislature, the impetus for the law was not public demand, but dietitians wanting a board, licensure, title protection, and...
IRS Gives One to the Little Guy in Health Care Reform
By Michael T. Bond, Ph.D., posted December 1, 2003
Recently consumers of health care in the U.S. received a boost in their efforts to control costs and increase their choice of medical services from an unlikely source: The Internal Revenue Service. The IRS ruled last summer that employers can claim spending from Health Reimbursement Arrangements,...
Drug Costs Account For Small Part of Nation's Medical Bill
By Michael T. Bond, Ph.D., posted November 25, 2003
Health care costs have risen significantly in the last few years. The alleged culprit in these cost increases are large increases in drug prices. Unfortunately, there are two major fallacies in what has become a generally accepted explanation of rising medical bills.[1] The first fallacy is that...
Medicaid Funding of Nursing Homes in Ohio
By Michael T. Bond, Ph.D., posted November 5, 2003
Ohio (and most of the nation’s) Medicaid Plans are in serious financial trouble. The director of Medicaid admits as much in recent testimony and press releases when she states that Medicaid is not sustainable with Ohio’s budget under current laws. There is widespread agreement that the State is...
Wealthy Fastest Growing Segment of Uninsured Population
It is often assumed that an inability to afford insurance is the primary reason for not possessing any. Recent Census numbers show the uninsured coming from a broad spectrum of incomes. In fact, the greatest increase in the uninsured took place among the wealthiest Americans, while the least wealthy actually experienced a decline.
Increased Prescription Drug Usage Driving Spending Increases
By Michael T. Bond, Ph.D., posted September 25, 2003
Spending in the U.S. on prescription drugs has been increasing rapidly. Expenditures increased by nearly 12 percent from 1987 to 1994 and by 12.9 percent from 1994 to 2000. This increase in expenditures is a matter of great concern for consumers, businesses and policymakers and is at the heart of...
Ohio's Medical Liability Crisis
The letter below was mailed to patients of an Ohio obstetrician/gynecologist. In the letter, the doctor explains to his patients about the current “malpractice crisis,” its impact on his practice, and why his only choice is to stop practicing medicine. With the doctor’s permission, The Buckeye...
Maine-style Drug Caps Are A Bad Idea
By Betsy Chapman, posted July 7, 2003
Those involved in health care policy - regardless of political persuasion- want everyone to have access to the best medication. To support this goal, our public policy should nurture the creative source of drug discoveries, the pharmaceutical industry. But this industry is being treated as if it is...
Price Controls and Overall Drug Spending
By Jen Melby, posted July 2, 2003
Some Ohioans are clamoring for government to help control prescription drug prices. They have formed groups like the Coalition for Affordable Prescription Drugs to promote bureaucratic systems of price controls such as those of Canada. The Canadian system, however, tends to push up overall...
Court Decision Will Harm Health Consumers
By Michael T. Bond, Ph.D., posted June 6, 2003
The recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in favor of the State of Maine’s plan for a prescription drug plan for low income and uninsured residents allows this flawed program to go forward, at least temporarily. The idea of the State negotiating discounts for this group is appealing on the surface but...
How Ohio Subsidizes Empty Nursing Home Beds
Is Ohio paying for nearly 13,000 empty nursing home beds through Medicaid, or do nursing homes only get paid for actual people in their beds? As it turns out, both sides of the debate may be telling the truth — state government does not literally pay for any empty beds, but that doesn’t mean...
The World is Dining Out on America's Drugs and We Are Picking Up The Tab
By Aengus Barry, posted April 21, 2003
Recent debate concerning prescription drugs has focused on the fact that drug prices in Europe and Canada generally are a lot lower than in the United States.[1] This difference has led states to attempt to lower prescription drug costs through various types of price controls. While price controls...
Improving Medicaid Through Choice and Competition
By Michael T. Bond, Ph.D., posted March 25, 2003
The cost of providing insurance for the poor and disabled in Ohio is out of control. With a 2003 direct budget of more than $7.5 billion, Ohio’s Medicaid program costs taxpayers almost $661 per year for every man, woman and child in the state. [1] That is over $2,500 annually for a...
Ohio Medicaid is enormously expensive. With a 2003 direct budget of over $7.5 billion, the program costs taxpayers almost $661 per year for every man, woman and child in the state. That equals $2,644 per year for a family of four. Indeed, it is likely that some people pay more in state and federal...
Tricks of the Trade: The Reality of Drug Company Profits
Financial accounting is a tool capable of great insight or, in the wrong hands, abuse. Just ask the employees of former economic giants such as Enron, WorldCom, or Global Crossing. The lack of transparency in their accounting practices resulted in the harshest market discipline: bankruptcy. A...
Now is the Time for Health Care Liability Reform
By David J. Owsiany, posted December 14, 2002
The Ohio General Assembly has passed several laws over the last two decades to reform Ohio’s out-of-control personal injury lawsuit system. Each time, the overreaching Ohio Supreme Court invalidated those laws in brazen acts of judicial activism. Its time for state policymakers to try...
Accounting 101 : Misrepresentation Of Pharmaceutical Profits
A closer look at claims that the pharmaceutical industry was reaping huge profits in the midst of a downturn in the economy reveals a less dramatic story.
Statutes of Repose are Consistent with the Ohio Constitution
By David J. Owsiany and David N. Mayer, posted January 1, 2001
During recent consideration by the Ohio General Assembly of malpractice reform proposals, plaintiffs’ attorneys and advocates of an activist judiciary have suggested that statutes of repose – which place time limits on the commencement of lawsuits – are unconstitutional. A plain reading of the Ohio Constitution, however, reveals that enactment of a medical malpractice statute of repose by the General Assembly is entirely consistent with the Ohio Constitution and the General Assembly’s policymaking authority.
Mandates may have caused nearly 300,000 to lose health insurance
Research indicates that state health insurance mandates may have caused up to 297,500 Ohioans to become uninsured in the mid-1990s.
New study casts doubt on proposed Medicaid expansions
According to a study released in January 1999 by the National Bureau of Economic Research, Medicaid may not improve the health of poor children.
Health care mandates increase number of uninsured
New health care mandates will increase the number of uninsured, including those in Ohio, according to a recently released study.
Ohio Medicaid enrollment expands to include non-poor
An analysis of Ohio's Medicaid program reveals that there are more people receiving Medicaid than there are poor persons in Ohio.
By Robert A. Lawson, Ph.D., posted July 1, 1997
The Governor and General Assembly have just signed into law another two-year budget. Despite attempts to reign in spending growth, expenditures will continue to increase at almost twice the inflation rate. One of the primary causes of the growth in state government has been the Medicaid...
Medical Savings Accounts Free Doctors and Patients From Managed Care
By Michael T. Bond, Ph.D., posted August 1, 1996
Three months into her second pregnancy, Sarah faced a perplexing problem: She might have to change personal doctors. Sarah had seen the same doctor – one of the most widely respected obstetricians in Southwest Ohio – for more than six years. Her doctor had even delivered her first baby. So why...
Private Health Care Accounts Control Costs and Expand Choices
By Michael T. Bond, Ph.D., posted August 8, 1995
Imagine a healthcare plan that allows you to purchase health care services you want and gives you money at the end of the year. Not only that, this plan helps reduce health care costs for you and your employer. Sound far fetched? That's exactly what Medical Savings Accounts accomplish.
Medical Savings Accounts: A Valid Health Care Reform?
By Michael T. Bond, Ph.D., posted August 1, 1995
Imagine a health-care plan that allows you to buy the care you want and gives you money at the end of the year. Not only that, this plan helps reduce health-care costs for you and your employer. Sound far-fetched? Not if you work for Dominion Resources, the Golden Rule Insurance Co., Forbes or any...
Hospitals Should Be Free To Improve Medical Services
By Robert A. Lawson, Ph.D., posted January 1, 1995
Suppose an Ohio hospital wants to purchase a new Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine or wants to add more beds to its maternity or obstetric unit. Or suppose a new cardiac catheterization lab wants to open. In Ohio, these health care improvements would be prohibited. In the debate over...
Blue Cross Ignores The Real World
By Brad Smith, posted June 1, 1994
Dr. Peter Somani, Governor Voinovich’s Director of Health, has suggested a creative idea that could save the State of Ohio, and eventually the state’s private businesses, millions of dollars in reduced health care expenditures. Dr. Peter Somani’s proposal calls for the creation of Medical Savings...
