By Julia Cohen Hospital costs have skyrocketed since 2000, and they are showing no signs of slowing down. Total hospital expenditures grew from $415.5 billion in 2000 to just under $1.1 trillion in 2016, according to Center for Medicare and Medicaid services data. That’s about a 160-percent increase over 16 years. In contrast, prescription drug spending increased…
LISTEN TO TLR’S LATEST PODCAST: By Juliegrace Brufke In the wake of the clean Obamacare repeal failing in the Senate Wednesday, GOP lawmakers are rumored to be considering a “skinny repeal,” aimed at abolishing a handful of key Obamacare provisions. The measure would likely eliminate the individual and employer mandates and roll back the medical device tax…
by Ian Tartt Healthcare is a hot topic in the US. Nearly everyone recognizes that it’s in need of a major overhaul, but can’t seem to agree on how that overhaul should look. This article will examine some of the problems with US healthcare and offer solutions for fixing it. If the politicians would…
LISTEN TO TLR’S LATEST PODCAST: By Grace Carr Pro-life activists have started a petition asking Massachusetts to change its abortion laws, giving women on Medicaid the right to received state-funded abortions, the Boston Globe reported Sunday. The Hyde Amendment, which doesn’t allow tax dollars in some states to pay for abortions, doesn’t apply in Massachusetts, causing taxpayers to fund abortions and fueling cause for…
LISTEN TO TLR’S LATEST PODCAST: By Robert Donachie Republican senators trying to repeal former President Barack Obama’s landmark health care legislation are coming around to the idea of keeping Obamacare taxes. The change in sentiment is an effort to delay draconian cuts to certain features of the system, like Medicaid expansion. Moderate Republicans in the…
LISTEN TO TLR’S LATEST PODCAST: By Steve Birr Medical marijuana legalization is causing patients to ditch their prescription pills for pot, a trend researchers say could save Medicaid more than $1 billion if legalization is implemented federally. A recent study published in Health Affairs shows marijuana legalization is sparking a decline in prescription medications under…
LISTEN TO TLR’S LATEST PODCAST: By Robert Donachie Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky hinted Wednesday that House Republicans’ plan to repeal and replace Obamacare could to get shot down in the Senate. “I don’t know how we get to 50 [votes] at the moment,” McConnell told Reuters in an exclusive interview Wednesday. The Senate majority…
LISTEN TO TLR’S LATEST PODCAST: By Robert Donachie Conservative groups are throwing millions of dollars behind a campaign to sell the American people on how comprehensive tax reform will improve their lives. Members of Charles and David Koch’s “Liberty Network,” Freedom Partners and Americans for Prosperity (AFP) are pledging millions to a nationwide campaign that promotes…
LISTEN TO TLR’S LATEST PODCAST: By Robert Donachie As the Senate reviews House Republicans plan to overhaul Obamacare, a handful of conservative senators are pushing for some steep cuts to the federally-backed health insurance program Medicaid. GOP senators, led by Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, are seeking an immediate roll back of the federal money granted…
LISTEN TO TLR’S LATEST PODCAST: By Robert Donachie The American Health Care Act (AHCA) increases Medicaid spending beyond Obamacare levels, despite claims that it “guts” funding for the government-backed health care program. Health Care policy analyst Tara O’Neill Hayes at the American Action Forum analyzed the financial impacts of the AHCA for each Medicaid beneficiary…