HEALTHCARE SYSTEM REFORM
[Publication] Covid-19 and the Need for Health Care Reform
Jaime S. King, Executive Editor April 17, 2020
“Covid-19 and the Need for Health Care Reform” Author: Jaime S. King
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Litigation and Enforcement in the Era of the Coronavirus Pandemic
Amy Y. Gu, Managing Editor April 15, 2020
As society changes in unexpected ways due to the coronavirus outbreak, litigation and enforcement issues have come into the spotlight and become more important than ever. In this Litigation and Enforcement issue, we take a look at how COVID-19 is impacting healthcare markets and law and enforcement. Uncertainty From Outbreak Impacts Court Cases and Law Enforcement As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on globally, both essential and nonessential industries have been affected in unprecedented ways. Across the country, legislatures and courthouses have postponed or indefinitely suspended activities due to the …
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[In the Press] Interview Quoted in Courthouse News Service Article “Biden Beefs Up Student Debt, Medicare Plans to Woo Sanders Voters”
Distinguished Fellow and Advisory Board Member Tim Greaney was quoted in the 4/9/2020 Courthouse New Service article Biden Beefs Up Student Debt, Medicare Plans to Woo Sanders Voters: It’s not clear how many older workers would actually opt for Medicare rather than an employer plan since many larger employers’ plans are relatively generous, according to Thomas Greaney, who teaches health care law at the University of California Hastings Law School. “Traditional Medicare has a lot of holes in it. There are very high co-pays and no out-of-pocket limits. I’m not …
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[In the Press] Letter to New York Times Editor: Don’t Play Favorites in Doling Out Supplies to States
Distinguished Fellow and Advisory Board Member Tim Greaney’s letter to editor was featured in the New York Times 4/7/2020 Opinion Don’t Play Favorites in Doling Out Supplies to States: To the Editor: Re “Trump’s Son-in-Law Puts Himself in Middle of Response” (news article, April 3): Your report that supplies needed by hospitals to deal with the Covid pandemic were being dispatched to states that had not even submitted requests “based on which governor got Mr. Trump on the telephone” is deeply troubling. Most obviously, allocating scarce resources without oversight and …
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The Source Roundup: April 2020 Edition
Ada Shao, Student Fellow April 1, 2020
We hope that you and loved ones are staying well as we together persevere through the unprecedented circumstances brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. The current situation has brought to the forefront a number of issues our healthcare system currently faces, including the potential costs associated with treating those affected by COVID-19. In this month’s Source Roundup, we begin by looking at the expected treatment costs for patients affected by COVID-19 and examine how price capping may be a means to reduce healthcare costs. We also highlight articles that discuss …
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Obamacare: Here We Go Again…..
Jaime S. King, Executive Editor February 14, 2020
For those of you who have followed the storied trajectory of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), affectionately called Obamacare, strap yourselves in because here we go again. After months of waiting for an opinion, on December 18, 2020, which incidentally was the day of Donald Trump’s impeachment, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals issued its opinion in Texas v. U.S., the most recent challenge to the constitutionality of the ACA. The three-judge panel ruled two to one that the individual mandate was unconstitutional in the absence of a tax penalty, …
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The Source Roundup: February 2020 Edition
Tiffany Wang, Student Fellow February 3, 2020
Happy February! Here at The Source, we are grateful for the extra day in February to give our readers time to catch up with the latest health policy analysis and literature. This edition of the Source Roundup looks at articles and reports on 1) how monopolies have hurt consumers and what states can do to combat hospital acquisitions and mergers, 2) how well states are doing to make health care affordable; 3) why a single-payer system is financially feasible; and 4) what the United States can learn from other countries’ …
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California’s 2020-2021 Budget Proposal Aims at Consolidation and Drug Pricing
Sammy Chang, Health Policy Researcher January 13, 2020
On January 10, California Governor Gavin Newsom released his 2020-2021 State Budget proposal. While the state budget process will not begin in earnest until after the Governor’s May Revise, the state budget provides a glimpse of likely California health care reforms. The Governor’s January Budget Proposal proposes the following: Proposal Goals Office of Health Care Affordability Increase price and quality transparency Develop cost targets for health care industry Address hospital cost trends by region, with focus on cost increases driven by delivery system consolidation Establish standards for advance evidence-based and …
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The Source Roundup: December 2019 Edition
Tiffany Wang, Student Fellow December 2, 2019
Happy December! The holiday season is upon us and it is time to cozy up with a warm cup of tea to the latest health policy news. This edition of the Source Roundup looks at articles on 1) healthcare market consolidation and provider network access, 2) increases in insurance premium contributions and deductibles, and 3) lessons from healthcare system reforms abroad. Healthcare Markets Accountable care organizations (ACOs) have been lauded for providing higher quality medical care at lower costs. In a recent Health Affairs research article, Changes in Physician Consolidation …
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California Budget Watch (Part 4 of 4): The Legislature Implements Major Healthcare Reforms in Trailer Bills SB 78 and SB 104
Sammy Chang, Health Policy Researcher August 30, 2019
Last month, we recapped the appropriations allocated to healthcare reform in the 2019 California Budget. These budget allocations, however, do not provide much guidance on how the money should be spent. Trailer bills provide the statutory language to implement the budget. With the enacted 2019 budget, the Governor signed two healthcare trailer bills passed by the Legislature, SB 78 and SB 104. In this post, we dissect these trailers bills which create and implement various programs impacting healthcare access and costs. What are Trailer Bills? SB 78 and SB …
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