Health Insurance – Page 101 – The Goodman Institute Health Blog

Medicare’s Bribe to Coax Part D Insurers Not to Raise Their Premiums on the Eve of the Election Will Be Costly For Taxpayers

Posted on October 3, 2024 by John C. Goodman

Yesterday, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its analysis of a newly announced Biden-Harris program intended to paper over the flaws of the so-called “Inflation Reduction Act” (IRA). Based on CBO estimates, this election-year stunt to artificially lower the cost of seniors’ Part D premiums will cost taxpayers at least $7 billion in 2025, including $2 billion in additional interest on our already ballooning debt. If implemented as planned, this program could cost taxpayers more than $21 billion over the three-year demonstration.

Source: House Budget Committee

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Thursday Links

Posted on October 3, 2024October 3, 2024 by John C. Goodman

A Fauci aide who taught a coworker how to destroy government records to avoid complying with FOIA requests is taking the Fifth before a congressional committee.
The real issue in the port workers strike is not wages, it’s automation.
Why McDonald’s burgers taste better (different?) outside the US.
The nanny state: number of US counties in which government transfers are more than 25% of personal income.
Humana tumbles as insurer faces $3 billion hit to revenue over lower Medicare star ratings (Statnews)
Medicaid is no longer for the poor: Enrollment as a percentage of the U.S. population has more than tripled, rising from around 8% in the late 1980s to nearly 27% by 2022, while the poverty rate remained relatively stable.

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Wednesday Links

Posted on October 2, 2024October 2, 2024 by John C. Goodman

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Is Social Media Creating a Mental Health Crisis? Or Treating One?

Posted on October 1, 2024 by Devon Herrick

It should come as no surprise that state attorneys general are on the lookout for other targets for lawsuits. It appears social media is the new one. More than two-thirds of states are suing Meta, the owner of Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. There are also suits against TikTok. Supposedly, social media is addictive (like cigarettes and opioids) and bad for youngsters’ mental health…

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