Georgia is set to become the only state to impose a work requirement for Medicaid eligibility. This idea has been discussed in Republicans states for years. It should be noted that in the past Red states were prohibited from attaching strings to Medicaid expansion and limiting those who qualify.
Category: Medicare
Cuts to Medicare in the IRA Bill
Writing in the WSJ, Casey Mulligan and Tomas Philipson point out something that almost all commentary has overlooked. Seniors are about to be hit with a double whammy: higher drug prices at the pharmacy and higher premiums for Part D drug insurance:
We estimate that beginning in 2025, plan subsidies—specifically, the reinsurance subsidies for the beneficiaries with the most drug spending—will be cut $30 billion, out of revenue that currently totals about $110 billion. With $30 billion less to finance prescription benefits, something will have to give. Plans currently have far too little profit to span the chasm that the Inflation Reduction Act opens between expenses and revenue…
This is a nice companion to the article Linda Gorman and I wrote for The Hill a few weeks ago.
The Medicaid Pediatric Dental Scam
Kaiser Health News ran an article about private equity taking over health care. The lead anecdote was about a small child taken to a dental clinic that caters to Medicaid patients. The 2-years old died days after a dentist performed root canals and put six crowns on baby teeth on the toddler.
Your Doc May Dump You if You Don’t See Them Often Enough
Just like a neglected girlfriend, you doctor may dump you if you don’t see her often enough. I don’t have a primary care doctor. My previous doctor was an Internist named Paul Craig. When I last called for an appointment several years ago in mid February his office staff told me he was retiring at the end of the month and was booked through the end of the February. Perhaps my irregular appointments were the reason he retired. I ended up being able to see a specialist who saw me without a referral.