October 28, 2011 9:38 am As a study published in Health Affairs this week points out, anyone who believes they have a handle on what will happen when Medicaid undergoes an unprecedented expansion this decade is kidding...

The Healthcare Leadership Council has never endorsed candidates for public office and we’re not going to start doing that now. I have to say, though, that there is a tangible benefit to Texas Governor Rick Perry (R) announcing his candidacy for President. It presents an opportunity to have a real debate about the merits of medical liability reform.

When we talk about people who don’t have access to healthcare, there’s a natural assumption that it’s because they can’t afford it. A new study shows that’s not necessarily the case. According to the study published in the journal Health Services Research, 21 percent of American adults said they had delayed care for non-financial reasons compared to 19 percent that cited cost as the primary re

Members of Congress say it. Administration officials say it. People regarded as healthcare and economic experts say it. Repeatedly. Medicare is significantly more efficient in its operations than private health insurance. It’s said with such...

The idea of raising the eligibility age has gotten the support of both Obama and Boehner.

Medicare turns 45 years old today. It’s an opportune time to reflect upon how many families have been helped by the program, how many seniors have gained a sense of security that being hospitalized wouldn’t leave them impoverished. And, with the creation of the Part D prescription drug program, millions more are able to afford the medications that can keep them healthy.

It's easy to get so caught up in the battle over whatever healthcare legislation is before Congress, or the newest set of regulations to come out of the departments and agencies, that one can make the mistake of thinking that all he

As the Ryan and Obama 2012 budget proposals square off against each other, we’re seeing an increase in polling stories, the news media using public opinion surveys to ascertain whether the public favors revamping the Medicare system or leaving it lar...

It’s worth noting that, in the same week that President Obama cited the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) as a key tool in cutting future Medicare costs, a House Democrat known for her expertise on healthcare issues went public with her belief that IPAB is a bad idea that should be repealed. In fact, Representative Allyson Schwartz (D-PA), co-chair of the New Dems Health Care Task Force,

Today is World Health Day and this year’s theme is antimicrobial resistance, a growing problem that threatens to treat illness and prevent disease with medications.

Dr. Herb Pardes, the president and chief executive officer of New York-Presbyterian Hospital (and a member of the Healthcare Leadership Council), spoke yesterday at the National Press Club and made a number of interesting and valuable points about health reform, the value and future of academic medical centers, and the ability of the healthcare system to provide access to care to a larger insured

According to a Department of Health and Human Services press release issued this week, nearly 4 million Medicare beneficiaries have received help with their prescription drug costs through the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

The state of New York is taking center stage in the effort to determine whether this country can bring much-needed improvements to our flawed medical liability system. The state’s governor, Andrew Cuomo, is proposing a $250,000 cap on non-economic damages in medical liability cases.

To transform the state of chronic disease from the abstract to something we can see with our own eyes, pharmaceutical maker Novo Nordisk (a Healthcare Leadership Council member) teamed with artist Mark Cline to create a mural in the middle of Washington, D.C.’s historic Union Station. The mural illustrates the extraordinarily high cost of diabetes in different states, numbers that are rising as u

Medical liability reform is one of those causes that, up to now, has seemed a political impossibility at the federal level. Even in years when Republicans controlled both the U.S. Senate and House, tort reform advocates couldn’t muster sufficient votes to get legislation passed. A number of states have enacted reform measures, but Congress – encouraged by strong lobbying from the nation’s trial

An interesting comment was made today at the annual national health research forum sponsored by the non-profit organization Research! America, and it drove home the conflict lawmakers face in trying to balance deficit reduction against the need for quality healthcare and better preventive care.

There was an interesting development this week in the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. The state of Maine was granted a waiver to one of the health reform measure’s central components – the requirement that health insurance companies spend 80 cents of every dollar on benefits and health care services for their clients.

Cancer prevention and early detection through research, education and community outreach to all populations, including children and the underserved.