ARCHIVE
Monday, May 5, 2008State-Mandated Sliding ScalesBy John LaPlanteFiled As: Health CareThere's nothing "free market" about hospital pricing, but legislators in Illinois are heading even further away from that by considering a proposal to impose a sliding scale cap on hospital charges. Sliding scales, in which what you pay for a service depends on your income level. But ... more »»
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Monday, May 5, 2008Less for Childless Adults, More for Foster ChildrenBy John LaPlanteFiled As: Health CareAs part of a publication (PDF) on how to address a state budget deficit, the Maine Heritage Policy Center says that the state can save up to $53.5 million a year by changing its Medicaid program. Maine is one ... more »»
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Monday, May 5, 2008Medicaid's Share of State Budget Doubles Since 1987By John LaPlanteFiled As: Health CareHere's one way of measuring the increasing role of Medicaid in state budgets: How large does Medicaid loom as a share of a state's budget? In 1987, Medicaid was 13% of the Massachusetts state budget. In 2006, it consumed 26% of the state budget--more »»
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Monday, May 5, 2008Shred those Papers!By John LaPlanteFiled As: Budget and TaxHere's one cost of our excessively demanding and complex tax system that doesn't get much attention: It generates a lot of paper. I received in my virtual inbox an invitation from my accountant, to shred some real papers. "On Saturday, May 10 we will have a document destruction ... more »»
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Monday, May 5, 2008A Plan for HoosiersBy Grace-Marie TurnerFiled As: Health CareMitchell Roob and Seema Verma describe the success of the Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP) in a blog posting for Health Affairs. HIP is the first Medicaid expansion in the nation to be modeled in ... more »»
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Monday, May 5, 2008Voting With Their ... TiresBy John LaPlanteFiled As: Budget and TaxA fundamental insight of economics is that people respond to incentives. One of those incentives, though certainly not the only one, is the price of a product. The price is in turn affected by a variety of factors, including the sales tax levied by governments. Maine has a sales tax. Its ... more »»
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Sunday, May 4, 2008Gold-Plated Benefits for State EmployeesBy John LaPlanteFiled As: Health Care"The rich," wrote F. Scott Fitzgerald, "are different from you and me." So too are state government employees. The average large company in Maine spends $3,929 annually for each employee's health insurance. The State of Maine pays much nearly double that amount, or $7,445, ... more »»
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Sunday, May 4, 2008Minimum Wage on Auto-Pilot?By John LaPlanteFiled As: Economic principlesNo good can come from a state raising its minimum wage. If it simply matches the federal wage, it's superfluous. If it goes above that, it simply compounds the damage done by this form of government meddling in the market. Lawmakers in Maine have discussed not only raising that state's ... more »»
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Sunday, May 4, 2008Tax Credits in MinnesotaBy John LaPlanteFiled As: Health CareMinnesota lawmakers are prepared to send the state into state-directed health care hell, but Gov. Tim Pawlenty has different ideas. He'd like the state to offer tax credits for people who purchase HSAs, and introduce HSAs ... more »»
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Saturday, May 3, 2008Yes, Virginia (and California), there is a Role for Profit in Health CareBy John LaPlanteFiled As: Health CareAn ex-communist in the UK has some lessons for would-be health care reformers across the pond: "As an ignorant young communist I deplored the profit motive. Now I know better. It's by far the best ... more »»
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