Not even the most intense civics class would have prepared you for the theatrics coming our way in Congress. I've read several articles about the Democrats' strategy to get reform passed and signed into law and the GOP's efforts to...

Loyal readers, return with us once again to the wilds of North Dakota, that ice-bound region where executives are criminalized for signing off on cookies and balloons at farewell parties, where out-of-control prosecutors deny defendants their constitutional rights, where a...

Yesterday's news that US industrial production continued to improve was a welcome sign of good news for a work comp industry that has been hammered by declining claims frequency, increased severity, horrible investment returns, and a recession that prolonged what...

In what must be one of her more enlightened statements, Tea Party diva Sarah Palin told a crowd of Canadians that in her youth, "We used to hustle over the border for health care we received in Canada. And I...

Medicare Set-Asides are one of those narrow but very deep niches in the workers comp (and other insurance lines) business that look simple at first glance, but are anything but. The Federal government, more specifically the Center for Medicare and...

I've been avoiding posting on health reform of late, mostly because I'm so dismayed by what's happened, and what's happening. The Republican Congress passed and then-President Bush signed into law Medicare Part D which added about $8 trillion to our...

Prostate cancer may be one of the most over-diagnosed and over-treated conditions in the nation. It is also one of the most over-publicized, with ex-politicians (Bob Dole) and sports figures (Ed Randall) encouraging all men over 50 to get a...

Next month I'm going to be speaking at the Geisinger Clinic on the subject of Comparative Effectiveness - the payer's ethical dilemma. I'm fascinated by this issue as it strikes at the heart of the problems with, and perhaps solutions...

As presently conceived, health reform will fail. I'm talking not about the chances of a bill being signed into law but rather what happens when that happy day arrives. I say this with deep regret, as I am an ardent...

Health reform is kabuki theater - indeed. Brad Wright does a terrific job of finding the parallels and cutting thru the blather to focus on the whys, whos, and whens in the latest edition of Health Wonk Review. Here's Brad's...

As anyone who has studied physician practice patterns is only too aware, there is wide variation in how physicians practice; the kinds of tests they order, whether they admit patients to the hospital or treat on an outpatient basis, the...

Yesterday the Senate passed a bill extending unemployment and other benefits and subsidies for another month; one of the less well known provisions prevented imposition of a 21% cut in Meducare physician reimbursement. 'Prevented' isn't exactly correct; the bill merely...

The political grandstanding and point scoring on Capitol Hill will have significant repercussions for work comp, with some states directly - and quickly - affected and others feeling the impact later and more subtly. I'm refering to the inability of...

An oft-repeated goal of reform opponents is their desire to 'get the government out of health insurance'. Let's say they get their wish, and the vaunted free market is allowed free rein (or reign) to do as they would. What...

In the very narrow world of work comp managed care, there's an even skinnier slice focused on managing pharmacy. As pharma accounts for almost a fifth of all medical dollars spent in comp, its an area that certainly deserves attention...

Over the next few weeks, I'm going to be writing extensively about the death spiral of the American health insurance system, a fate as certain as it is unthinkable. As enrollment in private insurance plans declines, and the Medicaid population...

There's something missing from the debate/argument/shouting surrounding Wellpont's rate increase announcement; nowhere, in any statement I could find, did the company or it's critics address the core issue, Wellpoint's inability to control costs. Isn't that what healthplans are supposed to...

Anthem Wellpoint's announcement that it was raising premiums up to 39% for members covered by their California individual insurance product hit at a really bad time - for Anthem. HHS Secretary Kathleen Sibelius reaction was immediate and blunt, as she...

Yesterday I said "Kudos to Worker Comp Exec, they were the first" to get the notice out about Fairfax' purchase of work comp insurer Zenith for $1.4 billion. I should have said Work Comp Exec was the first to send...

There have been many creative themes for Health Wonk Review, but none more than Brady Augustine's channeling of Dr. Phil in this week's edition. Brady's point is at this time of increasing polarization we would do well to step back...