DOCSLIB.ORG

The Roll out of Healthcare.Gov: the Limitations of Big Government

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Roll out of Healthcare.Gov: the Limitations of Big Government THE ROLL OUT OF HEALTHCARE.GOV: THE LIMITATIONS OF BIG GOVERNMENT HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND GOVERNMENT REFORM HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED THIRTEENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION DECEMBER 4, 2013 Serial No. 113–83 Printed for the use of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform ( Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.fdsys.gov http://www.house.gov/reform U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 87–022PDF WASHINGTON : 2014 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402–0001 VerDate Aug 31 2005 10:20 Mar 20, 2014 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 C:\DOCS\87022.TXT APRIL COMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND GOVERNMENT REFORM DARRELL E. ISSA, California, Chairman JOHN L. MICA, Florida ELIJAH E. CUMMINGS, Maryland, Ranking MICHAEL R. TURNER, Ohio Minority Member JOHN J. DUNCAN, JR., Tennessee CAROLYN B. MALONEY, New York PATRICK T. MCHENRY, North Carolina ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON, District of JIM JORDAN, Ohio Columbia JASON CHAFFETZ, Utah JOHN F. TIERNEY, Massachusetts TIM WALBERG, Michigan WM. LACY CLAY, Missouri JAMES LANKFORD, Oklahoma STEPHEN F. LYNCH, Massachusetts JUSTIN AMASH, Michigan JIM COOPER, Tennessee PAUL A. GOSAR, Arizona GERALD E. CONNOLLY, Virginia PATRICK MEEHAN, Pennsylvania JACKIE SPEIER, California SCOTT DESJARLAIS, Tennessee MATTHEW A. CARTWRIGHT, Pennsylvania TREY GOWDY, South Carolina TAMMY DUCKWORTH, Illinois BLAKE FARENTHOLD, Texas ROBIN L. KELLY, Illinois DOC HASTINGS, Washington DANNY K. DAVIS, Illinois CYNTHIA M. LUMMIS, Wyoming PETER WELCH, Vermont ROB WOODALL, Georgia TONY CARDENAS, California THOMAS MASSIE, Kentucky STEVEN A. HORSFORD, Nevada DOUG COLLINS, Georgia MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM, New Mexico MARK MEADOWS, North Carolina Vacancy KERRY L. BENTIVOLIO, Michigan RON DESANTIS, Florida LAWRENCE J. BRADY, Staff Director JOHN D. CUADERES, Deputy Staff Director STEPHEN CASTOR, General Counsel LINDA A. GOOD, Chief Clerk DAVID RAPALLO, Minority Staff Director (II) VerDate Aug 31 2005 10:20 Mar 20, 2014 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 C:\DOCS\87022.TXT APRIL C O N T E N T S Page Hearing held on December 4, 2013 ........................................................................ 1 WITNESSES Ms. Veronique De Rugy, Senior Research Fellow, Mercatus Center, George Mason University Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 6 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 9 Dr. Clifford Winston, Searle Freedom Trust Senior Fellow, Economic Studies Program, The Brookings Institution Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 14 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 16 Mr. Mark A. Calabria, Director of Financial Regulation Studies, Cato Insti- tute Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 23 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 25 Dr. Karen Kruse Thomas, Historian and Communications Associate, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, External Affairs Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 37 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 39 APPENDIX The Hon. Elijah E. Cummings, a Member of Congress from the State of Maryland, Opening Statement ............................................................................ 94 Chairman Issa submitted and article from Wikipedia on Alexander Fleming ... 96 Rep Connolly submitted for the record an article from the Washington Month- ly called, ‘‘The Best Care Anywhere’’ .................................................................. 102 Chairman Issa submitted for the record letters sent to 15 Health Insurance Companies ............................................................................................................ 117 Chairman Issa sent a letter to Mr. Mark Bertolini, Chairman, President, and CEO, Aetna, Inc ............................................................................................ 118 Chairman Issa submitted for the record a NewYorker Article ‘‘GOP Healthcare.gov Too Fast Now’’ ............................................................................ 122 Rep. Cartwright submitted for the record article titled ‘‘What About Social Security’s Rollout?’’ .............................................................................................. 125 Questions submitted from Rep. Collins to Dr. Calabria, Dr. De Rugy, Dr. Thomas, and Dr. Winston .................................................................................... 130 (III) VerDate Aug 31 2005 10:20 Mar 20, 2014 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 C:\DOCS\87022.TXT APRIL VerDate Aug 31 2005 10:20 Mar 20, 2014 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 C:\DOCS\87022.TXT APRIL THE ROLL OUT OF HEALTHCARE.GOV: THE LIMITATIONS OF BIG GOVERNMENT Wednesday, December 4, 2013, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND GOVERNMENT REFORM, WASHINGTON, D.C. The committee met, pursuant to call, at 9:35 a.m., in Room 2154, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Darrell E. Issa [chairman of the committee] presiding. Present: Representatives Issa, Mica, Turner, Duncan, Walberg, Lankford, Amash, Gosar, DesJarlais, Gowdy, Farenthold, Collins, Meadows, Bentivolio, DeSantis, Cummings, Maloney, Norton, Tierney, Connolly, Speier, Cartwright, Davis, Cardenas, Lujan Grisham, and Kelly. Staff Present: Molly Boyl, Majority Deputy General Counsel and Parliamentarian; Lawrence J. Brady, Majority Staff Director; Caitlin Carroll, Majority Deputy Press Secretary; John Cuaderes, Majority Deputy Staff Director; Brian Daner, Majority Counsel; Adam P. Fromm, Majority Director of Member Services and Com- mittee Operations; Linda Good, Majority Chief Clerk; Tyler Grimm, Senior Professional Staff Member; Frederick Hill, Majority Deputy Staff Director for Communications and Strategy; Christopher Hixon, Majority Chief Counsel for Oversight; Mark D. Marin, Ma- jority Deputy Staff Director for Oversight; Laura L. Rush, Majority Deputy Chief Clerk; Sarah Vance, Majority Assistant Clerk; Jedd Bellman, Minority Counsel; Krista Boyd, Minority Deputy Director of Legislation/Counsel; Aryele Bradford, Minority Press Secretary; Jennifer Hoffman, Minority Communications Director; Julia Krieger, Minority New Media Press Secretary; Juan McCullum, Mi- nority Clerk; Jason Powell, Minority Senior Counsel; Brian Quinn, Minority Counsel; Dave Rapallo, Minority Staff Director; Daniel Roberts, Minority Staff Assistant/Legislative Correspondent; and Mark Stephenson, Minority Director of Legislation. Chairman ISSA. The committee will come to order. The Oversight Committee exists to secure two fundamental prin- ciples: first, Americans have a right to know that the money Wash- ington takes from them is well spent and, second, Americans de- serve an efficient, effective Government that works for them. Our duty on the Oversight and Government Reform is to protect these rights. Our solemn responsibility is to hold Government account- able to taxpayers, because taxpayers have a right to know what they get from their Government. It is our job to work tirelessly in partnership with citizen watchdogs to deliver the facts to the (1) VerDate Aug 31 2005 10:20 Mar 20, 2014 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 C:\DOCS\87022.TXT APRIL 2 American people and bring genuine reform to the Federal bureauc- racy. It is our mission statement and it is our calling. Today, when we discuss, once again Healthcare.gov rollout, which has undeniably been, and inarguably, a disaster. It is not a disaster of the making of one man or any one person. In fact, in many ways it is a sign of a failed system that is often seen in the Federal Government and very often seen by this committee. Nearly two months after the Federal website launched, even as the Administration declares its vast improvements, components of the back end are still unfinished. Customers are told that at least in some cases, many cases, their applications may not have been correctly forwarded to the insurance carrier, meaning they have signed up; they are not going to get the benefit. They may go to the hospital and not be covered. Or, if they are covered, it will only be after weeks, months, or years of paperwork. Additionally, it is now learned that the ability to properly pay insurance companies is in doubt and, as a result, estimates are likely to occur. Estimates not how you do business. The project’s failure raises serious questions on what hindrances Government faces when it intervenes in the private market. Presi- dent Obama wisely said that startups, business startups, often have these sort of problems; that these are the nature of private sector startups. The difference here is the private sector wasn’t just starting up; the private sector was fully up. Rather than leveraging the private sector, Healthcare.gov essentially built a whole new layer, a whole new decision process on top of it. Before October 1st, the President told Americans that purchasing insurance on Healthcare.gov
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Washington Monthly 2018 College Rankings
    The Prison-to-School Pipeline 2018 COLLEGE RANKINGS What Can College Do For You? PLUS: The best—and worst— colleges for vocational certificates Which colleges encourage their students to vote? Why colleges should treat SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018 $5.95 U.S./$6.95 CAN students like numbers All Information Fixing higher education deserts herein is confidential and embargoed Everything you always wanted to know through Aug. 23, 2018 about higher education policy VOLUME 50 NUMBER 9/10 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018 SOCIAL MOBILITY RESEARCH SERVICE Features NATIONAL UNIVERSITIES THE 2018 COLLEGE GUIDE *Public institution Introduction: A Different Kind of College Ranking 15 °For-profit institution by Kevin Carey America’s Best and Worst Colleges for%offederalwork-studyfunds Vocational Certificates 20 GraduationGrad rate rate rank performancePell graduationPell rank performance gap rankFirst-gen rank performancerankEarningsperformancerankNoNetpricerank publicationRepaymentrankPredictedrepaymentraterankResearch has expendituresBachelor’stoPhDrank everScience&engineeringPhDsrank rank rankedFacultyawardsrankFacultyinNationalAcademiesrank thePeaceCorpsrank schoolsROTC rank wherespentonservicerankMatchesAmeriCorpsservicegrants? millionsVotingengagementpoints of Americans 1 Harvard University (MA) 3 35 60 140 41 2seek 5 168 job310 skills.8 Until10 now.17 1 4 130 188 22 NO 4 2 Stanford University (CA) 7 128 107 146 55 11 by2 Paul16 48Glastris7 6 7 2 2 70 232 18 NO 1 3 MA Institute of Technology (MA) 16 234 177 64 48 7 17 8 89 13 2 10 3 3 270 17 276 NO 0 4 Princeton University (NJ) 1 119 100 100 23 20 Best3 30 &90 Worst67 Vocational5 40 6 5 Certificate117 106 203 ProgramsNO 1 Rankings 22 5 Yale University (CT) 4 138 28 121 49 22 America’s8 22 87 18Best3 Colleges39 7 9 for134 Student22 189 VotingNO 0 28 6 Duke University (NC) 9 202 19 156 218 18 Our26 15 first-of-its-kind183 6 12 list37 of9 the15 schools44 49doing215 theNO most3 to turn students into citizens.
    [Show full text]
  • Debunking the Government Takeover Myth
    Debunking the Government Takeover Myth By Stan Dorn and Stephen Zuckerman Of the many unfounded claims now coloring the health care debate, at least one can be taken off the table. As President Obama told the nation September 9, it’s time to stop making “wild claims about a government takeover of health care.” He’s right and here’s why. For starters, pending legislation would leave our largely private medical care system intact. Right now, more than 90 percent of doctors are in private practice and 84 percent of all hospital admissions are to private facilities. That wouldn’t change as a result of any reform proposals. If it’s Big Brother in the examination room that seems chilling, that’s not at issue either. Nothing in the thousand pages of reform proposals would give the federal government any new authority to intervene in private health care decisions. “Death panels” are as imaginary as Lord Voldemort, and government’s role would be largely what it is now: helping low-income Americans pay for health coverage and regulating insurance companies so they better serve consumers. Under the new proposals millions of Americans would see their health care options increase. Workers covered through small firms, for instance, could choose from a range of health plans available in a new health insurance “exchange,” a convenient new marketplace that could make both private and public options available. Today, three fourths of these workers are offered only one health plan by their employer. And when people work for themselves or a company that doesn't provide any insurance at all, they are on their own today.
    [Show full text]
  • 100 Most Important Chemical Compounds
    69. Penicillin CHEMICAL NAME = 2S,5R,6R)-3,3-dimeth- yl-7-oxo-6-[(phenylacetyl)amino]-4-thia-1- azabicyclo[3.2.0]heptane-2-carboxylic acid CAS NUMBER = 61–33–6 = MOLECULAR FORMULA C6H18N2O4S MOLAR MASS = 334.4 g/mol COMPOSITION = C(57.5%) H(5.4%) N(8.4%) O(19.1%) S(9.6%) MELTING POINT = 209–212°C (for Penicillin G sodium) BOILING POINT = decomposes DENSITY = 1.4 g/cm3 Penicillin was the fi rst natural antibiotic used to treat bacterial infections and continues to be one of the most important antibiotics. Th e name comes from the fungus genus Penicillium from which it was isolated. Penicillus is Latin for “brush” and refers to the brushlike appear- ance of fi lamentous Penicillium species. Species of this genus are quite common and appear as the bluish-green mold that appears on aged bread, fruit, and cheese. Th e term penicillin is a generic term that refers to a number of antibiotic compounds with the same basic structure. Th erefore it is more appropriate to speak of penicillins than of penicillin. Th e general penicil- lin structure consists of a β-lactam ring and thiazolidine ring fused together with a peptide bonded to a variable R group (Figure 69.1). Penicillin belongs to a group of compounds called β-lactam antibiotics. Diff erent forms of penicillin depend on what R group is bonded to this basic structure. Penicillin aff ects the cell walls of bacteria. Th e β-lactam rings in penicillins open in the presence of bacteria enzymes that are essential for cell wall formation.
    [Show full text]
  • Republican Leader Michael C. Burgess, MD
    Republican Leader Michael C. Burgess, M.D. Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee “Proposals to Achieve Universal Health Care Coverage” December 10, 2019 As Prepared for Delivery Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you for holding this hearing on various universal heath care coverage proposals, including Medicare for All. Ranking Member Walden and I requested a hearing on Medicare for all numerous times this year, and I appreciate that you took our request seriously enough to hold today’s hearing. I would like to ask unanimous consent that our two letters be included in the record. Coverage does not equal care. Chairman Pallone and Chairwoman Eshoo stated in noticing this hearing that “universal health care coverage has long been the North Star of the Democratic Party.” Every bill before us today is paving that road to the North Star – to accomplishing one-size-fits-all health care coverage. Page 1 of 6 I’m not sure the three wise men would appreciate your comparison, as this North Star journey would lead our health care system as we currently know it to disintegrate into ashes. If we’re listening to Joni Mitchell, then the northern star is not very reliable as it is constantly in the dark. Medicare for All would eliminate private insurance, employer- sponsored health insurance, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Plan, upon which many Americans depend. I am concerned about the consequences for existing Medicare beneficiaries, as this policy would raid the Medicare Trust Fund, which is already slated to go bankrupt in 2026. Our nation’s seniors have been depending on the existence of Medicare for their health care needs in retirement for their entire lives.
    [Show full text]
  • Single-Payer FAQ's Americans Spend Over Twice As Much Per Capita On
    (https://fixithealthcare.com/) –FAQs FAQs Home (https://fixithealthcare.com) / By The Numbers (https://fixithealthcare.com/by-the-numbers/) / FAQs Single-Payer FAQ’s (http://fixithealthcare.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Single-Payer.jpg) Simply put, single-payer is health insurance. A public agency organizes all healthcare financing. Delivery of care remains private. The confusion of thousands of insurance policies, (https (http://fixithea manuals, and uncertainties about coverage will be ended. A single-payer system could eliminate deductibles, co-pays, and out- of-pocket expenses (at the point of care), while providing healthcare for all Americans. Savings anticipated in the US: $504 billion a year. (https://w All Americans would be covered for all medically necessary services. Patients would regain choice of doctor and hospital, and doctors would regain autonomy over patient care. Americans spend over twice as much per capita on health care as the average developed country. Q? How will it be funded? A. First, recognize that approximately 50% of US healthcare is currently funded through taxes – and 50% through business and household pockets. A single-payer system would be financed through a transfer of money that Americans and the country’s employers currently pay insurance companies. The premiums we and employers now pay insurers would be transferred to a federal program, which would be the single-payer for health care services. The cost to all of us – either through taxes or out-of-pocket expenses goes way down, with savings of over $700 billion per year, including negotiation for prescription drugs, a unified fee schedule, and greatly reduced administrative expense.
    [Show full text]
  • Getting Ready for Health Reform 2020: What Past Presidential Campaigns Can Teach Us
    REPORT JUNE 2018 Getting Ready for Health Reform 2020: What Past Presidential Campaigns Can Teach Us Jeanne M. Lambrew Senior Fellow The Century Foundation ABSTRACT KEY TAKEAWAYS ISSUE: The candidates for the 2020 presidential election are likely to Campaign plans are used by emerge within a year, along with their campaign plans. Such plans will supporters and the press to hold presidents accountable. Though include, if not feature, health policy proposals, given this issue’s general voters are unlikely to believe that significance as well as the ongoing debate over the Affordable Care Act. politicians keep their promises, GOAL: To explain why campaign plans matter, review the health policy roughly two-thirds of campaign components of past presidential campaign platforms, and discuss the promises were kept by presidents likely 2020 campaign health reform plans. from 1968 through the Obama years. METHODS: Review of relevant reports, data, party platforms, and policy documents. Health policy will likely play FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS: Proposals related to health care have a significant role in the 2020 grown in scope in both parties’ presidential platforms over the past election, with Republicans focused on deregulation and century and affect both agendas and assessments of a president’s capped federal financing success. Continued controversy over the Affordable Care Act, potential and Democrats backing the reversals in gains in coverage and affordability, and voters’ concern Affordable Care Act and a suggest a central role for health policy in the 2020 election. Republicans Medicare-based public plan will most likely continue to advance devolution, deregulation, and option. capped federal financing, while Democrats will likely overlay their support of the Affordable Care Act with some type of Medicare-based public plan option.
    [Show full text]
  • History of Antibiotics
    Sumerianz Journal of Medical and Healthcare, 2018, Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 51-54 ISSN(e): 2663-421X, ISSN(p): 2706-8404 Website: https://www.sumerianz.com © Sumerianz Publication CC BY: Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 Original Article Open Access History of Antibiotics Kourkouta L.* Professor of Nursing Department, Alexander Technological Educational Institute of Thessaloniki, Greece Tsaloglidou A. Assistant Professor of Nursing Department, Alexander Technological Educational Institute of Thessaloniki, Greece Koukourikos K. Clinical Professor of Nursing Department, Alexander Technological Educational Institute of Thessaloniki, Greece Iliadis C. RN, Private Diagnostic Health Center of Thessaloniki, Greece Plati P. Department of History and Archaeology, Greece Dimitriadou A. Professor of Nursing Department, Alexander Technological Educational Institute of Thessaloniki, Greece Abstract Introduction: Antibiotics are medicines used to treat or prevent bacterial infections. They can either kill or inhibit the growth of bacteria. Aim: The aim of this historical review is to provide information on the discovery and use of antibiotic formulations over time. Review Methods: The study material consisted of scientific publications related to the subject, such as those recorded in the literature of this study, and relevant writings. Results: The first known use of antibiotics was by the ancient Chinese over 2,500 years ago. Chinese have discovered the therapeutic properties of moldy soybeans and used this substance to cure furuncles (pimples), carbuncles and similar infections. Sir Alexander Fleming was a Scottish biologist and pharmacologist and he was involved in research of Bacteriology, Immunology and Chemotherapy. He is well known for the discovery of the first antibiotic, penicillin, in 1928, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine in 1945, along with Florey and Chain.
    [Show full text]
  • Beets Documentation Release 1.5.1
    beets Documentation Release 1.5.1 Adrian Sampson Oct 01, 2021 Contents 1 Contents 3 1.1 Guides..................................................3 1.2 Reference................................................. 14 1.3 Plugins.................................................. 44 1.4 FAQ.................................................... 120 1.5 Contributing............................................... 125 1.6 For Developers.............................................. 130 1.7 Changelog................................................ 145 Index 213 i ii beets Documentation, Release 1.5.1 Welcome to the documentation for beets, the media library management system for obsessive music geeks. If you’re new to beets, begin with the Getting Started guide. That guide walks you through installing beets, setting it up how you like it, and starting to build your music library. Then you can get a more detailed look at beets’ features in the Command-Line Interface and Configuration references. You might also be interested in exploring the plugins. If you still need help, your can drop by the #beets IRC channel on Libera.Chat, drop by the discussion board, send email to the mailing list, or file a bug in the issue tracker. Please let us know where you think this documentation can be improved. Contents 1 beets Documentation, Release 1.5.1 2 Contents CHAPTER 1 Contents 1.1 Guides This section contains a couple of walkthroughs that will help you get familiar with beets. If you’re new to beets, you’ll want to begin with the Getting Started guide. 1.1.1 Getting Started Welcome to beets! This guide will help you begin using it to make your music collection better. Installing You will need Python. Beets works on Python 3.6 or later. • macOS 11 (Big Sur) includes Python 3.8 out of the box.
    [Show full text]
  • Nobel Prizes in Physiology Or Medicine with an Emphasis on Bacteriology
    J Med Bacteriol. Vol. 8, No. 3, 4 (2019): pp.49-57 jmb.tums.ac.ir Journal of Medical Bacteriology Nobel Prizes in Physiology or Medicine with an Emphasis on Bacteriology 1 1 2 Hamid Hakimi , Ebrahim Rezazadeh Zarandi , Siavash Assar , Omid Rezahosseini 3, Sepideh Assar 4, Roya Sadr-Mohammadi 5, Sahar Assar 6, Shokrollah Assar 7* 1 Department of Microbiology, Medical School, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran. 2 Department of Anesthesiology, Medical School, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran. 3 Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. 4 Department of Pathology, Dental School, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. 5 Dental School, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran. 6 Dental School, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. 7 Department of Microbiology and Immunology of Infectious Diseases Research Center, Research Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran. ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Article type: Background: Knowledge is an ocean without bound or shore, the seeker of knowledge is (like) the Review Article diver in those seas. Even if his life is a thousand years, he will never stop searching. This is the result Article history: of reflection in the book of development. Human beings are free and, to some extent, have the right to Received: 02 Feb 2019 choose, on the other hand, they are spiritually oriented and innovative, and for this reason, the new Revised: 28 Mar 2019 discovery and creativity are felt. This characteristic, which is in the nature of human beings, can be a Accepted: 06 May 2019 motive for the revision of life and its tools and products.
    [Show full text]
  • Provide a Better Prescription Than Medicare-For-All
    PROVIDE A BETTER PRESCRIPTION THAN MEDICARE-FOR-ALL The current U.S. health care system is plagued by high costs, Quick Take industry consolidation, and a poorly functioning marketplace. Democrats believe the prescription for these challenges is a form Medicare-for-All amounts to a federal takeover of of single-payer system. Socialized medicine won’t solve the American health care. challenges our health care system faces – it would nationalize the entire health care sector and wreck the economy. Democrats cannot answer how to fund their socialized medicine plans without wrecking the BACKGROUND American economy. Congress should consider U.S. health care spending accounts for approximately 18 percent reforms that address the burdens plaguing our of America’s gross domestic product (GDP).1 Government current system. spending on health care makes up a substantial portion of that amount. In 2018, Medicare accounted for 21 percent of health care spending at $750 billion, and Medicaid carried a 16 percent share at $597 billion.2 Nationwide, “personal healthcare spending is currently projected to be $3.859 trillion in 2022,”3 while national health expenditures are estimated to reach $4.562 trillion in 2022.4 According to one estimate, average households spend more of their income on hospital visits (18.6 percent) than they do on federal taxes (13.9 percent).5 Source: Avik Roy, Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity6 REPUBLICANPOLICY.HOUSE.GOV @GOPPOLICY [email protected] Democrats have introduced two major so-called “Medicare-for-All” proposals which have received national attention. The first is Sen. Bernie Sanders’s (I-VT) plan, S.
    [Show full text]
  • Overuse White Paper Formatted
    White Paper Series Ranking and analysis of overuse in U.S. hospitals EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Overuse, which is also known as low-value care, is often defined as the provision of health care services for which the potential for harm exceeds the likely benefit to a patient. Overuse occurs in all healthcare settings, including hospitals. It exposes patients to preventable harm and wastes more than $100 billion each year. To date, no study has published the rate of overuse in specific U.S. hospitals. The Lown Institute Hospital Index is the first hospital ranking to grade individual hospitals by how well they avoid overuse. This white paper provides an analysis of the overuse of 13 low-value services in 3,282 U.S. hospitals using Medicare data. These 13 services include imaging tests, surgeries, and cardiovascular procedures, and have all been validated in previous studies of low-value care. Only instances of these services deemed inappropriate in the literature were counted as overuse. Hospitals that did not have the capacity to perform a specific low-value procedure did not have that service counted in their total grade. We find that overuse varies across hospitals by type, size, and location. Teaching hospitals, larger hospitals, urban hospitals, and for-profit hospitals on average ranked lower for avoiding overuse overall, compared to non-teaching, smaller, rural hospitals. However, these patterns were not always consistent across all low-value services. Safety net hospitals and small rural hospitals had higher rankings in avoiding overuse overall, but their scores differed by specific low-value service. For-profit hospitals consistently ranked lower than nonprofit hospitals for avoiding nearly every low-value service measured.
    [Show full text]
  • All Audio Songs by Artist
    ALL AUDIO SONGS BY ARTIST ARTIST TRACK NAME 1814 INSOMNIA 1814 MORNING STAR 1814 MY DEAR FRIEND 1814 LET JAH FIRE BURN 1814 4 UNUNINI 1814 JAH RYDEM 1814 GET UP 1814 LET MY PEOPLE GO 1814 JAH RASTAFARI 1814 WHAKAHONOHONO 1814 SHACKLED 2 PAC CALIFORNIA LOVE 20 FINGERS SHORT SHORT MAN 28 DAYS RIP IT UP 3 DOORS DOWN KRYPTONITE 3 DOORS DOWN HERE WITHOUT YOU 3 JAYS IN MY EYES 3 JAYS FEELING IT TOO 3 THE HARDWAY ITS ON 360 FT GOSSLING BOYS LIKE YOU 360 FT JOSH PYKE THROW IT AWAY 3OH!3 STARSTRUKK ALBUM VERSION 3OH!3 DOUBLE VISION 3OH!3 DONT TRUST ME 3OH!3 AND KESHA MY FIRST KISS 4 NON BLONDES OLD MR HEFFER 4 NON BLONDES TRAIN 4 NON BLONDES PLEASANTLY BLUE 4 NON BLONDES NO PLACE LIKE HOME 4 NON BLONDES DRIFTING 4 NON BLONDES CALLING ALL THE PEOPLE 4 NON BLONDES WHATS UP 4 NON BLONDES SUPERFLY 4 NON BLONDES SPACEMAN 4 NON BLONDES MORPHINE AND CHOCOLATE 4 NON BLONDES DEAR MR PRESIDENT 48 MAY NERVOUS WRECK 48 MAY LEATHER AND TATTOOS 48 MAY INTO THE SUN 48 MAY BIGSHOCK 48 MAY HOME BY 2 5 SECONDS OF SUMMER GOOD GIRLS 5 SECONDS OF SUMMER EVERYTHING I DIDNT SAY 5 SECONDS OF SUMMER DONT STOP 5 SECONDS OF SUMMER AMNESIA 5 SECONDS OF SUMMER SHE LOOKS SO PERFECT 5 SECONDS OF SUMMER KISS ME KISS ME 50 CENT CANDY SHOP 50 CENT WINDOW SHOPPER 50 CENT IN DA CLUB 50 CENT JUST A LIL BIT 50 CENT 21 QUESTIONS 50 CENT AND JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE AYO TECHNOLOGY 6400 CREW HUSTLERS REVENGE 98 DEGREES GIVE ME JUST ONE NIGHT A GREAT BIG WORLD FT CHRISTINA AGUILERA SAY SOMETHING A HA THE ALWAYS SHINES ON TV A HA THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS A LIGHTER SHADE OF BROWN ON A SUNDAY AFTERNOON
    [Show full text]