Some Suggested Health Care and Health Insurance Articles

Topics of the week involve weight loss drugs, pregnancy-related deaths from the abortion bans, the end of continuous Medicaid coverage, medical bills, and my 2024 health care reform proposal.

Article One:? How weight loss drugs are reshaping Denmark’s economy.? How large is the Ozempic effect?? Economists are actually considering reporting two sets of numbers to measure economic growth in Denmark – one with Novo Nordisk included and the other with Novo Nordisk excluded.

Article Two:? What New York neighborhoods are using Ozempic? Hint:? Not the neighborhoods with the highest incidence of diabetes.

Article Three:? Increase in Pregnancy-related deaths from the abortion ban.? This academic study projects a 21 percent increase in pregnancy-related deaths stemming from abortion bans.

Article Four:? Impact of the unwinding of the continuous Medicaid coverage provision.? This Georgetown article summarizes CBO forecasts which found that the end of continuous Medicaid coverage rules will cause 15.5 million people to lose Medicaid coverage and an increase of 6.2 million in the number of uninsured.? Increased use of private insurance will also increase out-of-pocket costs for households, premiums for businesses, and premium subsidies for taxpayers.

Comment:? Biden has passed large expensive bills but many of the provisions that impact low-income and middle-income households like continuous Medicaid coverage, the expanded premium tax credit, the expanded premium tax credit, and the end of taxation on student loan discharges phase out.? By contrast, the infrastructure spending is assured.?

One bad election and all these gains go away.? The expanded EITC and continuous Medicaid coverage provision are already gone.

Should Biden have kept overall spending down and locked in the most important gains? ?Is there some sort of political motive for using phaseouts rather than seeking permanent reforms.? ?

Article Five:? She paid her husband’s health care bill, a year later they wanted more.

A must read for anyone who has fought with an insurance company or a provider over a bill.? The additional erroneous charge in this case was a bit over $1,000 but according to the article the explanation of benefits suggests a potential $50,000 bill.? I wonder how many people pay more than they owe and what is the magnitude of health care overpayments?

Article Six:? A 2024 Health Care Reform Proposal

Major health care reform is not on the table in an election that centers around Trump and virtually nothing else.? However, if it was on the table it might emphasize:

·????? Expanding state exchanges to increase insurance options and allow people to maintain coverage during job transitions,

·????? Improving the premium tax credit to reduce loss of income from additional work,

·????? Modifications to health savings accounts and high-deductible health plans would reduce out-of-pocket expenses and prevent people from foregoing necessary treatments.

·????? Ending short-term health plans and creating a lower cost comprehensive health insurance option.

·????? Expanding access to specialists for people enrolled in health plans with narrow networks.

Go to the 2024 Health Reform Proposal or to the health insurance category on my blog or the policy page on my blog for more on these topics.

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