Recent Reports & Activities
Take It from Me: Tweaks Won't Fix Healthcare
Wendell Potter highlights the need for health system reformers to "focus on for Medicare for All—health insurance companies are interested in profits, not playing fair. I should know. I used to be a vice president at Cigna". Common Dreams December 15, 2018
BEWARE!! Republicans (Corporatists) are Privatizing Medicare
This piece by CMS promotes privatization of health care financing, including Medicare 'Advantage' plans that use the pretense of 'choice' and 'competition' to sell plans to enhance the bottom line of multiple private insurers, while ultimately gouging taxpayer dollars. Multiple payer insurers actually reduce 'choice' of providers by reducing the size of their provider networks - only traditional Medicare offers true full 'choice' of providers. Also, true beneficial 'competition' should be among providers, not multiple profiteering insurers.
Washington Efforts to Privatize Medicare
Many efforts in Washington focus on the privatization of Medicare to perpetuate a fragmented multi-payer financing model that is unsustainable and increases administrative costs. One-third of all Medicare beneficiaries are now on private Medicare Advantage plans, which have become major profit centers for commercial insurances who game the system to cover only the healthy. The best means to universal healthcare is one single large risk pool, traditional Medicare insurance.
Research & Analysis (PNHI)
Expanding and Improving Medicare
Eldon Van Der Wege, MBA and
Thomas Billroth Gottlieb, MD
This paper describes the structure of Medicare funding as defined today. The future expansion and improvement of Medicare is further defined with a funding source already defined by existing federal law.
Public Takings of Private Insurance
Eldon Van Der Wege, MBA and
Thomas Billroth Gottlieb, MD
The last clause of the fifth amendment of the US Constitution is known as the “Takings Clause”. Constitutional takings refer to the government depriving owners of their interest in private property. The takings require payment of compensation based on the value of the property.
U.S. Healthcare Financing Reform: The Consolidation of the Health Insurance Industry
Eldon Van Der Wege, MBA and
Thomas Billroth Gottlieb, MD
In this study, we propose the US health insurance system should be consolidated using a mergers and acquisitions strategy to reduce the current inequality and administrative inefficiency in healthcare. We believe that our study has significant policy implications for healthcare reform and will result in higher quality services at a reduced cost and healthier communities.