My last newspaper column, Can Small Companies lead in consumer-directed health care?, focused on certain health care ideas and the success that companies like Whole Foods have had focusing on individual responsibility for some of these basic costs.According to a new report, over $700 million is wasted each year in…
Like I’ve said, I certainly didn’t intend to wade into this health care reform quicksand but just the thought of a 2,000 page bill that legislators haven’t read conjures a paperwork morass that, like a stealth bomber, sneaks in under the radar and does incredible damage before you wake up in the morning …
… not to mention how much stuff is buried in there we haven’t heard about yet or the laughable observations that it won’t cost anything. Where to start? How about David Broder’s observaations about its failure to deliver on cost controls, he being the former of Chief of Staff for Prez Clinton.
How about the Wall St. Journal report that the promised tort reform – sounds good – is coupled with a provision that provides incentive payments to states that adopt a “alternative medical liability law” … but ONLY IF it does not limit attorney’s fees or impose caps on damages”? Huh? Isn’t that at the core of tort reform in the first place?
How about the concept that none of this will cost anything because the savings will offset the cost? Gee, we’ve never heard that one before. (more…)
Like I said, I really didn't intend to wade into this health care reform mess ... but just the appearance of a 2,000 page bill that purports to have figured out the entire health care system ... is ludicrous! That alone makes me flatly opposed to this bill ... and…
I didn't really intend to wade into the morass of health care reform but the appearance of a 2,000 page bill pushed me over the edge. So, my breathless health care reform lapdogs ... and you know who you are ... here's your assignment. Pick up a copy of War…
Here's just the tip of the iceberg in the record-breaking 2,000 page health care bill ... nutrition labeling for vending machines, new costs for virtually every restaurant chain to spell out nutrition guidelines, in-home counseling for pregnant mothers, priority to Indian health clinics in certain states, adult coaching on "parenting…
In my last few posts, I've discussed the job creation efforts of the Obama Administration, which have had abysmal results.There are a lot of voices coming to the same conclusion. An editorial in today's NY Times chimed in about not only "underemployment", which takes the 10.2% unemployment figures to 17.5%…
Yesterday's post, Not that I told you so - redux, discussed the latest unemployment figures and the lamentable job done by the Obama Administration in stimulating the economy. I only mentioned in passing the so-called "shadow unemployment" which considers part-time workers who would like to work full-time and those who've…
Remember this line? “There is strong and mounting evidence that the recovery act is putting people back to work,” a statement Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. made at a recent news conference in Washington.
In a recent post, Not that I told you so, I lamented the woeful results of the stimulus, and the lack of job creation results. Of course, today produced another painful reminder of this truth … that unemployment reached 10.2%, exceeding 10% for the first time since 1983!
In Where’s the Stimulus, I reported that while corporate profits were boosting the market, revenues for those same companies have fallen far more than the amount of the stimulus. While profits help fuel job growth and give companies some headroom to make those decisions, the lack of revenue growth eviscerates any need to rebuild your talent pool.
There is more evidence that the pols in Washington have no clue about how to stimulate job creation, (more…)
The North Bay Business Journal, a publication of the New York Times, is a weekly business newspaper which covers the North Bay area of San Francisco – from the Golden Gate bridge north, including the Wine Country of Sonoma and Napa counties.
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Article published – November 2, 2009
“The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don’t want, drink what you don’t like and do what you’d rather not.” – Mark Twain
Health care reform has become a cause célèbre with potential costs that will threaten many small businesses. That’s one of the reasons I’m attracted to the growing use of “consumer-directed” plans that require each of us to take a more active role in managing the financial side of our own health care.
The New York Times looks at some of these alternatives in “Making Sense of High Deductible Plans“. You should also consider the comments by John Mackey, president of Whole Foods, in his controversial op-ed piece explaining Whole Foods’ approach to health care coverage, a piece that caught the attention of the Obama administration.
Over the years, I’ve repeated ad nauseam my belief that the principal flaw in the health care industry is our lack of individual financial accountability. (more…)