Insight, analysis & opinion from Joe Paduda
Marketplace, public radio’s daily business show, ran a short piece on Medicare Part D enrollment today, with comment by Bob Laszewski and I. Not sure how we ended up disagreeing; or if we were…
Read More...A new study released by Part D advocacy group Medicare Today makes a compelling case for seniors’ enrollment in Part D. Authored by the Lewin Group (an excellent and unbiased health care reseach and analysis firm) the study makes a … Continue reading Part D financials make no sense
Read More...Coventry continues to deliver strong financial results across the board, with medical trend rates appearing to stabilize at about 8% and premium increases for Q1 somewhat above that rate. Overall membership growth is projected to be in the 1% – … Continue reading Coventry Q1 2006 earnings report
Read More...If consumerism is going to help reduce health care cost inflation, we’ll need two things – information and appropriate financial incentives. Actually, we’ll need another ‘thing’ – consumers will need the intelligence and expertise to be able to make the … Continue reading The two reasons consumerism won’t solve the health care cost problem
Read More...Rather than do the ‘reinvent the wheel’ thing, I’ll just refer you to other folks who have been “fact checking” the Administration’s claims about the 30 million who have “signed up for” Medicare Part D. The net is this – … Continue reading Part D enrollment myths
Read More...The Washington Post published results of a study that indicate a generally modest level of satisfaction with Part D among enrollees. According to the Post, “Three-fourths of Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in the drug benefit say paperwork to sign up was … Continue reading Part D enrollee satisfaction
Read More...Pretty much everyone would agree that when it comes to information about physician practice patterns, outcomes, and costs, the more the public knows, the better. And the staunchest supporters of consumerism are the most ardent advocates of full disclosure of … Continue reading Consumerism minus information equals…confusionism?
Read More...I noted a couple weeks ago the problems pharmacies in Texas have been encountering with Part D – slow pays, no pays, missing information, higher staffing costs, and the like. Now word comes that California pharmacies seem to be suffering … Continue reading Part D’s failure is good news for pharmacies
Read More...I am no economist. Some will likely howl in agreement, others knowingly nod their heads while tapping out their pipes so as to not get ash on their tweeds (them are the economists). I do know a good bit about … Continue reading What does Baumol’s cost disease have to do with medical inflation?
Read More...The law of unintended consequences continues to dog the much-maligned Part D program. So far, seniors and states have been depicted as the primary victims of the program’s operational, structural, and marketing faults. Now there’s news that the program’s impact … Continue reading Pharmacists, Part D, and politics
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