Medicaid Spending Reductions, Part III

Policy Options and Alternatives to Reduce Medicaid Costs This is part three of a series I wrote on Medicaid spending reductions (proposed). Recent Republican budgets have targeted Medicaid for $800 plus billion in spending reductions. This final post in the series covers the likely choices available from a policy perspective, to achieve the savings target. … Read more

Medicaid Spending Reductions: What to Know

Medicaid potential spending cuts have been in the news, elevated by the passage of the recent Republican Continuing (spending) Resolution. As Donald Trump ran and got elected on a platform of spending reduction/debt reduction (austerity) including the activation of DOGE (Dept. of Government Efficiency) to identify spending reduction opportunities, program behemoths like Medicare and Medicaid … Read more

House GOP Releases Budget Blueprint for Savings

Introduction House Republicans released a budget blueprint on February 12th that directs the Energy and Commerce Committee to achieve $880 billion in savings from fiscal years 2025 through 2034. GOP Budget Reconciliation Bill Draft Budget Overview The budget resolution does not provide specific instructions on how the committee should achieve the $880 billion in savings. … Read more

The Debate: Policy that Should be Discussed

Tonight’s presidential debate should be policy focused but likely, won’t be or won’t be with sufficient detail.  There are a ton of policy issues that should be discussed. Healthcare policy, in my opinion, should be very much a topic of open and frank discussion. I know I am a geek when it comes to economic … Read more

Wednesday Feature: Budget Stuff…Cubed

Happy Hump Day! Busy day so far but wanted to sneak this post in, wrapping up the last two days of posts on budget (federal, Medicare) stuff. This being the third day and post on budgets (and last for a while, I promise), the title fits – cubed. https://rhislop3.com/2024/04/15/monday-budget-day/ https://rhislop3.com/2024/04/16/medpac-report-to-congress-a-wrap-with-monday/ What follows is a different … Read more

Monday = Budget Day

As much as politics consumes the news, little on policy is included. Most days, the political stuff such as trials, Congressional hearings, back and forth tabloid (almost) stuff is front and center, missing is the “meat”. Reminds me of the 80’s Wendy’s commercial titled, “Where’s the beef?” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riH5EsGcmTw While I know that the national election, … Read more

Politics and Health Policy

Last week, the 2024 Presidential campaign season kicked into full swing with the first candidate debate. Arguably, momentum has been building ahead of the debate, especially in Iowa, during the State Fair, where candidates roamed, gave speeches, and pressed the flesh. I was there one day and enjoyed seeing Tim Scott and few other notables, … Read more

Debt Ceilings, Government Shutdowns and Health Policy

Most of my readers know by now that I am an economist by training and formal education.  My clients know this as well.  The net result is that I’ve been queried, almost to death as of late, as to what this current round of Washington folly is really all about.  Is it about the ACA?  … Read more

Healthcare Polar Express

With the Holidays fast approaching and me, heading into a break and a brief vacation, the time is right to recap the current health policy landscape.  As the title states, now it seems as if the industry is riding on the Healthcare Polar Express; head first into the dark, cold, snowy north. Fiscal Cliff: Wow, what … Read more

What’sTrending: A Tad Late

Travel last week took me off schedule a tad so this post, normally scheduled for last Friday, didn’t make it on-line until Monday.  Below is the list of what I am trending (watching) followed by last week’s Fall Outs (worth noting but not worth watching). Hospice Fraud Redux: This issue is one that I have … Read more