Healthcare, Senior Living, Economics
With all the news and among the conjecture, punditry and analysis that fits any twenty-four hour news cycle, I wondered with a few colleagues the other day, how predictable the events current with Obamacare were. Americans being who we are, our collective political memories and policy memories are short. I too, often find even the recent … Read more
Having jumped around just a bit in the last few weeks “topically”, this post may seem a bit disjointed. It is meant as a continuation of a series I’ve compiled on the various implications providers, consumers, etc. can/will experience under the Affordable Care Act (a/k/a Obamacare). Given the news cycle of late and the recent roll-out of … Read more
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
For readers approximating my age, a commercial slogan ties to the title of this post: “Is it real or is it Memorex”. In this current round of Washington political maneuvering and on display dysfunction lies the question; is the ACA issue real or is it a tool for political posturing? Is this a real “red … Read more
This is the second post of a four-part series on the status and implications of the continuing roll-forward/roll-out of the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare). In this post, the context is the implications for providers, given the evolving state of the ACA and some of the current uncertainty of its future. Important to note: Affirmatively, the … Read more
A number of my regular readers and clients routinely ask for my thoughts/analysis on where the Reform Act/Affordable Care Act/Obamacare is at, particularly in-light of the recent one-year delay in the employer mandate. Given the complexity of this subject and the scope of the overall law, a single post won’t cover the subject adequately. In compiling … Read more
On May 5, the U.S. Department of Justice released its most recent complaint (legal suit filed in Federal court) against Chemed, the corporate parent of Vitas. The complaint is a False Claims Act suit. Briefly for the uninitiated, a False Claims Act suit alleges that the Medicare provider knowingly (or unknowingly but once discovered, did … Read more
Happy New Year! Now that I’m back in the saddle, so to speak, and semi-organized after a holiday break and vacation the time has come to take a look at where health care is and what is setting the stage for 2013 (at least near term). Getting started, Washington remains unbelievably mired in dysfunction. So much … Read more
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
The Fiscal Cliff stories are everywhere and as a result, lots of misinformation, conjecture, and supposition of deals, no deals and what happens next abound within the media. The economist in me can’t help but opine on the economics at stake but for this purpose, I’ll take only a slice of the overall issues; a … Read more