News
CNN Money | Medicare docs face 24% pay cut ... again
Come January 1, Medicare physician reimbursements are slated to be slashed by 24.4%. And that would be on top of this year's 2% reduction forced by across-the-board budget cuts.
National Journal | Obamacare Insurance Choices Shrink for Individual Buyers in New Hampshire
In the new health insurance marketplaces created by the Affordable Care Act, 95 percent of Americans will have at least two insurance companies from which to compare and select plans, according to a Health and Human Services Department analysis.
CNN Money | Obamacare delay would send rates soaring
Congressional Republicans and some Democrats are pushing to give individuals more time to sign up for Obamacare after major technical problems have stymied enrollment. But insurers say the consequences of such a move would be heavy.
CNN Money | 'Use-or-lose' rule changing for flexible spending accounts
On Thursday, the U.S. Treasury Department announced it would be relaxing a rule that requires account holders to "use-or-lose" the funds in their accounts by the end of the year. Employers will now be able to allow participants to carry over up to $500 in unused funds into the next year.
Washington Times | Small business insurance costs up; report finds flawed Obamacare rollout a contributing factor
Two-thirds of small businesses report paying more for insurance premiums per employee this year than they did in 2012, according to a new study from the National Federation of Independent Business released Thursday.
Econ Comments & Analysis
Forbes | The High Costs Of Obamacare Hit Home For The Middle Class
Economists love to say “there is no such thing as a free lunch.” I wrote a whole book about how many free lunches there are in the U.S. these days. Free lunches exist in the sense that somebody is getting something for free; of course, somebody else has to pay. As the Affordable Care Act moves closer to full implementation a lot of people who expected to receive a free lunch are discovering that they are instead getting stuck with the bill.
NBER | Who Pays for Public Employee Health Costs?
We analyze the incidence of public-employee health benefits. Because these benefits are negotiated through the political process, relevant labor market institutions deviate significantly from the competitive, private-sector benchmark.
Heritage Foundation | Obamacare’s Health Insurance Tax Targets Consumers and Small Businesses
Obamacare imposes a new tax on health insurance premiums, starting in 2014, that will increase individual and small group health insurance premiums by an additional 2–3 percent.
