News
Politico | Behind the Obamacare surprise
There was a word White House officials had for Monday, the final day of Obamacare enrollment: “S—t-tastic.” “S—t,” because they couldn’t believe that the website had crashed again, and they couldn’t get it back for hours. “-Tastic” because this time, the problems were actually because of traffic so high that it caught even the most optimistic people in the White House by surprise.
WSJ | Medicare to Publish Trove of Data on Doctors
The Obama administration said it would publish as early as next week data on what Medicare paid individual doctors in 2012, aiming to boost transparency and help root out fraud.
Market Watch | As Obamacare arrives, a CEO shows how to do it better
Open-enrollment season under the Affordable Care Act has finally, mercifully, ended — at least in theory. And by any reasonably accurate reckoning, it’s the biggest policy success in decades — technology glitches and all. Someone really came from Washington to help. Go figure.
WSJ | Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal Proposes Alternative to Affordable Care Act
Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, trying to distinguish himself from other potential presidential candidates, outlined a replacement for the Affordable Care Act that he said would expand health coverage to more Americans by making insurance more affordable.
Econ Comments & Analysis
Mercatus | Medical Cost Containment: A Microeconomic Approach
Health care costs, which already consume roughly one-sixth of the US economy, are projected to surge as aging baby boomers begin flooding the medical system. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) does little to stem this tide; it mainly shifts costs among taxpayers, insurance carriers, and medical providers. Further reforms are critical to ease the mounting pressure of health care costs—but what, specifically, can be done?
Mercatus | The Strange and Very Expensive World of Prescription Drugs
Like many male baby boomers, I am in the process of saying goodbye to my hair. To extend the farewell, I decided to take Propecia, a prescription drug that combats male pattern baldness. But delaying the inevitable has substantial costs-costs that are exaggerated by our nation's Byzantine prescription drug system.
Blogs
Heritage Foundation | Marylanders on Hook for Millions More to Revamp Obamacare Site
The board overseeing Maryland’s online health insurance exchange voted unanimously last night to scrap its $125.5 million website and use technology implemented in Connecticut.
