I'm a research associate at Duke University Margolis Center. I used to be Richard Mayhew, a mid-level bureaucrat at UPMC Health Plan. I started writing here and have not found a reason to stop.
Ever get an email from HR saying everyone's salary is going down by $500? Most of us have. But instead of saying your salary is lower it says your deductible is increasing. Same difference: the benefits that tie you to your job and suppress your wages are worth less every year. https://t.co/KvBz9lNNt7 — Lara Schwartz […]
The non-profit medical supply producing entity that hospitals and other purchasing bodies have set up is starting to ramp up initial production. I’m thrilled to announce that Civica will partner with Xellia Pharmaceuticals to supply Vancomycin and Daptomycin, important and often life-saving antibiotics that have been in short supply in U.S. hospitals. Civica, and our […]
Maryland is making a big push to increase health insurance coverage in the state. There is a recently signed bill that dramatically lowers the friction to enroll. Stan Dorn, one of the architects of the policy proposal, has more at Health Affairs: the Maryland Easy Enrollment Health Insurance Program (MEEHP)….represents the country’s first attempt to use income […]
The marginal rate is how much you spend for the next chunk of income. Usually we use this framework when talking about taxes. The next dollar I earn has a North Carolina marginal rate of a little over 5% which means I keep 95 cents and the state of North Carolina gets a nickel. This […]
California Governor Newsom is proposing to improve the Covered California ACA risk pool by making plans effectively cheaper for populations that are not heavily subsidized or subsidized at all. His revised budget lays out the plan (p. 37-38): The Governor’s Budget proposed to make California the first state in the nation to offer financial assistance to […]