Greg Main, president of the Michigan Economic Development Corp., told a Grand Rapids Press columnist that he agrees with Michael LaFaive, the Mackinac Center's fiscal policy director, that the MEDC should be more transparent.
The columnist detailed a recent study by LaFaive and James Hohman, fiscal policy analyst, that tracks the failure of the MEDC and its many programs, including the Michigan Economic Growth Authority and the Michigan Film Office. A portion of the study points out the growing lack of transparency the MEDC has exhibited in the face of growing state unemployment, as well as the revelation that less than 30 percent of "new" jobs promised by the agency have come to fruition.
Living in a thinly populated area has its advantages but also some disadvantages — such as not having a doctor within 40 miles.
The Austin American-Statesman puts some numbers on something I’ve read of before, which is the fact that some Texas counties don’t have a resident doctor. How many? Try 27.
With two senators and a population of just 641,000, North Dakota is one of those states with an outsized influence on health care policy at the federal level. The North Dakota Policy Council will host a public meeting on health care policy, current proposals and patient-friendly alternatives. This video gives the pitch.
Something about this just doesn’t seem right: The South Carolina Department of Education and Subway restaurants are teaming up in an anti-childhood-obesity effort.
Subway, the official fast-food restaurant of public schools?
Cross-posted from State House Call.
If we hand more responsibility for health care to government, will it deliver? It’s one thing for the state or national government to give everyone a health insurance card, and another one entirely for people to actually get access to treatment.
That’s because in their attempt to keep some semblance of financial discipline, officials take several measures, including lowballing private physicians and other providers. Recently Delaware and Walgreens got into a dispute over that state’s attempts to cut its payments for medications.
As communications manager for the Property Rights Network, it never ceases to amaze me that Michigan residents possess an intuitive knowledge of property rights that seemingly eludes state policymakers.
A recent stop at a Kalkaska watering hole for a drink and a cigar proved no exception. Civility mandates that a cigar smoker receive permission from other patrons before lighting up. The affirmative reaction to my request was unanimous, and prompted an interesting conversation among the bar’s owner, employees, and guests. Comments ranged from “If people don’t like smoke, they should avoid places where it’s allowed” to “I’m sick of government telling me what I can and can’t do.”
From Nancy Pelosi, to Paul Krugman and on, there has been a steady drumbeat of accusations this summer from defenders of the “big government solution” side of the health care debate that the “town hall” and “TEA Party” protests against members of congress are organized by insurance companies, the Republican Party and various other so-called “Astroturf” agitators who don’t represent “normal” Americans. If one actually attends these events (as I have) the absurdity of this allegation becomes abundantly clear. The attendees, if anything, are apt to get MORE angry at the Republicans who started us down the “Bailout Nation” path during the previous presidential administration. Consider, as just one example, the reception that Texas Sen. Jon Cornyn received on July 4 when he tried to speak to a TEA Party gathering in Austin:
This year, “protectionist” bills have been introduced in the Michigan Senate and passed by the House that, among other things, require employers who receive state and local construction, service or purchase contracts to only hire Michigan residents, with some exceptions. The bills also impose “prevailing wage” provisions favored by unions on state contractors. (Prevailing wage is a law that prohibits awarding contracts to firms that submit the lowest bid unless the contractor pays so-called "prevailing wages" based on union pay scales in a particular part of a geographic region, rather than market rates.)
We’ve already noted that officials in some states are invoking the tenth amendment to the U.S. Constitution as a way to prevent the implementation of a federal government takeover in their states.
The Detroit Free Press reports on such an effort in Michigan. Rep. Brian Calley, R-Portland, is leading the charge.
The idea of state legislators helping their voters opt out of federal health care reform is getting more press, this time from the Atlanta Business Chronicle:
The GOP senators said they plan to introduce a constitutional amendment during this winter’s General Assembly session giving Georgians the right to choose whether they want to enroll in any health insurance plan and prohibiting governments from punishing those who decide not to participate.
While it’s easy — and important — to point out the shortcomings of government-run health care, it’s also useful to remember how to get out of the mess we’re in.
Roy Cardato provides a reminder:
Other reforms should include relaxing licensing laws that prevent trained health-care professionals from rendering needed services. Another reform should target the tort system, which pushes malpractice insurance rates to levels that drive doctors out of their chosen specialties, especially obstetrics and gynecology. And ultimately, Medicare and Medicaid should be privatized, removing the government from the health insurance business altogether. Aid to seniors and the poor should be provided through a system of vouchers that empower people to own their own insurance plans, lifting them out from under the health-care bureaucracy.
Government requires you to buy insurance? Check.
Price controls on insurance premiums? Check.
Subsidies for people to buy insurance? Check.
Each of these items, discussed in Congress, have been implemented in Massachusetts. The results: More people have an insurance card, but time to see a doctor has gone up and officials are talking about rationing.
The incoming director of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons has had enough of government health programs and insurance companies. By cutting out insurers (and paperwork), Dr. George Watson can charge lower rates and spend more time with patients. KAKE-TV reports.
Cross-posted from MI Health Facts.
In the Sept. 1 Wall Street Journal center-left columnist Thomas Franks sets up some straw-man caricatures of “the right’s” arguments against a federal government takeover of the health care market. One of them is this:
What do you get when you combine America’s unreformed medical malpractice tort system with a government-run health care system?
A lottery, where the winners share 30 percent or more of the loot with trial lawyers, where there’s no cap on the size or number of “prizes” and where the costs are all imposed on taxpayers who get no choice about whether they will “play” or how much they’ll have to ante-up.
America's Health Insurance Plans, the leading trade group for health insurers, endorses an individual mandate (new customers by the millions!), complete with subsidies, in exchange for giving up medical underwriting.
The Council for Affordable Health Insurance, a smaller trade group, has other ideas that I suspect are more sensible. Their latest publication is “Access to Coverage: Building on Current Protections.” (PDF)
Next week, President Obama will finally release his own health care reform plan — one that the Democrats promise will be specific, ending speculation about exactly what kinds of reforms Mr. Obama — and the Democrats — support.
Obama will also specify a “pay for” mechanism he prefers, and will specify an income level below which he does not want to see taxed.
A report to be released today says that Michigan pays 53 percent more for insurance for state workers and retirees than most states that have similar insurance arrangements.
“Michigan employees also contributed less to their overall health insurance cost — 10% of the total tab — than those in other states,” according to the Detroit Free Press.
A group of health care experts in the UK has expressed concern over the end-of-life care received by many in the British National Health Service system.
In an effort to reduce unnecessary procedures as patients’ lives come to an end, much of the NHS has adopted the “Liverpool Pathway Care” approach, which ends the administration of medication and fluids and substitutes sedation at the end of a patient’s life to make their passing more comfortable.
The Patients Association, a British charity, has reported that over one million have received appalling care under the National Health Service system in the UK.
The charity has disclosed a horrifying catalogue of elderly people left in pain, in soiled bed clothes, denied adequate food and drink, and suffering from repeatedly cancelled operations, missed diagnoses and dismissive staff.
We don’t talk about Medicare that often here, so in response to Dr. Donald May’s comments, I’ll point readers to what the Cato Handbook for Policy Makers has say about it. Here’s the summary table from the chapter (PDF) on Medicare.
Congress should
Cato makes a convincing case that a great deal of what’s wrong with health care today lies with Medicare. How can it be otherwise when it is the single largest “insurer” in the country, having not only market clout but the force of law?
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has already closed 20 state forest campgrounds. The state claims there are not sufficient resources to adequately operate the campgrounds. The department is now threatening to close additional campgrounds located in state forests, which are popular with campers who desire a more rustic and quiet camping experience than what is generally available in state parks. State forest campgrounds are often near lakes or streams popular with fisherman and boaters.
The Detroit News says there was a big party in Tripoli, yesterday…
Libya celebrates Gadhafi coup's 40th anniversary
Tripoli, Libya-- Libya staged a lavish spectacle Tuesday, parading white-robed horsemen and gold-turbaned dancers as jets streaked overhead to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the coup that brought Moammar Gadhafi to power in the oil-rich nation. The four-day festivities were designed to highlight the volatile leader's acceptance on the world stage, but were overshadowed by new controversies about the recent return of the only man convicted in the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am jet over Lockerbie, Scotland.
The Future of Health Care in America:
A Roundtable Discussion
Wednesday, Sept. 16
Roundtable Meeting
8:00 a.m. – Noon
The Oakland Center at Oakland University - Banquet Room A
2200 N. Squirrel Road
Rochester, Mich. 48309
The Mackinac Center for Public Policy, The Heartland Institute, Consumers for Health Care Choices, and Americans for Prosperity – Michigan, invite you to an exclusive roundtable discussion. “The Future of Health Care in America” will be held in Rochester, Mich., on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2009. Discussion leaders will include some of the most innovative organizations and thought leaders in American health care today. The roundtable provides a forum for individuals from varied backgrounds to come together and work through the challenges facing consumer-driven health care in the new Administration.
By Jack McHugh
Gov. Jennifer Granholm has offered a rather odd proposal to involve four outside individuals as “mediators” in the process of her office negotiating a Fiscal Year 2009-2010 state budget with the Democratic House and Republican Senate in the face of a nearly $2 billion gap between desired spending and expected revenue.
