News
Is the ACA driving up healthcare costs? The evidence is mixed
3+ day, 7+ hour ago (920+ words) In January, when President Trump unveiled his one-page outline to address healthcare spending, dubbed the "Great Healthcare Plan," he specifically mentioned the Affordable Care Act's role in driving up costs. "I call it the unaffordable care act," he said. He…...
Contributor: Why healthcare is so expensive in America, and what to do about it
1+ week, 4+ day ago (836+ words) America's healthcare system consistently ranks as the most expensive in the developed world. It's not, as some politicians claim, expensive because markets have failed. It's expensive because the market has been repeatedly blocked from succeeding. Until we're honest about that,…...
States to spend millions preparing for Medicare changes. Some people might lose coverage as a result
2+ week, 1+ day ago (853+ words) JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.To receive Medicaid health coverage, some adults will soon have to show they are working, volunteering or taking classes. But to gather that proof, many states first will have to spend millions of dollars improving their computer…...
Medicaid paid more than $207 million for dead people. A new law could help fix that
2+ mon, 3+ week ago (205+ words) WASHINGTON'Medicaid programs made more than $200 million in improper payments to healthcare providers between 2021 and 2022 for people who had already died, according to a new report from the independent watchdog for the Department of Health and Human Services. But the department's…...
Trump's response to spike in ACA prices: Lower premiums, sharply higher out-of pocket costs
1+ mon, 4+ day ago (798+ words) The Trump administration has unveiled a sweeping set of regulatory proposals that would substantially change health plan offerings on the Affordable Care Act marketplace next year, aiming, it says, to provide more choice and lower premiums. But it also proposes…...
Tens of thousands of Californians pay more for health insurance this year after subsidy cuts
1+ mon, 1+ week ago (1285+ words) For Mikayla Tencer, being self-employed already meant juggling higher taxes, irregular income and the constant pressure of finding her own health insurance. This year, it also meant rethinking how often she could afford to see a doctor. The 29-year-old content…...
Letters to the Editor: The entire premise of California’s proposed one-time wealth tax is misleading
1+ mon, 2+ week ago (243+ words) To the editor: Having been a tax practitioner now for more than 60 years " much of it involving the very wealthy " the entire project of the California wealth tax is ludicrous because the premise for its one-time imposition is misleading, if…...
Is California's proposed billionaire tax smart policy? History holds lessons
1+ mon, 3+ week ago (1773+ words) In the roiling debate over California's proposed billionaire tax, supporters and critics agree that such policies haven't always worked in the past. But the lessons they've drawn from that history are wildly different. The Billionaire Tax Act, which backers are…...
Weight-loss drugs could save U.S. airlines more than $500 million this year
2+ mon, 2+ day ago (262+ words) The growing use of weight-loss products may end up saving the biggest U.S. airlines as much as $580 million in fuel costs this year as passengers shed pounds and make planes lighter, according to a Jefferies analysis. With airlines historically going to…...
Amid rising costs, California and L.A. initiatives aim to tax the ultra-rich
1+ mon, 4+ week ago (1408+ words) California has billionaires on the brain. Last week union activists, hoisting giant cutouts of money bags and a cigar-smoking boss, announced a proposal to raise Los Angeles city taxes on companies with "overpaid" chief executives. They rallied in front of…...