Blog

Coming to grips with the costs of the Affordable Care Act

Costly Calorie Counting. In his column today, AWB president Don Brunell lays out some of the lesser-known but not inconsequential costs associated with the ACA. For example, tucked away in the 2,000-plus pages of the legislation is a requirement that restaurants and “similar” food retailers display calorie counts on their menus. Sounds reasonable in this health-conscious […]

From fiscal cliff to affordable care act, plenty of post-election unfinished business

Remember when elections settled things? OK, I don’t either. But there’s more than the usual clutter of unresolved issues on the agenda this year. The Los Angeles Times has a nice roundup of the states of health care, as more Republican governors opt not to set up the state exchanges prescribed by the Affordable Care […]

Medicaid expansion will add to state budget stress

In my column this morning I look at the costs of Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act. Earlier, Emily and I have reported on the findings of the State Budget Crisis Task Force (here and here). Medicaid costs are one of the six major budget threats identified by the group and the one most […]

More from the State Budget Crisis Task Force Report

On Tuesday, Dick linked to the State Budget Crisis Task Force report. As he noted, the report shows how states face structural budget problems that were only exacerbated by the recession. The report’s “major threats to fiscal sustainability” include Medicaid, underfunded pension promises, and state budget practices — topics that we’ve written about often. Although […]

State budget sustainability and Medicaid … hard times (still) ahead

A new report from the State Budget Crisis Task Force, headed by Richard Ravitch and Paul Volcker, points to deep sustainability problems for state governments long after the economy recovers (may that day come swiftly). From the Wall Street Journal: Rising pension and health-care costs are hampering states’ efforts to improve infrastructure and provide college […]

Governors, economists tally the costs of Medicaid expansion under ACA

The New York Times reports today that the nation’s governors, meeting in Williamsburg, VA, are taking a cautious approach to the Medicaid expansion baked into the Affordable Care Act, but rendered voluntary by the U.S. Supreme Court. The initial reaction to the court’s ruling split along party lines. More than half a dozen Republican governors […]

Some Thoughts on the Health Care Reform Ruling

As everyone is well aware of by now, the Supreme Court ruled this morning on the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The Court upheld the law, including the individual mandate–but under the taxing power, not the Commerce Clause. Additionally, the Court decided that states are not required to take part in […]

New Brief: Implementing Washington's Health Benefit Exchange

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (federal health care reform) is a hot topic these days, as the Supreme Court is expected to release its decision on the constitutionality of the law soon. One part of the federal legislation is a requirement that states establish health benefit exchanges through which individuals and small businesses […]

New Brief: Changes to Public School Employee Health Insurance Coverage

During the second special session, the legislature enacted a bill that makes some changes to the purchasing system for K-12 employee health benefits. The current system had been the subject of a February 2011 report by the state auditor, which suggested that the system be streamlined, standardized, and even consolidated. The new bill doesn’t go […]

Senate Reforms: Consolidated School Employee Benefits

Another of the reforms in the Senate’s proposed 2012 supplemental is SSB 6442, which would establish a consolidated purchasing system for public school employee health benefits. (It was passed by the Senate Ways and Means Committee Feb. 23.)