galen institute semiannual report: july - december 2011
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A review of Galen Institute's health policy activitiesTRANSCRIPT
the Battle fOR liBeRty Of OuR time
Galen Institute Semiannual Report
July – December 2011
2 • Galen Institute
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGEDear friends of the Galen Institute:
The force of ObamaCare’s massive assault on our health sector continues to build every day, rolling toward full implementation in 2014. As we have seen in the latest controversy over the contraceptive mandate and religious freedom, this law will crush our constitutional rights and must be stopped either by the courts or at the ballot box.
But I know from my many speeches — nonstop across the country over the last six months — that most people still don’t know what is in this massive 2,800-page law or the 10,000 pages of ObamaCare regulations that already are on the books. The president talks about a few small provisions in the law — 26-year-
olds on their parents’ policies, “free” preventive care, and new insurance rules. He wants us to ignore the thousands of ways it will rob us of our freedom, dictate our most personal decisions, crush innovation, and drive tens of thousands of doctors out of practice.
Former Attorney General Ed Meese says that the Supreme Court decision about the constitutionality of the health law “is the most important decision in 100 years.”
That’s why our work at the Galen Institute is so important. No other think tank is completely and diligently focused on health care and exposing the truth about this terrible law. With your help, we have:
Publications
Our commentaries on the impact of ObamaCare, Medicare, entitlement spending, IPAB, the CLASS Act, the Super Committee, prescription drugs, health costs, and innovation were featured in the Huffington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The American Spectator, Kaiser Health News, and Forbes.com, among many others. More than 110 publications and news websites in 35 states brought our commentaries to more than 41 million readers over the past six months.
We released three papers: “Why ObamaCare Must Be Repealed So We Can Begin Real Health Reform,” “Recommendations for the Super Committee: Build on successes and take the long view of reform as a process,” and “A Radical Restructuring of Health Insurance,” which are all available at www.galen.org.
Twenty-one editions of our popular Health Policy Matters newsletter were e-mailed to more than 6,300 subscribers each week, reaching federal and state policymakers, journalists, business leaders, consumers, medical professionals, and others interested in health policy.
In the News
Grace-Marie Turner made eight television appearances, including interviews on FOX’s Varney & Co., America’s Newsroom, and FOX & Friends Weekend. And she gave more than 40 radio interviews to regional and
nationally syndicated programs including The Larry Kudlow Show, The Lou Dobbs Show, G. Gordon Liddy Show, Payne Nation, Dateline: Washington, and The Lars Larson Show.
Articles that featured Galen’s work and quoted our scholars were featured in more than 75 news outlets reaching more than 19 million readers, including Congressional Quarterly, Health Affairs, Rep. John Boehner’s Blog, The Weekly Standard, The Boston Globe, and Investor’s Business Daily. Our scholars were also interviewed by journalists from Reason.tv, Politico, Roll Call, Newsweek, and The Indianapolis Star.
Coalitions and Events
We continued our State Leaders conference call series, jointly hosted by the State Policy Network and the Institute for Policy Innovation, with five sessions featuring Rep. Tom Price, MD, Rep. Bill Cassidy, MD, Dennis Smith, Robert Spendlove, Bruce Greenstein, Jenn Ungru, Dan Schwartzer, and Roy Ramthun.
In September we kicked off a new educational series for Congressional staffers, which we are co-hosting with the American Enterprise Institute and The Heritage Foundation. Our briefings have focused on “The A-B-C, and D, of Medicare,” “Who’s on First, What’s on Second: Understanding the Federal-State Medicaid Partnership,” “Is Private Health Insurance Really Private Anymore?” and “How to Fix the Doc Fix.”
EXECUTIvE SUMMARy: JULy – DECEMBER 2011
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We continued to promote our book, Why ObamaCare Is Wrong for America, by co-sponsoring “Everything you Wanted to Know about ObamaCare (But Didn’t Know Who To Ask)” hosted by the Lehigh valley Coalition for Health Care Reform, the “Women Working for Change” conference hosted by Project GOPink, and the Americans for Prosperity Foundation’s Defending the American Dream Summit.
We hosted four actual meetings of the Health Policy Consensus Group and facilitated countless virtual collaborations to discuss free-market solutions to health reform and solutions for replacing ObamaCare.
Galen staff participated in more than 90 meetings, policy briefings, and conference calls to discuss health reform initiatives and policy ideas with federal and state policymakers, Congressional staffers, health industry executives, and policy experts.
Testimonies and Speeches
Grace-Marie submitted her recommendations and analysis to a U.S. Senate Finance Committee field hearing on “Perspectives on Medicaid.” She also testified at four Congressional hearings in Washington, DC:
House Committee on the Budget hearing on • “Medicare’s Future: An Examination of the Independent Payment Advisory Board”
House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Health •
hearing on “Cutting the Red Tape: Saving Jobs from PPACA’s Harmful Regulations”
House Education and Workforce Subcommittee on • Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions hearing on “Regulations, Costs, and Uncertainty in Employer Provided Health Care”
House Small Business Subcommittee on • Investigations, Oversight and Regulations hearing on “New Medical Loss Ratios: Increasing Health Care value or Just Eliminating Jobs?”
Grace-Marie also gave more than 20 presentations on health reform issues to audiences across the country, including speeches at FreedomFest, CFO Healthcare Summit, Association of American Physicians and Surgeons 68th Annual Meeting, Midwest Leadership Conference, Colorado Health Foundation’s Health Symposium, The Philanthropy Roundtable 20th Annual Meeting, and the National Congress on Healthcare Cost Containment, among many others.
New Media and Social Networking
The number of unique visitors to our www.galen.org website increased by 27% over the last six months of 2011. Galen’s Facebook fan base increased by 26%, with our stories reaching about 2,200 readers every week. And we saw a similar level of increased interest on Twitter, with well-known opinion and news leaders retweeting our messages to their followers.
Published hundreds of blog posts and commentaries • in news outlets across the country, made dozens of radio and television appearances, and connected to thousands of social media followers to inform Americans about the impact of ObamaCare and the need for repeal
Hosted briefings and meetings on Capitol Hill • to educate lawmakers and their staffs about the problems with ObamaCare and our better ideas for market solutions
Facilitated meetings of the Health Policy Consensus • Group, made up of leading health policy experts, to develop sensible policy solutions for a post-ObamaCare environment
Supported state legislators, grassroots coalitions, • and other associations with ideas, research, and talking points
By continuing to work together, we will be able to advance policy changes that lead to patient-centered health care that is accountable to people and not to the politics of Washington. Thank you so very much for your support of our work at the Galen Institute. We will not stop until we are back on track to freedom.
Sincerely,
4 • Galen Institute
JULY
Impact
We spent a very busy summer using every speech, commentary, meeting, and media interview focusing on two of the most harmful aspects of ObamaCare: the individual mandate and the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB), including testimony before the House Budget Committee on IPAB. We also spoke at FreedomFest about our book, Why ObamaCare Is Wrong for America, and at the Colorado Health Symposium’s debate over repealing and replacing the health overhaul law.
Publications
Grace-Marie presented testimony to a House Budget Committee hearing in July on “Medicare’s Future: An Examination of the Independent Payment Advisory Board.”
Grace-Marie also submitted her analysis and recommendations to a U.S. Senate Finance Committee field hearing on “Perspectives on Medicaid.”
Our commentaries appeared in dozens of publications nationwide, including:
Competition helps save seniors money • The Oklahoman
Washington’s Rebate Tax Would Be Paid By Seniors • Kaiser Health News
ObamaCare a Factor in Bleak Jobs Report • National Review Online: Critical Condition
Galen in the News
Grace-Marie appeared on FOX’s America’s Newsroom. Her Reason.tv interview about Why ObamaCare Is Wrong for America was featured on the Reason website and dozens of blogs, Twitter feeds, and Facebook pages.
Galen scholars were quoted in several news outlets in July, including:
Democrats Are Destroying Medicare! • The Limbaugh Letter
In Medicare Age Debate, a Question of Savings • Congressional Quarterly
GOP Decries ‘Rationing’ IPAB; Dems Downplay • Its Role Investor’s Business Daily
Speeches & Events
Grace-Marie testified on “Repealing and Replacing IPAB with Better Solutions” at the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Budget hearing on “Medicare’s Future: An Examination of the Independent Payment Advisory Board.”
Grace-Marie spoke on a panel about “Who Cares About ObamaCare? Healthy Alternatives for you and your Business” at FreedomFest in Las vegas; participated in a debate on “State of Health: Seizing Opportunities, Achieving Results” at the Colorado Health Foundation’s Health Symposium in Keystone; and she spoke about her paper on “Repealing and Replacing IPAB with Better Solutions” at the Students for Life of America Conservative Leaders Meeting in Washington, DC.
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Our state leaders conference call series continued with a call on “What should states do on health care?” featuring guest speaker Rep. Tom Price, MD.
We facilitated a meeting of the Health Policy Consensus Group on July 13 to discuss Medicaid reform with Rep. Bill Cassidy, MD.
We also attended many other meetings in July to discuss new initiatives and health policy ideas with government officials, Congressional staffers, representatives from companies, member associations, and other think tanks.
6 • Galen Institute
AUGUST
Impact
The 11th Circuit decision in August was the most significant court ruling to date in the constitutional challenges to ObamaCare. The judges decided 2-1 that it is unconstitutional for Congress to compel citizens to purchase health insurance, in an appeal of the case brought in Florida by 26 states and the National Federation of Independent Business. Many of our activities focused on our analysis of the 11th Circuit decision, and we also discussed IPAB, RomneyCare, entitlement programs, and other health policy issues in dozens of commentaries, radio and Tv interviews, speeches, and meetings this month.
Publications
Our commentaries on Medicare Part D, IPAB, and health spending were featured in more than two dozen news outlets, including:
Repealing and Replacing IPAB with Better Solutions • The Orange County Register
Should Congress Keep the Independent Payment • Advisory Board? No The Kansas City Star, and 17 additional publications
The Colorado Health Symposium’s Debate Over • Repealing and Replacing the ACA Health Affairs: GrantWatch
‘Breathakingly Expansive’ • National Review Online: Critical Condition
The Super Committee Should Do Away With • ObamaCare’s Rationing Board Business Insider
Galen in the News
Grace-Marie appeared on FOX’s Varney & Co. and Devil’s Advocate on Colorado Public Television. We also gave interviews to nationally syndicated radio programs Up Front with Senator Rod Grams, The Drew Mariani Show, and The Small Business Advocate Show. We talked with reporters from The Daily and Politico, and our work was mentioned in more than 20 articles, including:
ObamaCare already dying • The Washington Times
Can Mitt Romney Escape His RomneyCare Albatross? • Forbes.com
ObamaCare Is Going Down • The American Spectator
Medicaid fetches higher drug rebates than Medicare • American Medical News
Could a Decision on Health Care Linger in Limbo • Until After the Election? CQ HealthBeat
Health Insurance, Washington’s Way • Reason: Hit & Run
Roy Ramthun, State Leaders Call Keynote Speaker
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Speeches & Events
Grace-Marie spoke on a panel about “Fixing Medicare and Strengthening America: A Health Care Reform Toolkit” at the Steamboat Institute’s 3rd Annual Freedom Conference in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
Our conference call series for state leaders focused on “Consumer-Driven Health Care and the PPACA,” with HSA expert Roy Ramthun, jointly sponsored by the Galen Institute, the Institute for Policy Innovation, and the State Policy Network.
We also participated in several meetings and briefings in August with Members of Congress and their top advisors, health industry executives, reform advocates, and state policy experts to discuss new health reform initiatives.
The [Independent Payment Advisory Board] stands for everything that is wrong with
the Affordable Care Act — taking power away from doctors and patients and putting it in
the hands of elite experts who have virtually no accountability to patients or voters.
—Grace-Marie Turner, “Should Congress keep new health care board?”
“
Jon Caldara, host of Devil’s Advocate, asks Grace-Marie Turner about her new book
8 • Galen Institute
SEPTEMBER
Impact
Our commentary on “Obama’s Strategy of Silence” hit a nerve across the country when it was published in the September issue of The American Spectator. Radio host Rush Limbaugh devoted a lengthy segment of his program to reading the piece on air, and it was a featured story on Real Clear Politics. We explained how the White House is deliberately trying to draw attention away from his hugely unpopular health overhaul law while the regulators work to sink its roots deep into our health sector and economy.
Our article on “Health-Care Chaos” for National Review was the #8 most viewed article the week it was published.
Publications
Grace-Marie’s latest pro/con article was a debate with U.S. Rep. Jim McDermott on whether ObamaCare is hurting economic recovery. Grace-Marie argued that the law is a jobs killer and said, as the title indicates, that “Repealing the health care legislation will create jobs.” It was published in more than 43 news outlets around the world, reaching 7 million readers!
Grace-Marie’s commentary, “Obama’s Strategy of Silence,” was a cover story in the September issue of The American Spectator and a featured story on the magazine’s website, garnering more than 550 Facebook Likes.
Our other commentaries on the Super Committee, IPAB, court challenges to ObamaCare, and other health
reform issues were featured in several publications. A few examples:
Washington is tightening its grip on medical • decision-making Forbes.com
A hidden jobs-killer • New York Post
Health-Care Chaos • National Review Online
Super Committee Should Do Away With • Rationing Board Heartland Institute
Speeches
Grace-Marie testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Energy & Commerce Committee’s Health Subcommittee hearing on “Cutting the Red Tape: Saving Jobs from PPACA’s Harmful Regulations” in Washington, DC, on September 15.
Grace-Marie spoke about the value of innovation in the health sector at speeches for Quintile’s 2011 Executive vision Forum and a seminar for Mikart, Inc.
Other speeches included a luncheon keynote before the 68th Annual Meeting of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, the inaugural speech for Hampden-Sydney College’s chapter of the Benjamin Rush Society, a talk to a Hospital CFO Healthcare Summit in California, and the keynote address to
Rep. John Shadegg
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hundreds of health insurance brokers at the St. Louis Association of Health Underwriters conference on “Challenges and Opportunities Ahead.”
Galen in the News
Grace-Marie appeared on FOX’s Varney & Co. to talk about doctors’ concerns about incentives to over-treat patients. She also gave interviews to The Larry Kudlow Show, Greg Corombos on Radio America, City on a Hill, Butler on Business on WGKA-AM in Atlanta, The C-4 Show on WBAL-AM in Baltimore, and an in-studio interview at KMOX radio in St. Louis, among others.
Our work was cited in several publications this month, including:
Let’s Look at RomneyCare • The Washington Examiner
Obama jobs plan: Raise taxes on health care • Politico
Health care dialogue needed • Business Insurance
GOP bill would exempt all plans from health reform • American Medical News
Events
We kicked off our new Health Policy Series of briefings for Congressional staffers with our co-hosts, the American Enterprise Institute and The Heritage Foundation on September 12 in Washington, DC. Our inaugural event featured Galen’s Grace-Marie Turner and AEI’s Joe Antos talking about “The A-B-C (and D) of Medicare.”
On September 17, we co-sponsored “Everything you Wanted to Know about ObamaCare (But Didn’t Know Who To Ask)” hosted by the Lehigh valley Coalition for Health Care Reform.
We also participated in numerous meetings at the invitation of Members of Congress and their staffs, health industry executives, and policy experts to discuss new initiatives for market-based health reform.
10 • Galen Institute
OCTOBER
Impact
October was a whirlwind of speaking travel, with talks to physicians, business leaders, medical researchers, hospital executives, health insurance brokers, state legislators, and many others, and we hear growing fear, even among people who had supported the law, about ObamaCare’s dramatic, harmful changes. A new Kaiser poll shows the law’s popularity hit a new low. This sentiment was echoed by feedback to people tuning in to our radio and television interviews, in meetings with industry leaders and policymakers, and in the reader response to our commentaries.
Publications
We released “Recommendations for the Super Committee: Build on successes and take the long view of reform as a process,” a list of do’s and don’ts that the committee might consider to advance good policy in changes for Medicare and Medicaid.
Our paper, “Why ObamaCare Must Be Repealed So We Can Begin Real Health Reform,” was released by Networks Financial Institute at Indiana State University at their conference on “The Affordable Care Act: Challenges to Access, Affordability and Availability.”
We also had several commentaries featured in National Review Online, including: ObamaCare Extends Its Tentacles; A Brawl over RomneyCare; and Senator vitter’s Bad, Old Idea.
Galen in the News
Grace-Marie Turner discussed the demise of the CLASS Act with host Stuart varney on Varney & Co. on FOX Business on October 18.
On October 19, Grace-Marie joined The Wall Street Journal’s live online show, Opinion Journal, to discuss the similarities between ObamaCare and RomneyCare.
She also gave interviews on radio stations across the country, including WCHv in virginia, WLS in Illinois, WGKA in Georgia, and WBAL in Maryland, as well as appearing on the nationally syndicated Lou Dobbs Show and Jason Lewis Show.
We spoke with reporters from National Journal, Roll Call, The Indianapolis Star, Medscape News, and others. And our work was cited in several additional publications this month, including:
Grandfathered or Not, Employers Continue to Face • Uncertainty in Providing Health Insurance U.S. Chamber of Commerce: Chamber Post
Ed & Workforce Hearing: One-Third of Small • Businesses Cite ObamaCare as a Top Reason They’re Not Hiring Rep. John Boehner’s Blog
‘Why ObamaCare Is Wrong for America’ Is Right • for you National Review Online: The Corner
The Mitt, The Mandate, And The Destitos • Independent Women’s Forum: Inkwell
Rep. Phil Roe, HELP Subcommittee Chairman
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Speeches
Grace-Marie testified on “Saving Jobs from PPACA’s Harmful Regulations” at the House Committee on Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions hearing on “Regulations, Costs, and Uncertainty in Employer Provided Health Care.”
Grace-Marie gave several presentations in October on consumer-driven health care, what to do beyond repealing ObamaCare and other health reform issues. Here are some of the events she participated in:
National Congress on Healthcare Cost Containment•
20th Annual Meeting of The Philanthropy Roundtable•
Midwest Leadership Conference, hosted by • Republican Party of Minnesota
Anniversary Benefit Dinner, hosted by • The Heartland Institute
Republican Governors Public Policy Committee • Health Care Summit
The Affordable Care Act: Challenges to Access, • Affordability and Availability, hosted by Networks Financial Institute at Indiana State University
Continuing Legislator Education, hosted by • Freedom Foundation of Minnesota
Why ObamaCare Is Wrong for America, hosted by • the Frankford-Northeast Philadelphia Rotary Club
Events
Our Health Policy Series for Congressional staffers with co-hosts American Enterprise Institute and The Heritage Foundation continued on October 11 with guest speakers Jim Capretta and Nina Owcharenko briefing attendees on “Who’s on First, What’s on Second: Understanding the Federal-State Medicaid Partnership.”
Our October State Leaders Call, jointly sponsored by Galen, the Institute for Policy Innovation, and the State Policy Network, featured Rep. Bill Cassidy, MD, and Dan Schwartzer, Wisconsin’s Deputy Commissioner of Insurance. They discussed ObamaCare’s damage to states, businesses, physicians, and private insurance markets.
And many thanks to Partnership for America and the BGR Group for hosting a wonderful reception for the authors of Why ObamaCare Is Wrong for America.
Rep. Bill Cassidy, MD, State Leaders Call
Keynote Speaker
12 • Galen Institute
NOVEMBER
Impact
Every week — even every day — we get new information about how massively flawed and destructive ObamaCare is. The spotlight now is on the mandate that everyone must have government-approved health insurance – the issue at the center of the legal challenges to the law. We had an article published in The Wall Street Journal November 9 explaining why the individual mandate can never work and why 82% of Americans oppose it. But what if the Supreme Court upholds it, citing the precedent for seemingly unlimited expansion of the Constitution’s Commerce Clause? Read on for highlights of our activities in November to alert federal and state legislators, opinion leaders, and the American people about what’s at stake, what’s actually in this law, and how it will impact every one of us — putting our liberty and freedom in jeopardy.
Publications
The Wall Street Journal published a commentary by Grace-Marie, “ObamaCare: Flawed Policy, Flawed Law,” explaining that the unconstitutional individual mandate won’t even work.
Grace-Marie had a commentary published in more than two-dozen papers, answering the question: “Do Mitt Romney’s views on health care hurt his bid for the GOP nomination?” (She said yes.) It was published in the Montana Standard, Sunday Deseret Morning News, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Arizona Daily Star, Keene Sentinel, and many other papers.
The Huffington Post featured Grace-Marie’s commentary, “For the Super Committee, an Option to Save
Medicare.” An additional op-ed about the committee, “The Super Committee Can Tackle Entitlement Spending,” was featured in more than 15 publications, including the Hawaii Reporter, Sacramento Oracle, and La Prensa de San Antonio.
Grace-Marie’s commentary on “Deficit Deal Could Diminish Drug Access” was featured in Real Clear Markets.
We also had 2 articles in National Review Online’s Critical Condition blog: “Cain Shows He’s Savvy on Health Care Policy,” and “Supremes Will Hear ObamaCare Challenge.” And our piece on “Ideas for Super Committee” was featured in Modern Healthcare magazine.
Speeches & Events
We co-hosted another in our series of health policy briefings for congressional staffers on November 14. Our guest speaker was Tom Miller of AEI, whose presentation answered the question, “Is Private Health Insurance Really Private Anymore?” Galen is co-hosting the series with the American Enterprise Institute and The Heritage Foundation.
We co-hosted our monthly conference call for state legislators and state policy leaders, focusing in the November call on the crucial issues of ObamaCare’s health exchanges. Leading officials from Wisconsin, Utah, Louisiana, and Florida spoke on the call about their strategies involving exchanges. Galen co-hosts these calls with the Institute for Policy Innovation and the State Policy Network.
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Grace-Marie also spoke to a group of legislators attending a “Health Policy Boot Camp” sponsored by The Heritage Foundation, on November 2, emphasizing the crucial role state leaders can play in getting started with sensible health reform policies that work for their states.
Grace-Marie gave several presentations about health policy issues including entitlements and the Super Committee, medical innovation, the mis-named “competitive bidding,” and the future of health reform to health care industry executives and policymakers. She also spoke about the impact of ObamaCare at Loyola University in New Orleans and at the Women Working for Change conference in National Harbor, MD.
We facilitated a meeting of the Health Policy Consensus Group to discuss options for replacing ObamaCare.
And Grace-Marie attended the 13th annual Health Sector Assembly meeting in Sundance, Utah, focusing on “Long-Term Care — The Unacknowledged Elephant in the Room” on November 4-6.
Galen staff also met with Congressional staffers, health care professionals, state legislators, and policy experts to discuss free-market reform initiatives, medical innovation, Medicare, and other health policy issues.
We sponsored two conferences in November, where we hosted exhibitor tables to tell attendees about Galen’s work and our new book, Why ObamaCare Is Wrong for America. Congratulations to Barb F., who won our book raffle at the Americans for Prosperity Defending the Dream Summit and to Tina W., our winner at Project GOPink’s Women Working for Change conference.
Galen in the News
Grace-Marie joined Varney & Co. on FOX Business to discuss court challenges to ObamaCare. She also appeared on the FOX & Friends weekend show to talk about a range of issues, including action by the Super Committee on deficit reduction.
Grace-Marie gave a dozen radio interviews in November, on local shows such as Atlanta’s Butler on Business, and on national programs including The Lou Dobbs Show, The Lars Larson Show, The Mark Reardon Show, and Payne Nation with FOX Business co-host Charles Payne.
We also gave interviews to Newsweek, The Washington Examiner, Kaiser Health News, and other publications. Galen’s work was cited in several additional publications this month, including:
Herman Cain’s (Mostly) Conventional Plan for Health • Care Reform Forbes.com
Is Romney the Right Person to Achieve Repeal and • Real Reform? The Weekly Standard
Poorly Designed Medicare Auctions Could Disrupt • Device Marketplace Heartlander
Supreme Court’s Health Care Hand Grenade • The Washington Times
14 • Galen Institute
DECEMBER
Impact
Health insurers are being forced to leave markets across the country because onerous ObamaCare regulations already are taking effect, and the first casualties are small businesses and the health insurance agents who serve them. In December, Grace-Marie Turner testified before a congressional Small Business Committee hearing entitled “New Medical Loss Ratios: Increasing Health Care value or Just Eliminating Jobs?” Grace-Marie said the health law is leading to a loss of affordable options for health insurance for small employers, to a loss of jobs inside and outside the health sector, and to higher health costs that make hiring new workers a risky proposition, especially for struggling small businesses. We also published a new paper, “A Radical Restructuring of Health Insurance,” chronicling the numerous health insurance carriers across the country that have been forced to leave markets, causing millions of people to lose the coverage they had. We discussed these topics and other reform issues in numerous commentaries, media interviews, meetings, and speeches throughout December.
Publications
Our latest paper, “A Radical Restructuring of Health Insurance,” provides an overview of insurance carriers leaving the market in states across the country; the impact of Obama administration rules on the child-only health insurance market; the disruptions caused by rules governing health premium payouts and “grandfathering;” and the threats to the Medicare Advantage market.
Is the Affordable Care Act living up to its promise to make health care more affordable? Grace-Marie answered “No!” in her latest pro/con piece, entitled “Health law is already sending costs through the roof.” It was published in several dozen news outlets, including the Green Bay Press-Gazette, New Orleans Times-Picayune, Lincoln Journal Star, and Juneau Empire.
Grace-Marie contributed to the National Review Online Symposium on “Debate Nights,” and also contributed three posts to their Critical Condition blog:
CLASS Act: Not dead yet•
ObamaCare’s Fatal Flaws•
Ryan-Wyden: The best Medicare proposal yet•
Our commentary about Pfizer’s new generic pricing program, “Lipitor And The Future Of Pharmaceutical Innovation,” was published on Forbes.com.
Speeches & Events
Grace-Marie testified on “New Medical Loss Ratios: Increasing Health Care value or Just Eliminating Jobs?” before the House Committee on Small Business Subcommittee on Investigations, Oversight and Regulations on December 15.
“How to Fix the Doc Fix” was the focus of our December health policy briefing for congressional staffers, jointly hosted by the Galen Institute, American Enterprise Institute, and The Heritage Foundation. Guest speakers Joseph Antos, PhD, and Robert Moffit, PhD, discussed
Long before the law fully takes
effect, PPACA is harming
workers, employers, and seniors
as they face fewer choices for
health insurance.
— Grace-Marie Turner, A Radical Restructuring of Health Insurance
“
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the Medicare sustainable growth payment controversy and what we should do instead of continuing to slash Medicare provider payments.
Rep. Tom Price, MD, was our keynote speaker on the December State Leaders Call, jointly hosted by the Galen Institute, Institute for Policy Innovation, and State Policy Network. Dr. Price talked to our group about the Empowering Patients First Act, his comprehensive bill to repeal PPACA.
Grace-Marie gave a presentation to senior executives of KCI, addressing the controversy over competitive bidding for medical devices, the Super Committee, Part D and Medicare, and a vision forward for competition and markets in promoting a patient-centered health sector.
The Galen Institute’s Board of Trustees held its annual meeting in Alexandria, virginia, on December 10, which was followed by a holiday party at Grace-Marie’s home to thank members of the Health Policy Consensus Group for another busy year of collaboration.
We were invited to meetings with Members of Congress, state legislators, and candidates to discuss the impact of the health law and free-market solutions for reform.
Galen in the News
Grace-Marie joined FOX Business’ Varney & Co. show to discuss the Ryan-Wyden Medicare proposal on December 16.
Grace-Marie joined several nationally syndicated radio programs in December to discuss medical loss ratio (MLR) regulations, our new paper on the “Radical Restructuring of Health Insurance,” the Ryan-Wyden Medicare plan, and the ObamaCare burden on small businesses, including The Lou Dobbs Show, The G. Gordon Liddy Show, Dateline: Washington, and The Lars Larson Show. She was also a guest on regional programs like Butler on Business in Georgia and Up Front with Rod Grams in Minnesota.
We also gave interviews to Politico and Modern Healthcare. Here are just a few articles that mentioned the work of the Galen Institute:
The Gift That Keeps on Taking • The American Spectator
Health care reform law causing Americans to lose • insurance ahead of implementation The Daily Caller
Report on R.I.’s Global Medicaid Waiver finds $22M • in savings Providence Business News
ObamaCare insurance regs raise costs, kill jobs • The Washington Examiner
ObamaCare Goes to the High Court • National Catholic Register
Rep. Tom Price, MD, State Leaders Call
Keynote Speaker
Lou Dobbs, Radio host
16 • Galen Institute
mail Galen Institute P.O. Box 320010 Alexandria, vA 22320
phone 703-299-8900
web www.galen.org facebook.com/GalenInstitute twitter.com/GalenInstitute
email [email protected]
The Galen Institute is a non-profit, Section 501(c)(3) public policy research organization devoted to advancing ideas and policies that would create a vibrant, patient-centered health sector. It promotes public debate and education about proposals that support individual freedom, consumer choice, competition, and innovation in the health sector. It focuses on individual responsibility and control over health care and health insurance, lower costs through competition, and a strong safety net for vulnerable populations. Galen’s policies will promote continued medical innovation, advances in personalized medicine, and expanded access to health care and coverage in a 21st century Information Age economy.
february 6 NFIB/States briefs replying on mandate; NFIB/States/Government respond on Anti-Injunction Act
february 10 Government responds to states on Medicaid
feburary 13 Amici Supporting NFIB/States on mandate; Amici supporting NFIB/States/Government on Anti-Injunction Act
february 17 Court-appointed amicus on severability; Amici supporting Government on Medicaid; Amici supporting court-appointed amicus on severability (i.e., only mandate falls)
february 27 NFIB/States/Government reply on Anti-Injunction Act
march 7 Government replies on mandate
march 12 Court appointed amici arguing for Anti-Injunction Act reply; States reply on Medicaid
march 13 NFIB/States/Government reply on severability
march 26 Oral argument on whether Anti-Injunction Act applies
march 27 Oral argument on individual mandate
march 28 Oral arguments on severability and Medicaid
may 9 Galen Institute’s 4th Annual Innovations Conference in Washington, DC
June Supreme Court decision likely handed down
Looking Ahead in 2012
Important dates to keep in mind in the continuing battle against government-controlled health care
Stay tuned to our website at www.galen.org for a comprehensive look at the ongoing debate over ObamaCare and our solutions for patient-centered reform.