Viewpoints: Concerns About Medicaid Successes; Raiding Medicare
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Los Angeles Times:
State Governments Lament That Citizens Are Actually Getting Health Coverage
One of the more bizarre spectacles of U.S. government in the modern age is the sight of political leaders complaining that a public program is actually working. On Monday, Politico delivered a striking case in point. The subject was Obamacare, or more specifically the expansion of Medicaid through which millions of low-income families receive health coverage. According to author Rachana Pradhan, in many states that expanded Medicaid and even some that rejected expansion under the Affordable Care Act, enrollment has significantly exceeded projections. To some political leaders, for some reason, this is supposed to be a bad thing. (Michael Hiltzik, 5/18)
Los Angeles Times:
Congress Plots To Pay For A Trade Deal By Raiding Medicare
Medicare means many things to many people. To seniors, it's a program providing good, low-cost healthcare at a stage in life when it's most needed. To Congress, it's beginning to look more like a piggy bank to be raided. (Michael Hiltzik, 5/18)
MinnPost:
Has The Overprescribing Of Antipyschotics Become The New Normal?
Despite serious safety and effectiveness concerns, the nonpsychotic use of these [atypical antipsychotics] drugs — which include aripiprazole (Abilify), quetiapine (Seroquel) and olanzapine (Zyprexa) — has soared over the past decade. (Susan Perry, 5/18)