Jonathan Cohn

Why IPAB Is Essential — A Timely Review (Guest Opinion)

KFF Health News Original

Earlier in July, Jonathan Cohn followed the House Budget Committee’s hearings on the heatlh law’s Independent Payment Advisory Board. The experience inspired him to offer this reminder of what it is;, how it will work; and why it is essential to controlling Medicare costs.

Another Day In Court For The Individual Mandate (Guest Opinion)

KFF Health News Original

Could the health law be overturned on the basis of the requirement that nearly everyone obtain health insurance? Sure. But it would be one more sign that the courts are establishing new limits on federal power, rather than recognizing existing ones. That is not something conservative judges, in particular, say they like to do.

Not All Medicare Cuts Are Created Equal (Guest Opinion)

KFF Health News Original

An issue for voters — both in this week’s New York special election and in the run up to 2012 — has to do with the differences in the two parties’ visions for Medicare’s future. After all, Medicare cuts come in all different shapes and sizes.

The Ryan Plan: An Attempt To Reduce Health Care Spending, But At A High Cost

KFF Health News Original

The GOP vision for health care reform, as expressed by Rep. Paul Ryan, R- Wis., is to limit federal health care spending to levels far below what they are today, and then let individuals make the best of it. The federal health law not only offers a more realistic approach to controlling costs, but a more humane one.

Answering The Obama Budget Critics…

KFF Health News Original

For all of those people who are furious about President Obama’s budget, here’s an important question: Do you have a more fiscally responsible and politically viable alternative?

Is Richard Foster Right About Health Care Costs?

KFF Health News Original

In recent Capitol Hill testimony, Foster, the government’s chief Medicare actuary, raised doubts about the health law’s ability to hold down future health care costs. But there are reasons to question his assumptions.

The Avastin Decision: A Rational Decision Or Rationing?

KFF Health News Original

Sometimes the noisiest voices in the health overhaul debate don’t make a good faith effort to acknowledge important scientific or policy-oriented nuances in their arguments. It’s happening again in the wake of a controversial regulatory ruling about a cancer drug.