Massachusetts Health Costs Rising, Free Contraceptives, and Are Antioxidant Benefits a Myth?
Bad news from Massachusetts: Health costs are rising, emergency room use is rising, and plans to reform the reform are on hold. (HT to The Incidental Economist)
The onslaught begins: Free contraceptives may be required in mandated benefit package.
Is chocolate a mood food? Apparently.
European regulators: There is no evidence of any beneficial health effects from antioxidants. OK, but is that a reason to bar the word “antioxidant” from labels as prima facie health claims?
As I recall, a month’s supply of generic birth control is about $10. It will be better when all of these new-generation methods become generic. But, in either case, insurance plans shouldn’t be forced to pay the cost of bc. There’s another method of preventing pregnancy that’s free (although it’s not quite as popular).
This is just the beginning. Lobbyist for special interest will descend on Washington to demand all manner of benefits, providers and therapies be included in the mandated “essential” benefit package as no cost.
The “free” contraceptives article mentioned that a PriceWaterhouseCoopers study estimates that providing preventive family planning services would be about $40 per member annually.
Adam Sonfield, a senior public policy associate at the Guttmacher Institute, strikes gold when he says: The amount of money they’re talking about is minuscule compared to overall premium costs.
I have several questions for Mr. Sonfield: Is the cost of mandated mental health services or drug rehab plans minuscule? What about acupuncture treatments and sexual reassignment surgery? How do you think the cost of the typical family policy reached $13,000 a year? All of these mandates add up, Mr. Sonfield. So at what point do we decide that there is only so much the state can and should pay regarding the citizen’s health?
I see we are getting off to a ominous start on the benefit package. Free contrceptives? Before we are through, the cost of a family plan is not going to be $15,000. It will be more like $25,000
I agree with Ken. I think there is no limit to what people will want so long as they think someone else is paying the bill.
Is anyone surprised by what is coming out of Massachusetts? I’m not.
Perhaps we can pay for the free contraceptives by imposing a tax on new babies.