Health Train Analytics

No degree of dullness can safeguard a work against the determination of critics to find it fascinating.
  - Harold Rosenberg

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This is my preface for today's stories

It's the end of 2008, and between nodding off and consuming egg nog there are some interesting blog writings, analyses, and reports emanating from various congressional reports, foundations, and health care think tanks.

If you are a pessimist the tanks are half empty or even empty, if you are an optimist the tank is half full.  If you are like most people, the 'tank' is meaningless and does not apply to the real world.

There is a certain amount of common sense that is lacking in many things we now have to deal with in our daily lives.

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Robert Laszewski in THCB writes about two reports from the CBO detailing the options for reform of health care policy.

Caution, this is over a 600 page report, all written by Peter Orszag, Director of the CBO.

Mr Orszag is President-elect Obama's nominee for Director of the Office of Management and Budget.

Key Issues in Analyzing Major Health Insurance Proposals

Budget Options for Health Care (Volume 1)

Federal Perspective on Health Care Policy and Costs

Abbreviated summaries of the articles are here.

Key Issues

Budget Options, Volume 1

• Robert Laszewski opines, "After reading these two reports, totaling more than 400 pages of some of the most valuable health policy analysis I have ever seen, I now know that I had no reason to worry that the CBO would just tell the politicians what they wanted to hear."
• "It is also clear that, whoever the Congressional Democratic leadership appoints to succeed Orszag, a marker is down. The CBO is on the record about what the likely reform options will cost before anyone had a chance to bring political pressure to bear. And, that just might have been intentional."
• "The work contains an inventory of about all of the health care reform options being discussed complete with a thorough cost/benefit analysis detailing their impact on federal spending."

More details are forthcoming for the reader at The Health Care Blog, 

NAIVE POLICY MAKERS NEED NOT APPLY

 

I agree with Docanon that this is the best article on the subject I have read thus far.  Kudos to Mr. Laszewski......and to Peter Orszag.

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