Read @lawsonmansell.bsky.social in The Argument:
www.theargumentmag.com/p/rfk-jr-dr-...
Medicare reimburses hospitals more than freestanding clinics for the same routine procedures, so they acquire physician practices where patients could otherwise receive the same care at a lower cost.
Newly proposed rules attempt to address this.
Conrad 30 lets international physicians who train in the U.S. practice in underserved communities.
But last year, 330 of the program’s slots were unused. Congress should fix this.
Medicaid work requirements could cost the government - and taxpayers - a lot of money. Georgia found this out the hard way.
NEW: The House reconciliation bill finds healthcare savings in the wrong places.
Many Medicaid beneficiaries will unnecessarily lose coverage due to administrative burden and small, rural hospitals will be hit with higher uncompensated care costs as a result.
www.niskanencenter.org/house-reconc...
Families with private insurance can pay up to $10,000 for childbirth.
A new bill would eliminate those costs, raising annual premiums by just $30–$60.
It's a worthwhile tradeoff.
Bottom-line: This bill will shield parents from the financial uncertainty and high out-of-pocket costs associated with childbirth and allow parents to better plan for their future during a financially vulnerable time.
Read my full breakdown: www.niskanencenter.org/new-bipartis...
So how much would it cost to fully insulate parents from high childbirth out-of-pocket costs?
Based only on the avg OOP costs, the premium increase would be between 0.06 and 0.8%. Any rise in premiums would likely be smaller than the typical annual inflation in premiums (6-7%).
Medicaid already covers the full cost of childbirth for those enrolled, but parents on commercial insurance can expect to spend around $3K. For those on HDHPs or those who hit their deductible/OOP max in both years during pregnancy, out-of-pocket expenses could reach $5-10K.
How does it work? The Supporting Healthy Moms and Babies Act would designate prenatal, birth, and postpartum care as essential health benefits (EHBs) and eliminates cost-sharing from these services.
NEW: A bipartisan group of senators just released a bill to make childbirth effectively free for those on commercial insurance.
I modeled the impact on premiums, finding a likely modest increase - a worthwhile tradeoff to insulate parents from high and unpredictable costs. (🧵)
You're invited! Join Monica Popp, Maya MacGuineas, Brian Miller, and I at the Capitol Visitor Center on May 15th at 2pm to discuss healthcare win-wins.
We'll be diving into the federal budget and where we can find healthcare savings that also benefit patients.
RSVP here! t.co/S9u96x7jHQ
Will Raderman and @lawsonmansell.bsky.social have done a ton of research on why this is the case and how to fix it.
Dive in here: www.niskanencenter.org/stuck-in-the...
Today, we talked about a powerful solution to America’s physician shortage: removing unnecessary barriers to practice for internationally trained physicians.
Thanks to our panelists and everyone who came out!
In addition to better transparency (and adequate coverage), I'd argue the underlying supply needs to be improved as well. @lawsonmansell.bsky.social has written on this extensively and argues this is fundamental to other improvements: www.niskanencenter.org/healthcare-a...
If we want healthcare abundance, we need better pathways to allow internationally trained physicians to practice in the US, say @lawsonmansell.bsky.social and Cecilia Esterline of @niskanencenter.bsky.social Despite some progress more reforms are needed. www.niskanencenter.org/unlocking-po...
Fact check: Social Security has been under a hiring freeze & had overtime restrictions for months.
This isn't DOGE saving money. It's Congress not being able to pass a budget. And it accounts for over 2/3 of the "savings" the acting commissioner claimed today.
www.govexec.com/management/2...
Nearly 40% of the state’s physicians practice in the greater Boston area.
And yet, Bostonians have to wait 40+ days to see a primary care physician.
We whole-heartedly applaud this new licensing pathway.
NEW: Earlier this year, Massachusetts became the 9th state to create an alternative, permanent licensing pathway for internationally-trained physicians.
Eric Lu explains how this innovative approach will address the primary care physician shortage: www.niskanencenter.org/massachusett...
Brutal top of this story on Georgia’s Medicaid program with work requirements:
www.propublica.org/article/geor...
Addressing the physician shortage will require state efforts like Washington's SB 5185, where qualified international medical graduates can earn full licensure without getting caught in the residency bottleneck.
You can read my testimony from Friday here: www.niskanencenter.org/testimony-cr...
🚨 Today, @lawsonmansell.bsky.social is testifying before the WA Senate Health & Long-Term Care Committee in support of SB 5185.
This bill would create a full license pathway for international medical graduates (IMGs).
Anything to address America's doctor crisis is a step forward.
But instead of one-off increases, Congress should fully modernize how we fund physician training to match supply with demand.
Addressing the root causes of poor distribution of residency slots will require broader, structural changes to Medicare's GME funding, including consolidating funding streams and allowing for better flexibility:
www.niskanencenter.org/evaluating-a...
NEW: A group of Senators have offered fixes to how Medicare funds residencies, including 5,000 additional slots.
The proposal is an important step to address the doctor shortage, but more structural reforms are needed.
From Jared Rhoads and I for @niskanencenter.bsky.social:
Science-based discussion about potential implications of cutting #Medicaid from the @tradeoffs.org team. Evidence suggests physical health may not be impacted but financial and mental health ⬇️.
Might reduce overspending
⬇️ #healthcare costs. Excellent reporting. pca.st/episode/3c93... #healthpolicy
"Medicare pays more for services provided in outpatient centers at hospitals than the very same services provided by physicians. As the Niskanen Center's Lawson Mansell has written, switching to so-called “site-neutral” payments could save $126.8B over [10 years]." www.deseret.com/opinion/2025...
Outdated policies limiting the number of doctors the U.S. can produce threaten the lives of Americans - especially rural Americans.
