Tag Archives: Insights

Room for Improvement & Room for None: Jimmo Ruling Directs Medicare Agency to Improve Its Educational Campaign Regarding the “Maintenance Coverage Standard”

JOSHUA GUTTER—As reported by the Center for Medicare Advocacy, “in an Opinion and Order released on August 18, 2016, Chief Judge Christina Reiss, who oversees the ‘Improvement Standard’ case (Jimmo v. Burwell, No. 11-cv-17 (D.Vt.)), ordered the federal government, through its Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), to comply with the Settlement Agreement that she had […]

When Five Become Three – The Antitrust Issues Posed by Two Big Insurance Company Mergers

HALEY WEISS—The Department of Justice (DOJ), joined by several states, is suing to block two mergers of four insurance companies—Aetna’s proposed $54 billion acquisition of Humana and Anthem’s proposed $37 billion acquisition of Cigna. These mergers would bring the number of major health insurance companies in the market from five to three. The DOJ is […]

I’ll Show You Mine If You Show Me Yours: Tax Returns vs. Medical Records

ZACHARY SMITH—“Where are your tax returns, Donald?” “Well, where are your medical records, Hillary?” If you ask me, these questions seem petty, but maybe I’m in the minority. Either way, this begs the question—how did we get to the point where we care more about speculating the severity of a cough or how much is given […]

Zika Spraying: When the Solution May End Up Becoming the Problem

LAUREN SWANSON—First it was Swine Flu. Then Ebola. Now Zika. Americans are not new to media creating substantially more fear than necessary when it comes to global health scares. Due to these scare tactics, Americans are usually ready to accept any protective measures to protect themselves. However, this time, instead of embracing the state’s efforts […]

Ban-the-Box to Ban-the-Résumé

LAUREN VAN BUREN—As an initial effort to help ex-offenders integrate into the workforce, the “Ban the Box” campaign emerged with the goal of removing from the job application the “check box” that asks if applicants have ever been convicted of a crime. Many activists believed this would increase diversity in the workforce by reducing the […]