National Health Systems

Federal Genetic Profiling of Newborns?

The government wants every baby’s genetic code. Today the National Institutes of Health announced federal grants totaling $25 million over five years to four institutions to develop a process to sequence the genome – the DNA – of every child at birth.

CCHF Research Shows State Cancer, Vaccination Registries Are Actually Surveillance Systems

ST. PAUL, Minn.— For the past eight years, Citizens’ Council for Health Freedom has been researching health departments in all 50 states to find out how they use funding from the federal government to obtain and store citizens’ private medical information—in most cases, without patients’ consent.

Who is More Heartless?

Do you have a heart or a brain? You’ve heard it said, “If you’re not a liberal at twenty you have no heart. If you’re not a conservative at forty you have no brain.” Apparently a version of this statement was first uttered by a mid-nineteenth century French historian and statesman, François Guizot. I thought Winston Churchill said it, but even the Churchill Centre says there’s no record of such.

Obama's Rationing Plan Revealed in Lawsuit

A lawsuit has unexpectedly revealed Obama's rationing plans. The Administration says states can cut Medicaid payments to doctors and other providers to hold down costs. This is a breathtaking statement. President Obama's signature law, Obamacare, adds 16 million people to Medicaid. It offers states the "opportunity" to expand Medicaid at no cost for the first two years, and then offers to pay 90% of the cost in perpetuity of all individuals eligible under the expansion. The law also increases payment to primary care doctors for two years to encourage them to accept more Medicaid patients. 

The Big Blue Book

The Enroll UX 2014 Design Specifications Manual reviewed by and designed with three federal agencies (CMS, ONCHIT, CCIIO) for health insurance exchanges as discussed at the MN Health Insurance Exchange marketing workgroup, July 10, 2012.

Really, Mr. President?

Actions speak louder than words. Who was President Obama trying to convince otherwise in his inaugural speech? ... Obama quoted our founding documents. He attested their significance. He even mentioned "Republic" once. Three times he mentioned "founding" (founding creed, founding principles, founding documents). Five times he said, "We the people." And although he referenced Newtown, he never mentioned his 23 executive orders on guns, mental health or curtailing the Second Amendment. 

MN Health Insurance Exchange Realities

IRS Threatens Employers

The gloves are coming off. We're 11 months from full implementation and the real-world impact of Obamacare is hitting the newswires. Taco Bell and Wendy's just cut the hours of hundreds of employees to avoid the Obamacare employer health insurance mandate.

Intrusive HUB Explained in Medicaid FAQ

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services answered a few questions in a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) about how the intrusive centeralized ACA database -- the federal data services hub (HUB) -- will work. They include a comment that all states must use, connect to and share data with the HUB for Medicaid even if the state refuses to expand Medicaid under the ACA. 

Nevada's List of Questions on ACA and the HUB

Nevada's Silver State Health insurance Exchange sent a 26 page document of questions to HHS, including on the illusive FEDERAL DATA SERVICES HUB. In their introductory statement, they note, "The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) [Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight (CCIIO)] has issued multiple proposed, interim final and final regulations to implement the ACA. However, complete guidance has not yet been issued....Questions, concerns and confirmation requests are provided in bold text. The number of asterisks indicates the priority of the questions. Items with five asterisks need to be answered within a month so that Nevada can maintain the implementation deadline..." (Questions about the federal data services HUB begin on page 10)