As Republican leaders in Congress prepare to negotiate over the federal budget with their Democratic counterparts in the aftermath of the election, it’s time for everyone to face a hard truth — we must end Medicare as we know it.

The entitlement is bleeding to death. Without major changes, it won’t be around for the next generation of seniors.

Medicare covers approximately 50 million seniors today. But the mass retirement of the Baby Boom generation is just beginning, and skyrocketing healthcare costs have made the program’s finances unsustainable. Read More»

All eyes have been on voting day, Nov. 6. But ten days later may prove to be the true make-or-break moment of President Obama’s political career — regardless of the election result.

Nov. 16 is the deadline for states to submit a blueprint to the federal government for Obamacare’s insurance exchanges — a key component of the new healthcare law.

Already, the exchange system is proving to be an unmitigated disaster. Read More»

A federal judge recently ruled President Obama’s healthcare law unconstitutional. The U.S. Supreme Court will no doubt have to settle the matter, but several of the reform package’s most damaging provisions have already taken root.

For starters, the new law effectively stops the construction of physician-owned hospitals throughout the country — even as it extends government-subsidized insurance coverage to tens of millions of new patients. Read More»

The new healthcare law gives the federal government unprecedented control over medical decisions. And one bureaucrat in particular looks to be leading the crusade for more public power: Dr. Donald Berwick, the new director of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

CMS may be obscure. But it wields enormous influence over the availability of treatments. If CMS decides a treatment isn’t worth its price, public insurance programs like Medicare and Medicaid will stop covering it, and patients will lose access to the treatment. Read More»

“If you like your healthcare plan,” pledged President Obama, “you will be able to keep your healthcare plan.”

As the president barnstormed in favor of his health overhaul, that promise was a constant, appearing in speeches, media appearances, and all the administration’s literature. It was a lie.

Earlier this summer, the White House fessed up. By 2013, according to the administration, eight in 10 employer-sponsored health insurance plans could be gone. Read More»