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Archive: Robert F. Graboyes
Not Lucy Ricardo, but not Godot
The quality of the reform is far more important than the date of enactment. At the same time, that doesn't mean it's OK to kick back and relax for another 15 to 20 years.
By Robert F. Graboyes | November 18, 2009; 03:21 PM ET | Comments (0)
Start with a smaller burger
What can be done to improve the health of the nation immediately? Meaning the next year or two or three? Three points: (1) Individuals can do many things to improve health in a short time-span; (2) Government has very few...
By Robert F. Graboyes | November 3, 2009; 06:06 PM ET | Comments (1)
Not enough, and yet too much
All the bills currently under consideration need to focus more heavily on containing costs and restraining spending growth. Unfortunately, some of the bills would do the exact opposite, piling on new costs and pushing them upwards for years to come....
By Robert F. Graboyes | October 29, 2009; 06:19 PM ET | Comments (0)
Westminster health-care show
"Best health-care system" is like "best in show" at the Westminster Kennel Club. In the end, who cares if the judges cite 57 reasons for choosing the Chihuahua over the Siberian Husky? For that matter, maybe the winner should be a mutt. So it is with health-care systems.
By Robert F. Graboyes | October 22, 2009; 12:07 PM ET | Comments (8)
NFIB's Take
NFIB appreciates the many provisions in this package that reflect small businesses' needs, which are rooted in approaches that aim to lower cost, increase coverage options and provide real competition in the private marketplace.
By Robert F. Graboyes | October 14, 2009; 10:57 AM ET | Comments (0)
Killer Tax on Low-Income Workers? No!
It does nothing for the unemployed, self-employed or early retirees. It harms small and vulnerable firms, ultimately costing the economy jobs and revenue
By Robert F. Graboyes | October 7, 2009; 03:02 PM ET | Comments (0)
Malpractice Matters. We Can Do Better.
Generally, neither jurors nor judges are medical experts, so there's wide variation in the quality of rulings. Lawyers receive contingency pay, so bigger settlements mean bigger income. There's no penalty for filing frivolous lawsuits. Together, these factors generate strong incentives for plaintiffs to bring suit and for innocent defendants to pay settlements to avoid litigation and increased risk.
By Robert F. Graboyes | September 17, 2009; 03:49 PM ET | Comments (1)
Umpire or Play Ball, Not Both
Our biggest public plan is Medicare and its rigid, wasteful, antiquated reimbursement structure rewards doctors for poking, prodding, cutting and slicing, but not for getting patients healthy or keeping them that way.
By Robert F. Graboyes | August 7, 2009; 11:10 AM ET | Comments (3)
Amending Marshal Lyautey
Reform is not a slam-bang, do-it-today, enjoy-it-tomorrow proposition. Small business needs relief in the short-term and the long-term. They need health-care costs to rise more slowly, and eventually decline, while preserving and improving quality of care. They need quality insurance at a price they can afford. Congress can't accomplish that with 1,000 or more pages of detailed prescriptions. A successful bill has to give consumers, providers, and firms sufficient flexibility to discover new ways to deliver quality care and coverage. The present House bill does exactly the opposite.
By Robert F. Graboyes | July 29, 2009; 11:42 AM ET | Comments (0)
Rein Costs In or They'll Rein Us In
For small business, where problems are most immediate and acute, reform requires better insurance markets and delivery systems.
By Robert F. Graboyes | July 24, 2009; 01:33 PM ET | Comments (6)
Only If You Like Killing Jobs
This bill effectively tells small business owners, "Slow down. Don't grow. Don't create so many jobs."
By Robert F. Graboyes | July 16, 2009; 12:38 PM ET | Comments (7)
Innovation, Timeliness, Choice, Quality
Ask a small business owner what works in the health-care system, and his answer is likely to be "not too much." But American health care has some truly admirable features, including medical innovation and freedom to choose providers, and we don't want to jeopardize them as we pursue reform.
By Robert F. Graboyes | July 2, 2009; 11:26 AM ET | Comments (4)
Message to Obama from Small Businesses
People become small-business owners in part so they can make their own decisions and control their own destinies. Health insurance frustrates small business owners because it's the one cost they have virtually no power to control.
By Robert F. Graboyes | June 16, 2009; 05:59 PM ET | Comments (1)
