Today's Opinions: Medicare fixes, health care lawsuits, reporting repeals

Medicare Needs A Solution, Not Another Fix The (Jacksonville) Florida Times-Union
And in this political climate, the $210 billion price tag [to fix the physician payment system] will probably prevent a permanent solution this year. However, a longer term, interim fix and a primary care payment differential would be steps in the right direction (Dennis Mayeaux and Lori Parham, 9/13).

The Health Law's Massive Medicare Advantage Cuts The Daily Caller
When these cuts are imposed, MA plans will have no choice but to scale back their offerings to seniors to avoid insolvency. That will mean higher premiums, increases in deductibles and co-payments, and elimination of coverage for things like preventive services not covered by Medicare and vision and dental care (Robert Brook and James Capretta, 9/13).

Why I'm Suing To Get Back My Freedom The Christian Science Monitor
I see my lawsuit as a battle for my liberty - my freedom to live out my life to the fullest without costly, one-size-fits-all dictates from the government. I am fighting the command-and-control health-care plan in order to safeguard the health of our Constitution and the freedoms it protects for me and for all Americans (Matt Sissel, 9/13).

Health Care Suit Tests Basic Principles AOL News
Congress had no scruples in passing a bill whose constitutional basis was paper thin. President Barack Obama was proud to sign it. Now only the federal courts stand between our burgeoning federal government and the Constitution's model of limited government (Carrie Severino, 9/14).

Suits Could Be Stake In Heart Of Obamacare The Orange County Register
Its massive reshaping of health care promised lower costs and more services and coverage. But it will have virtually the opposite effect. Private industry already is feeling government's heavy hand (9/13).

Repeal The 1099 Reporting Mandate Roll Call
The 1099 reporting mandate included in the bill — which changes the tax filing rules for business transactions with government, nonprofits and businesses of any size — creates both mountains of new paperwork and a slew of unintended consequences (R. Bruce Josten, 9/13).

Why A Public Option Was Needed The Des Moines Register
Congress should either pass legislation that would give the federal government power to reject rate increases — something now left to the states — or go back and create a public option for insurance (9/14).

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This article was reprinted from khn.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.