On February 22, President Obama suggested the federal government should be able to regulate health insurance premiums. Michael Tanner of the Cato Institute claims that idea is hardly new, and hardly primed for success:

In 301 AD, the Roman emperor Diocletian imposed price controls on most commodities and professions in the empire. The penalty for raising prices was death. Yet the controls failed utterly, leading to shortages, more inflation and the near collapse of the imperial economy.

Now, nearly two millennia later, President Obama seems determined to demonstrate how little we’ve learned.

Yesterday, the president proposed giving the federal government the power to regulate insurance premiums. Undoubtedly, this will be politically popular — at least, in the short term. Insurance companies aren’t exactly America’s most loveable industry. Recent premium hikes will result in real hardship for many Americans.

There is, of course, a certain arrogance in the assumption that Obama, Nancy Pelosi and a bevy of government bureaucrats know exactly what something should cost. No doubt, as soon as they finish setting insurance prices, they’ll move on to negotiating Tracy McGrady’s contract renewal…

Insurers unable to charge more for an increasingly expensive product can be expected to trim costs in one of two ways:

• They can drop their most expensive customers — in this case, the sickest, who consume the most health care. Many companies are already doing this, a major source of dissatisfaction with the health-care system. In fact, the president wants to prohibit companies from doing this.

• They can cut back on their reimbursement rates to hospitals and physicians. But neither doctors nor hospitals, any more than insurance companies, are willing to operate at a loss. If payments fall below their costs, they’ll simply stop taking patients. One only has to look at government programs like Medicare and Medicaid to see how this works.

   

This health care situation is regretably complex. How do you think we should improve health care costs for Americans?

Indiana’s life sciences and health care technology companies are among those that may be eligible for recognition at the upcoming Mira Awards, presented by TechPoint:

TechPoint, the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership’s technology and entrepreneurship initiative, is now accepting nominations for its 2010 Mira Awards.

The annual Mira Awards put a well-deserved spotlight on the state’s most successful technology-driven companies, in industries like information technology, advanced manufacturing, the life sciences, and logistics. Mira Awards are also presented in categories like health care technology, new media innovation and corporate IT (recognizing the achievements of the internal technology departments of our leading companies). 

Mira is the largest and most prominent awards program of its kind in Indiana; finalists and winners receive significant publicity and valuable exposure to the high-tech and business communities at large.  Visit http://techpoint.org/Mira/ for more information – nominations are due March 8.

OK, we realize it’s February and the end of December/beginning of January were the times for the "top 10" lists for the past year or decade. But in looking at Indiana Chamber advocacy efforts, we couldn’t resist putting together some of the top issues in which we’ve been fighting the good fight for the business community. We didn’t rank them; that would be a really tough job.

I, and quite a few others on the Chamber team, have been here throughout (not the 1922 official start of the organization) — dating back to the 2002 tax restructuring and including key victories in economic development, education, tax, local government and more. The one-pager can be found here; but first a few observations.

• 2005 was simply a big year. Daylight Savings Time became a reality after only more than a few decades of trying, a series of important education policies were enacted and a variety of tax credits were expanded
• The most underrated item on the list, in my view, has a 2005 connection as well. The creation of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation took place in 2003 with a scheduled implementation in July 2005. Gov. Mitch Daniels, however, made the transition priority one upon taking office that January and the IEDC was off and running on a record-setting period of private sector investment and job creation
• A 2008 entry, removal of township assessors, MUST be complemented by additional local government reform measures. Whether it’s this year, in 2011 or through other measures, it’s time has more than come for taxpayers, local residents and all involved

Advocacy, of course, is just one way the Chamber works for its nearly 5,000 members and 800,000 employees of those Hoosier companies. But it’s a big one, making a difference each and every day.

According to a recently e-mailed article from Congressional Quarterly, GOP leadership is currently pondering a resurrection of the 1994 Contract With America. It appears as though Republicans are looking to define themselves as the 2010 election approaches, and they’re hoping for a mid-term coup following Democratic successes in recent years. Spearheaded by Newt Gingrich & Co., the 1994 version offered specific ideas on how a Republican Congress would govern by lowering taxes, reducing government, promoting entrepreneurship and implementing tort and welfare reforms. CQ writes:

Minority Leader Boehner told the Republican Conference this morning that the idea would be patterned after the original 1994 Contract with America that is widely credited with helping the GOP win majority status for the first time in 40 years.

According to officials who heard this morning’s presentation, Boehner conceded to rank-and-file Republicans during the closed-door meeting that there is a need to define "what we’re for," in addition to opposing President Obama’s agenda.

Boehner pointed to several Republican alternatives to healthcare reform legislation being devised by congressional Democrats as a good example of what could go into such a document. According to an aide, Boehner said:

"The bottom line is, I believe we can beat this bill. The American people are with us."

Whether this document ends up actually being called a "contract" or an agenda, or something else, Boehner is described as saying that its development and promotion should involve House Republicans who are seeking re-election and candidates recruited to run for other House seats.

The urgency to pass health care reform legislation is officially gone. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she "did not want to hurry a decision" and Sen. Christopher Dodd suggests Democrats "take a month to think about a path forward." This from the same people who imposed deadline after deadline throughout the past year. Credit a clear message from the voters in Massachusetts and rapidly declining poll numbers for the change in course.

The House, in fact, appears unsure where to turn next — at least as far as official business is concerned. The schedule for this week: day off today, legislative business starting at 2 p.m. Tuesday, an early end Wednesday in preparation for that night’s State of the Union speech, and no votes on Thursday or Friday. Expect to hear, from the White House and leaders in Congress, more about jobs, jobs and jobs.

But remember. Just about everything talked about, debated and eventually voted upon in 2010 will be done so with an eye toward the November election. To me, that’s a shame but a reality that no one seems willing to confront.

A message from the Indiana State Health Commissioner:

Dear Employers:

The production of the 2009 H1N1 flu vaccine has reached a peak and we now have plenty of vaccine available for Indiana. Employers can play a vital role in preventing the spread of the H1N1 flu by encouraging employees to get vaccinated and to practice the three C’s:

• Clean your hands
• Cover your cough/sneeze
• Contain germs by staying home when sick  

And, if you are a larger employer with the capacity to give out the vaccine to your employees, the Indiana State Department of Health can have the H1N1 flu vaccine shipped directly to you.  The vaccine and supplies are free. 

Just complete the provider agreement and fax it to the Indiana State Department of Health at (317) 233-8827.  Once we receive your provider agreement, we can send you an order form and have the vaccine directly shipped to you. The minimum order is 100 doses.  We do require that vaccinations are documented into the Children and Hoosiers Immunization Registry Program (CHIRP), our Internet-based, statewide vaccine registry.

If you have questions, please contact Angie Cierzniewski at (317) 234-3072.

Judy Monroe, MD
State Health Commissioner

Allied Physicians Surgery Center (an Indiana Chamber member in South Bend) is currently celebrating a couple of major landmarks. The physician-owned, multi-specialty ambulatory surgery center celebrated its 100,000th case last month, and will reach its 10th anniversary this Valentine’s Day.

"Reaching 100,000 cases in less than 10 years is pretty remarkable," explains Controller Thomasine Harrison. "We’ve actually reached over 12,000 cases in a year before."

She adds that while the economy has impacted the business to a degree, its challenges haven’t been as notable as those in other industries.

"The economy has impacted us a bit in recent years, although not as badly as some," Harrison says. "But because we’re close to Elkhart, we’ve seen our worker’s compensation cases go down."

Lagging economy notwithstanding, the past and future of Allied Physicians Surgery Center remains quite bright.

"When we first started, we had a smaller physician base, and we’ve added specialties over the years (including ophthalmology and facial plastic surgery)," explains Clinical Director Chuck Strasser. "Now we’re really helping the community as far as access, and we offer a cost-effective, safe environment."

Founded in 2000, the company has grown to host 90 employees and features a very low turnover ratio.

"I think we have a very happy staff," Strasser contends. "One nice thing we do is offer a productivity bonus each year based on our success, so people like that."

It seems that treating its staff well directly correlates to happy workers and customers.

"Doctors like to do their cases here because they can get on our schedule easily and our staff is well-trained," Harrison notes. "We average 99-100% satisfaction rating from our patients. They say our people genuinely care about their well-being."

The company also has an ardor for community service, taking part in programs with the United Way, Logan Center and the local fire department.

Allied Physicians is a member of the Indiana Federation of Ambulatory Surgery Centers and is accredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care. If you require an elective surgery and want more information, contact Allied Physicians at (574) 243-9700.