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Health Care
Richest soon may assume larger share of tax burden: BULLS & BEARS
July 16, 2007
Ken SkarbeckThe rise in property taxes and a doubling of the Marion County income tax have residents steaming. Yet as IBJ columnist Ron
Gifford noted in his column last week, you can argue about which taxes legislators should increase-whether on property, income
or sales-but the fact is that governments need more revenue, and, therefore, a variety of taxes are rising. Paying tax is
not the most pleasant of human endeavors. However, in a capitalistic society, taxes are necessary and, when applied...
MorePhysician assistants taking on larger role: New law allowing prescribing power makes profession more appealing
July 16, 2007
Scott OlsonIndiana's physician assistants received a collective shot in the arm earlier this month when their authority to prescribe
medicine to patients became effective. The profession had long lobbied lawmakers for the right before the Legislature relented
with the passage of House Bill 1241 this year. July 1 officially marked the milestone in which Indiana became the last state
in the nation to grant prescribing powers to physician assistants. "It's the right thing to do," said Dr. John Lucich, director
of...
MoreWEDJ one year later: Ratings more than double: Revenue growth pushes Hispanic station toward record
July 9, 2007
Anthony SchoettleAfter years languishing as a ratings bottom feeder, WEDJ-FM 107.1 is quickly moving up the radio charts with its Hispanic
format and is positioned to crack the market's top 10 stations. Since local radio veteran Russ Dodge was hired as general
manager in late April 2006, WEDJ's rating for area listeners 12 and older has more than doubled, from 1.0 to 2.1, according
to New York-based Arbitron Co. WEDJ's morning show is ranked No. 3 with listeners ages 18 to...
MoreCity steps up effort to help immigrants: Mayor's wife spearheading program to better acclimate newcomers
July 2, 2007
Scott OlsonThe burgeoning number of immigrants arriving in Indianapolis have a new source available to help them navigate unfamiliar
surroundings and the kaleidoscope of social support systems available. The Immigrant Welcome Center is a program launched
in October that uses volunteers dubbed "natural helpers" to link foreign newcomers to such basic needs as health care, government
and transportation services. Although the effort is nearly 9 months old, it's just now getting up to speed as organizers are
interviewing candidates to lead...
MoreUnion targets IPL over efficiency, customer programs: Is workers' group taking on utility advocacy role?
July 2, 2007
Chris O\'malleyA union that's aggressively sought to organize the city's janitors unsuccessfully tried to intervene in an Indianapolis Power
& Light case before state utility regulators. IPL's lawyers mopped the floor with the tenacious union-this time, anyway. The
Service Employees International Union Local 3 wants IPL to expand its energy-efficiency and low-income customer assistance
program, arguing that IPL and other utilities need to do more to help lower-income workers afford service. Attorneys who argue
before the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission said...
MoreECONOMIC ANALYSIS: Long spoiled by low rates, nation now faces increase
July 2, 2007
Patrick BarkeyIt wasn't long ago that writing an economic analysis column meant-surprise-that you analyzed the ups and downs of the economy.
And if you came of age in the 1960s and '70s, there were plenty of ups and downs to keep track of. Volatility in just about
everything was higher then, with strikes, inflation and more frequent recessions the order of the day. And even though that
environment has changed remarkably since the mid-'80s, the habit of peering at the data...
MoreBULLS & BEARS: Answers to tax questions are sometimes surprising
July 2, 2007
Ken SkarbeckTaxes are always a consideration in investment decisionmaking. Investors need to be vigilant to changes in the tax code, because
from year to year there may be changes that can affect the choices they make. And while there are some broad tax generalities,
an individual's tax profile is specific to that person. Navigating the tax code can be daunting. Yet with some tedious reading
and a strong dose of common sense, investors can arrive at rational decisions. I have found...
MoreAs barriers drop, even small firms go global: Local company pushed its blood monitor worldwide
June 25, 2007
J.K. WallHere's one way to send your company's revenue through the roof: Push your product into 70 countries around the world. That's
easier said than done, of course. But it's exactly the path Polymer Technology Systems Inc. took to help quadruple sales of
its cholesterol-checking device in the last three years. How Indianapolis-based PTS pulled off the feat shows how even small
companies in Middle America can become global enterprises in today's economy. In fact, the possibility of worldwide expansion
is...
MoreReaching the Pinnacle: Local women forge a path to the top in health care management
June 11, 2007
Julie VincentLocal women forge a path to the top in health care management Health care is the second-fastest-growing sector of the U.S.
economy, employing more than 12 million workers, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Women
make up nearly 80 percent of the health care work force, and increasingly they're moving into the executive ranks. Locally,
St. Vincent Indianapolis Hospital, Riley Hospital for Children and Noblesville's Riverview Hospital all have women at the
helm. And women hold top...
MoreVIEWPOINT: What you eat hits your bottom line
May 28, 2007
Wendell FowlerFor most companies, medical costs eat up half or more of corporate profits. Employees in poor health hurt the bottom line
through sick days and productivity losses from chronic disease, including diabetes, obesity, cancer and heart diseases. But
on a hopeful note, corporate wellness programs often show a high return on investment. Du Pont saw that each dollar invested
in workplace health promotion yielded $1.42 over two years in lower absenteeism costs. The Travelers Corp. claimed a $3.40
return for...
MoreNew WellPoint plan makes wellness push: Program lets members join fitness clubs-for free
May 28, 2007
Scott OlsonWant to join a gym but don't feel like splurging for the membership? No problem, if your company is one of a handful to offer
a new wellness product that lets employees exercise at no charge. Called InTune, the program from Indianapolis-based insurance
giant WellPoint Inc. is loaded with an array of services not unlike existing wellness offerings. Online and in-person coaching,
diet advisers and holistic practitioners are among the benefits, for instance. But it's the free gym membership that...
MoreLaw lets small employers band together for insurance: Experts disagree on whether associations will take off
May 28, 2007
Scott OlsonThe Healthy Indiana Plan, which enacts a system to bring affordable health insurance to low-income Hoosiers, is one of the
most far-reaching pieces of legislation to arise from the General Assembly this spring. The noble cause could provide coverage
to about 15 percent of the state's population. Yet it could affect the small-business community as much as the state's growing
number of uninsured. House Bill 1678, introduced by State Rep. Charlie Brown, D-Gary, and signed by Gov. Mitch Daniels May...
MoreVOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY: Infrastructure is costly to improve, but costlier to ignore
May 21, 2007
Don AltemeyerA recent article in Strategy+business magazine estimated that "the world's urban infrastructure needs a $41 trillion makeover"
between now and 2030. The article explained that $41 trillion is roughly equivalent to the "2006 market capitalization of
all shares held in all stock markets in the world." Some experts think that "new technology" will be the answer, and it may
be when nanotechnology takes over the world. For now, however, the trend usually reinforces the trend, and we do the same...
MoreECONOMIC ANALYSIS: Employers hope to save by promoting healthy living
May 14, 2007
Patrick Barkey"Mandates are a form of love," a state legislator once said, explaining a vote that added requirements to privately funded
health insurance programs statewide. And our governments evidently love all of us-businesses, individuals, and even other
governments-very much. Our legislatures tell us the lowest wage we can pay our workers, the questions we can and cannot ask
during job interviews, and how many gallons of water we use to flush our toilets. To the admittedly narrow-minded thinking
of an economist,...
MoreSTATEHOUSE DISPATCH: Gambling quenched lawmakers' appetite for new revenue
May 7, 2007
Ed FeigenbaumThe 2007 session of the Indiana General Assembly is now history. Whatever else might have been involved in shaping its outcome,
nothing was so determinative as the revelation in the closing days that property taxes-driven by the first application of
trending, rising property values in general, the elimination of the inventory tax, and some old-fashioned political legerdemain
on the part of some assessors in different regions of the state-were expected to rise an average of 24 percent for taxes payable...
MoreECONOMIC ANALYSIS: Does growth in health care drive our state's economy?
April 30, 2007
Patrick BarkeyIndiana households, businesses and governments spent more than $33 billion on health care products and services in 2004. We
don't have current data yet, but you can be sure the amount is higher today. That's because growth in health care expenditures
in the state has averaged a whopping 8.6 percent per year since 1980. In 2004, spending on hospital care, physician services,
prescription drugs, nursing homes, and every other kind of health care product or service gobbled up 14.4 percent...
MoreNew strategies help some salons survive: Traditionalists say booth rental will remain the norm
April 30, 2007
Jennifer WhitsonAmericans spend billions every year on professional primping and pampering, but independent salons still are among the riskiest
of small-business ventures-with a failure rate second only to restaurants. Hoping to buck that trend, some salon owners are
trying different business models, breaking away from traditional booth-space rentals and engaging stylists as employees with
a stake in the shop's success. Large chains like Great Clips broke the mold decades ago, paying employees an hourly wage to
cut patrons' hair. Now local...
MoreDisease management proves less of a success: Indiana Medicaid quietly cuts savings estimate
April 23, 2007
J.K. WallIn October 2005, Indiana's Medicaid program touted that it could save the state $29 million a year through disease management,
a program aimed at reducing the medical costs of patients with chronic illnesses. But now, those estimated savings quietly
have been slashed more than 75 percent. And one critic of Indiana's program says it is likely achieving even less in savings.
The debate over the effectiveness of the Indiana Chronic Disease Management Program comes as the state moves to triple...
MoreECONOMIC ANALYSIS: State's growth in incomes is still lagging the nation's
April 23, 2007
Patrick BarkeyIt was 1980 when then-presidential candidate Ronald Reagan asked audiences whether they were better off than four years earlier.
It was smart politics-1980 was a recession year. But politics aside, it's always a relevant question. For if the economy is
not growing the pie that we all share, then those who manage it, not to mention those in political leadership roles, have
cause for concern. But how do we answer such a question? With the due date for tax filings...
MoreDOING GOOD: LINDSAY CORNELIUS: MBA student emerging as philanthropic leader
April 23, 2007
Judith CebulaDOING GOOD LINDSAY CORNELIUS MBA student emerging as philanthropic leader To hear Lindsay Cornelius tell it, Indianapolis
is the best place to live: It's a growing city, with terrific new restaurants, fabulous art galleries, great parks, excellent
museums, hip clubs and a booming downtown. But like any major metropoli tan area, it has its problems. And that has Cornelius,
26, determined to be among the legions of young men and women who care deeply about things like quality schools and...
MoreEYE ON THE PIE: A useful program for Indiana's future
April 16, 2007
Morton MarcusI could see she was mad when I walked in the coffee shop. State representative Roberta Righteous was adding packet after packet
of sugar substitute to her extra large macho mocha. As I sat down with my cup of regular, she blurted, "Your column last week
was another cruel attack on the General Assembly. All criticism, all sarcasm, but no constructive suggestions for progress."
"You want constructive ideas," I said, "I'll give you some. "First, Indiana abandons partisan redistricting. When...
MoreECONOMIC ANALYSIS: The Great Society meets fiscal reality
April 16, 2007
Patrick BarkeySomeone wise in matters of politics once said programs for the poor are poor programs. It remains true today-initiatives aimed
at helping the most vulnerable in our society, be they privately or publicly funded, seem to be perpetually starved for funds.
And so the genius of those who created the Social Security system-originally aimed at older Americans whose assets were devastated
by the Great Depression in 1935-was to make the program available to all, regardless of income. In a few...
MoreEli Lilly looks to ease shareholders' concerns: Zyprexa questions persist at annual investor meeting
April 16, 2007
J.K. WallIt hasn't been easy the last few years to be a shareholder of Eli Lilly and Co. Lilly's stock price has languished as the
company's vaunted drug pipeline has suffered hiccups and as legal troubles over its best-selling drug, Zyprexa, have lingered.
So as Lilly shareholders gather April 16 for their annual meeting, two key questions hang in the air. Both center on Zyprexa,
an anti-schizophrenia drug, which accounts for one-quarter of Lilly's revenue and even more of its profit....
MoreCompetition drives hospital chief: Lennen labors to grow hospital, county to stay ahead of Indianapolis peers
April 16, 2007
J.K. WallCompetitive. That's how Shelbyville community leaders describe Tony Lennen. Indeed. Any CEO of the city's Major Hospital needs
to be. Shelby County residents can, in just 20 to 45 minutes, drive up Interstate 74 or Interstate 65 to any of Indianapolis'
large hospitals, many of which boast massive marketing budgets and stables of specialists. But in nearly 14 years at the helm
of Major Hospital, Lennen has found creative ways to boost profits, enhance technology, woo specialists and even-through aggressive...
MoreWellPoint bets on managing disease: Proving savings difficult, but insurers say it works
April 9, 2007
J.K. WallIt's a program with big promises and big profits. Yet it's hard to measure its payoff. It's disease management-an industry
euphemism for health insurers' efforts to make sure chronically ill customers receive the best health care they can-before
they get rushed to the hospital. Indianapolis-based WellPoint Inc. says disease management helps it win business over other
health benefits companies. It also says it saves its customers nearly three times as much money as they invest and improves
the quality of...
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Steak and Shake USED to be a good place to eat, but the now empty parking spaces tell the story of Poor Service, Declining quality of food and just more gimmicks and rear cooking....I used to be a customer, but no more...won't be back...to many other Good Places to eat in INDY...
This man has continued to destroy the Steak and Shake brand. Did he not learn from the sins of owners past. The SNS logo and Brand are strong, I cant understand why he wants to destroy the brand other than to satisfy his big ego.This will turn out to be a big mistake. Sleek new look for a traditional product..makes no logical sense
I mean REALLY!!! What's next taking away the Burger King's crown, turn the golden arches into silver columns? No I know let's get Wendy a pink mohawk.
A couple of thoughts on some of the information presented here from someone with a bit of experience in this area: First, Does anyone remember a time in the past 35 years when insurance premiums DIDN'T increase? They increase every year. The more rigorous rate review requirements of the Affordable Care Act (effective in 2011) have likely caused those increases to moderate as they have averaged below 10% for the past few years, down from much higer averages in prior years. Second, Oregon will operate a state-based Exchange. Recently, they were one of the first states to release their proposed (not yet reviewed by regulators)premium rates -- our first view of Exchange rates. After 2 insurers saw their competitors' rates, they pulled theirs back and re-submitted LOWER rates. In my nearly 10 years as a state insurance regulator, and two years as a federal regulator, I don't ever recall an insurer voluntarily lowering its rates. THAT'S the kind of transparency and competition the online marketplaces (Exchanges) will bring about. 3) ...and this is just a random thought: A big concern among health policy experts is the capacity of the primary care provider community to handle the happy fact that a large number of individuals will be newly-insured under the Affordable Care Act. With the system being stretched so thin for INSURED individuals, It seems highly doubtful that more than a very few "cash-and-carry" physicians will be able to survive in the new, improved healthcare system. Sally McCarty Center on Health Insurance Reform Georgetown University Health Policy Institute
liek the rest of America