Government

For far too long, banks have encouraged abusive use of debit cards, and have pocketed the resulting punitive fees with, I’m sure, big, understanding smiles on their corporate faces. These days, more and more high schools are offering “life skills” classes that teach kids how to make a budget, handle a checking account, read a credit card agreement more »

Medicare and Medicaid will begin using their payment systems to induce quality improvements in the delivery system, for example by reducing hospital payments when a patient suffers from a hospital-acquired infection, and by rewarding doctors and other providers who do a good job of managing patients with complex conditions. more »

Many of the ads feature seniors saying the law will "hurt the quality of our care." But the law specifically forbids cuts in the basic package of Medicare benefits, and even adds some new features, such as wellness checkups. It also closes the "doughnut hole" gap in the prescription drug benefit. more »

The new consumer bureau is based on a pretty simple idea: people ought to be able to read their credit card and mortgage contracts and know the deal. They shouldn’t learn about an unfair rule or practice only when it bites them — way too late for them to do anything about it. The new law creates a chance to put a tough cop on the beat and provide real accountability and oversight of the consumer credit market. more »