Here’s a link to an opinion piece I wrote for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. It’s a “response” to an opinion article my grandfather wrote for the Post-Gazette 37-years-and-one-day earlier. As the sub-headline says, “Like grandfather, like grandson, coping with hard times.”
The Columbia Journalism Review highlighted my story in their ongoing coverage of health care reform. Trudy Lieberman writes:
“Kudos to Jeremy Smerd, a health care reporter for the business publication Workforce Magazine, for an illuminating piece about a little-mentioned consequence of the Massachusetts reform law. Smerd’s piece stands out from most of today’s health care reportage for several reasons: it’s long enough (but not too long) for the reader to get the gist of the problem he addresses; it discusses something the law’s cheerleaders and the media outlets that follow them are not eager to discuss; and it does so using an anecdote that’s neither predictable nor trite.”
Read the rest of her post here.
Posted in Blog | Leave a Comment »
Massachusetts’ health insurance mandate has more workers getting coverage through their employers but has left many low-wage earners in a financial quandary—and it hasn’t put a dent in rising health care costs. The state’s health care experiment offers a cautionary tale for federal health reform efforts. [Read reaction to the story by Columbia Journalism Review here; read the story on Workforce.com here or go to the jump]
Continue Reading »
Posted in Workforce Management | Leave a Comment »
Many employers have said that the health care reform plan passed by the House in November would lead them to drop health insurance, undermining the employer-based health care system.
Yet the government’s fiscal analysis contradicts that conclusion. According to two estimates from the Congressional Budget Office, the House bill would actually strengthen employer-sponsored health care by increasing the number of Americans who get their insurance through work. Continue Reading »
Posted in Crain's Detroit Business, Workforce Management | Leave a Comment »
Nobel Prize Winners Provide Insight on Outsourcing, Contract Work The Nobel Prize in economics seldom has practical applications for workforce management. Yet this year’s prize, awarded in October to Oliver Williamson and Elinor Ostrom, recognizes research that provides insights into such workforce issues as employee contracts, bonuses and outsourcing. Continue Reading »
Posted in Workforce Management | 1 Comment »
