Henry Ford Had Nothing to Do with Creating Medicare

(Jonathan H. Adler)

An opinion from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Henry Ford Health System v. Department of Health and Human Services begins:

"My effort is in the direction of simplicity," once wrote the namesake of the Henry Ford Hospital. Henry Ford, My Life and Work 13 (Garden City Publ'g Co. 1922). Mr. Ford apparently had nothing to do with the creation of the Medicare program.

Despite (or perhaps because of) Medicare's complexity, the Sixth Circuit rejected the Henry Ford Health System's challenge to HHS's rules regarding reimbursement of research expenses at teaching hospitals.