Commentary

$12 billion to house the homeless, but ‘housing first’ doesn’t work

May 20, 2021

California

The governor has plans to spend an extraordinary sum of public money on the homeless, most of which would be used to put them up in hotels. Sounds compassionate. But it’s another empty promise. Housing-first policy is indistinguishable from housing-and-nothing-else. Part of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s $100...

Insuring more Americans’ health shouldn’t require big government spending

May 17, 2021

Healthcare

President Joe Biden announced late last month that he plans to permanently expand health-insurance subsidies as part of his $1.8 trillion “American Families Plan.” This new spending would be a waste of taxpayer dollars. The vast majority of uninsured Americans already has access to discounted health...

Private practices just became an endangered species

May 14, 2021

Healthcare

Last year was the first year in which physicians working in private practice accounted for fewer than half of all practicing doctors, according to a new new report from the American Medical Association. Many of these formerly independent doctors went to work for big healthcare systems. That finding...

Biden’s Intellectual Property Waiver Puts Political Symbolism Before Saving Lives

May 12, 2021

Healthcare

President Biden recently backed a World Trade Organization proposal to waive intellectual property protections on COVID-19 vaccines and therapies -- a move the Trump administration rejected just a few months ago. The White House's decision is a catastrophe. The waiver will do nothing to increase access to vaccines. It will,...

Blackouts, Increasing Crime, Rampant Homelessness, And Man-Made Drought: Is This California Or A Third World Nation?

May 11, 2021

California

While still trying to process the unwelcome news that we’re going to have to grind through yet another year of drought, California energy officials told us to also be ready for the power to go out when the days grow long and warm. “The managers of...

It’s Time For A Supply-Side Resurgence

May 10, 2021

Business Economics

The Biden administration’s multi-trillion-dollar stimulus and spending policies are exclusively demand-side measures aimed at supporting the consumer. But this focus is blinding the Biden team from mounting economic crises that are resulting from this anti-growth agenda. Instead, the federal government desperately needs to implement a comprehensive...

Government-Sponsored Health Care Roundup: Where The States Stand.

May 10, 2021

Healthcare

Colorado lawmakers just nixed a bill that would've led to the creation of a state-level public health insurance option. Hospitals and doctors argued that their revenues would plummet if a state-run health plan hit the market. The Colorado Hospital Association warned that some of its members would go out of...

Biden’s New Coverage Subsidies Won’t Help Uninsured Americans

May 05, 2021

Healthcare

In his address to Congress last week, President Biden announced his plan to make permanent the new health insurance subsidies included in his American Rescue Plan, which was signed into law in March. These subsidies, which are currently set to expire next year, reduce exchange premiums for everyone who makes...

Replace gas tax with more efficient, fairer mileage fee

May 05, 2021

Business Economics

California policymakers have spent years debating how to pay for road and highway repairs. President Biden’s current infrastructure plan brings that debate to the national stage. Like its peers, California relies on a gas tax and registration fees to pay for infrastructure. But policymakers should cut...

Democratic drug pricing bill is a house of cards

May 03, 2021

Healthcare

House Democrats just introduced H.R. 3, a bill that would allow the government to cap drug prices based on what they cost in six other developed nations. President Joe Biden is sympathetic to the idea. In his speech to Congress this week, he called for giving the federal government the...