Commentary
Commentary
Trump wrongly attacks life-saving drug companies on coronavirus vaccines and more
President Trump announced Friday that he will proceed with his plans to peg the prices of certain drugs prescribed largely at doctors’ offices under Medicare Part B to the lower prices that other developed nations pay for those drugs. That may sound good at first glance, but in reality, the move will slow ...
Sally C. Pipes
November 23, 2020
California
The (Back) Rent Is Too Damn High
Did someone say that suspending the responsibilities for renters to make their payments due to the pandemic on time would create problems? Of course they did. And of course it has. By the end of the year, Californians will owe as much as $1.7 billion in back rent, says a ...
Kerry Jackson
November 20, 2020
Charter Schools
LA, Oakland receive “F” for funding disparity between regular public schools and charters
It is well known that regular public schools receive more funding than public charter schools, but a just-released study finds that this gap becomes massive when all sources of revenues are included, and this yawning chasm can be seen especially in Oakland and Los Angeles. The University of Arkansas study, entitled ...
Lance Izumi
November 20, 2020
Commentary
Unnecessary State Reviews of COVID-19 Vaccines Could Delay Distribution
By John J. Cohrssen and Henry I. Miller We are in the midst of a pandemic of historic proportions. COVID-19 has killed more than a quarter of a million Americans, caused pain and suffering to many more, damaged a thriving economy, and caused great public anxiety. And it promises to get ...
Pacific Research Institute
November 20, 2020
Commentary
What uninsured crisis?
Roughly 30 million Americans lack health insurance, according to a new report from the Congressional Budget Office. But there’s more to that 30-million figure than meets the eye. The majority are more or less uninsured by choice. Getting those folks covered can be done for a lot less than the hundreds of ...
Sally C. Pipes
November 19, 2020
Commentary
Controlling the Pandemic: Keep It Simple
By Henry Miller, M.S., M.D. and John J. Cohrssen Presumptive President-Elect Joe Biden’s transition organization has published an initial plan to “beat” the rapidly worsening Covid-19 pandemic. Though it is essential and not wholly unreasonable, some parts seem to have been highjacked by a political agenda that contains tangentially related issues. The ...
Henry Miller, M.S., M.D.
November 18, 2020
Business & Economics
If ESG Enhances Profits, Then Why All The Fuss?
The Department of Labor finalized a rule last month that, as the Wall Street Journal editorial page noted, should not be controversial. The rule states that private pensions cannot let ancillary issues distract them from their primary mission of securing their beneficiaries’ retirement. Failure to achieve this mission jeopardizes the financial ...
Wayne Winegarden
November 18, 2020
Commentary
Big Pharma’s Hot Streak — and What Could Stop It
The pharmaceutical industry is on a bit of a hot streak. Last Monday, Pfizer announced promising results for its coronavirus vaccine. Later that day, Eli Lilly received emergency-use authorization from the FDA for its antibody treatment, which may prevent COVID-19 from growing serious in patients who contract the coronavirus and ...
Sally C. Pipes
November 17, 2020
Commentary
COVID-phobia – Americans should not fear routine medical care, they worry about not getting it
For America’s doctors, the greatest public health crisis in a generation has been incredibly bad for business. Eighty-one percent of physicians report that their revenues are still below pre-pandemic levels, according to a survey from the American Medical Association. A separate survey conducted earlier this spring found that only one-third of primary care ...
Sally C. Pipes
November 16, 2020
Business & Economics
San Francisco’s ‘CEO tax’ is bad economics, but threatens to spread
San Francisco voters have told CEOs and their businesses to take a long walk off a short pier into the bay. Not in those exact words but in their own way, by overwhelmingly approving Proposition L. Under the Overpaid Executive Tax, passed by a 65-35 ratio, the city will impose ...
Kerry Jackson
November 13, 2020
Trump wrongly attacks life-saving drug companies on coronavirus vaccines and more
President Trump announced Friday that he will proceed with his plans to peg the prices of certain drugs prescribed largely at doctors’ offices under Medicare Part B to the lower prices that other developed nations pay for those drugs. That may sound good at first glance, but in reality, the move will slow ...
The (Back) Rent Is Too Damn High
Did someone say that suspending the responsibilities for renters to make their payments due to the pandemic on time would create problems? Of course they did. And of course it has. By the end of the year, Californians will owe as much as $1.7 billion in back rent, says a ...
LA, Oakland receive “F” for funding disparity between regular public schools and charters
It is well known that regular public schools receive more funding than public charter schools, but a just-released study finds that this gap becomes massive when all sources of revenues are included, and this yawning chasm can be seen especially in Oakland and Los Angeles. The University of Arkansas study, entitled ...
Unnecessary State Reviews of COVID-19 Vaccines Could Delay Distribution
By John J. Cohrssen and Henry I. Miller We are in the midst of a pandemic of historic proportions. COVID-19 has killed more than a quarter of a million Americans, caused pain and suffering to many more, damaged a thriving economy, and caused great public anxiety. And it promises to get ...
What uninsured crisis?
Roughly 30 million Americans lack health insurance, according to a new report from the Congressional Budget Office. But there’s more to that 30-million figure than meets the eye. The majority are more or less uninsured by choice. Getting those folks covered can be done for a lot less than the hundreds of ...
Controlling the Pandemic: Keep It Simple
By Henry Miller, M.S., M.D. and John J. Cohrssen Presumptive President-Elect Joe Biden’s transition organization has published an initial plan to “beat” the rapidly worsening Covid-19 pandemic. Though it is essential and not wholly unreasonable, some parts seem to have been highjacked by a political agenda that contains tangentially related issues. The ...
If ESG Enhances Profits, Then Why All The Fuss?
The Department of Labor finalized a rule last month that, as the Wall Street Journal editorial page noted, should not be controversial. The rule states that private pensions cannot let ancillary issues distract them from their primary mission of securing their beneficiaries’ retirement. Failure to achieve this mission jeopardizes the financial ...
Big Pharma’s Hot Streak — and What Could Stop It
The pharmaceutical industry is on a bit of a hot streak. Last Monday, Pfizer announced promising results for its coronavirus vaccine. Later that day, Eli Lilly received emergency-use authorization from the FDA for its antibody treatment, which may prevent COVID-19 from growing serious in patients who contract the coronavirus and ...
COVID-phobia – Americans should not fear routine medical care, they worry about not getting it
For America’s doctors, the greatest public health crisis in a generation has been incredibly bad for business. Eighty-one percent of physicians report that their revenues are still below pre-pandemic levels, according to a survey from the American Medical Association. A separate survey conducted earlier this spring found that only one-third of primary care ...
San Francisco’s ‘CEO tax’ is bad economics, but threatens to spread
San Francisco voters have told CEOs and their businesses to take a long walk off a short pier into the bay. Not in those exact words but in their own way, by overwhelmingly approving Proposition L. Under the Overpaid Executive Tax, passed by a 65-35 ratio, the city will impose ...