Commentary
Commentary
Doctors Who Support Single-Payer Should Seek a Second Opinion
Sen. Bernie Sanders isn’t alone in his adoration for universal healthcare. According to one recent survey, 56 percent of U.S. doctors are at least somewhat supportive of government-run healthcare. Their support is somewhat understandable. Every insurer has different administrative requirements, covers different therapies at different levels, and reimburses on a ...
Sally C. Pipes
February 20, 2018
California
Cities Aren’t Meeting Housing Goals, But New State Law Won’t Help Much
Hundreds of cities and counties across the state are going to have to make it easier to build new homes, says one state agency, if the housing supply is to keep up with demand. But it will never happen if politics continue to interfere. The Department of Housing and Community ...
Kerry Jackson
February 16, 2018
Commentary
California’s Nurses Are Militant — And Mistaken
The California State Assembly earlier this month heard testimony from proponents of The Healthy California Act, a bill that would establish a state-run, single-payer healthcare system. Among the most prominent witnesses testifying in support of the bill was Michael Lighty, director of public policy at the California Nurses Association. The ...
Sally C. Pipes
February 16, 2018
Commentary
How Can Companies Best Help Society? Make More Money.
A Wall Street titan has an unusual message for corporate America. Larry Fink, founder and CEO of BlackRock, recently sent a letter to over a thousand CEOs of large publicly traded companies. With over $6 trillion in assets, BlackRock is the largest money management firm in the world. Fink pressed ...
Sally C. Pipes
February 15, 2018
Business & Economics
State Pensions Need Reforms, Not Fewer Options
Across the country, state and local pension systems have not amassed enough assets (stocks, bonds, and other financial investments) to cover the retirement benefits promised to current and retired state and local employees. This gap is referred to as the pension funds’ “unfunded liabilities”. According to the Pew Charitable Trusts, the ...
Wayne Winegarden
February 15, 2018
Commentary
Put Medicaid Back to Work Helping the Truly Unfortunate
Some Americans may soon have to punch a time clock to qualify for Medicaid. Last month, the Trump administration announced that states could seek federal permission to require people to work, attend school, or otherwise contribute to the community in order to receive Medicaid benefits. Kentucky’s plan to mandate 80 ...
Sally C. Pipes
February 14, 2018
California
Long-Overdue Audit Will Hopefully Bring Sense to California’s Crazy Train
California’s “bullet train,” which has a deserved reputation for running late even before the first car has rolled along the tracks, is the most expensive public works project in state, and also in U.S. history, outside the federal interstate highway program. It should also be the most transparent public works ...
Kerry Jackson
February 13, 2018
Commentary
Senate Budget Deal Benefits Insurers at the Expense of Sick Seniors
On Wednesday, the Senate announced its two-year budget deal. It contains a healthcare provision that many are touting as a victory for seniors. The reform aims to close the so-called “donut hole” coverage gap in the Medicare Part D drug benefit by shifting more of the program’s costs to drug companies. But ...
Sally C. Pipes
February 9, 2018
Commentary
Trump Already Making Progress on Making Prescription Drugs Affordable
During Tuesday’s State of the Union address, President Trump pledged to drive down drug prices. That’s a worthy goal. And fortunately, the Trump administration is already pursuing it in a way that protects patients and encourages research and development. Many of the strategies that candidate Trump proposed on the campaign ...
Sally C. Pipes
February 7, 2018
Commentary
Bernie Sanders Puts Lipstick on the ‘Medicare for all’ Pig
In late January, more than a million Americans watched an online town hall hosted by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. The topic? “Medicare for All.” No mainstream network would carry the event. Predictably, the event was more of a pep rally for socialized medicine than a serious discussion of healthcare policy. Over the ...
Sally C. Pipes
February 6, 2018
Doctors Who Support Single-Payer Should Seek a Second Opinion
Sen. Bernie Sanders isn’t alone in his adoration for universal healthcare. According to one recent survey, 56 percent of U.S. doctors are at least somewhat supportive of government-run healthcare. Their support is somewhat understandable. Every insurer has different administrative requirements, covers different therapies at different levels, and reimburses on a ...
Cities Aren’t Meeting Housing Goals, But New State Law Won’t Help Much
Hundreds of cities and counties across the state are going to have to make it easier to build new homes, says one state agency, if the housing supply is to keep up with demand. But it will never happen if politics continue to interfere. The Department of Housing and Community ...
California’s Nurses Are Militant — And Mistaken
The California State Assembly earlier this month heard testimony from proponents of The Healthy California Act, a bill that would establish a state-run, single-payer healthcare system. Among the most prominent witnesses testifying in support of the bill was Michael Lighty, director of public policy at the California Nurses Association. The ...
How Can Companies Best Help Society? Make More Money.
A Wall Street titan has an unusual message for corporate America. Larry Fink, founder and CEO of BlackRock, recently sent a letter to over a thousand CEOs of large publicly traded companies. With over $6 trillion in assets, BlackRock is the largest money management firm in the world. Fink pressed ...
State Pensions Need Reforms, Not Fewer Options
Across the country, state and local pension systems have not amassed enough assets (stocks, bonds, and other financial investments) to cover the retirement benefits promised to current and retired state and local employees. This gap is referred to as the pension funds’ “unfunded liabilities”. According to the Pew Charitable Trusts, the ...
Put Medicaid Back to Work Helping the Truly Unfortunate
Some Americans may soon have to punch a time clock to qualify for Medicaid. Last month, the Trump administration announced that states could seek federal permission to require people to work, attend school, or otherwise contribute to the community in order to receive Medicaid benefits. Kentucky’s plan to mandate 80 ...
Long-Overdue Audit Will Hopefully Bring Sense to California’s Crazy Train
California’s “bullet train,” which has a deserved reputation for running late even before the first car has rolled along the tracks, is the most expensive public works project in state, and also in U.S. history, outside the federal interstate highway program. It should also be the most transparent public works ...
Senate Budget Deal Benefits Insurers at the Expense of Sick Seniors
On Wednesday, the Senate announced its two-year budget deal. It contains a healthcare provision that many are touting as a victory for seniors. The reform aims to close the so-called “donut hole” coverage gap in the Medicare Part D drug benefit by shifting more of the program’s costs to drug companies. But ...
Trump Already Making Progress on Making Prescription Drugs Affordable
During Tuesday’s State of the Union address, President Trump pledged to drive down drug prices. That’s a worthy goal. And fortunately, the Trump administration is already pursuing it in a way that protects patients and encourages research and development. Many of the strategies that candidate Trump proposed on the campaign ...
Bernie Sanders Puts Lipstick on the ‘Medicare for all’ Pig
In late January, more than a million Americans watched an online town hall hosted by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. The topic? “Medicare for All.” No mainstream network would carry the event. Predictably, the event was more of a pep rally for socialized medicine than a serious discussion of healthcare policy. Over the ...