Commentary
Commentary
Health overhaul co-ops bad news for taxpayers
Several nonprofit insurance companies established under President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul have been playing with house — or rather, taxpayer — money. And now they’re losing in a major way. Health Republic Insurance of New York, a taxpayer-funded Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan, just announced that it’s going under. ...
Agriculture
Water markets would alleviate shortages
We’ve all read the daily stories highlighting the drought’s impact on California’s economy and environment. Wells have run dry, forcing some Central Valley communities to shower in church parking lots. Farmers are fallowing land. In many areas of the state, over-pumping groundwater is causing the ground to sink. California faces ...
Business & Economics
Oct. 4 Pro-Con: Are tax cuts best for America?
PRO: The U.S. economy has been plagued with unacceptably slow growth since the 2007-09 recession — so slow that six years into our supposed recovery, policymakers still talk about the need for economic stimulus. It should not be this way. Spurring economic growth requires broad-based reforms that must include effective ...
Business & Economics
Reigniting U.S. Competitiveness Through Corporate Tax Reform
Imagine two companies that sell the same product across the globe and directly compete against one another. Further imagine that both companies earn the same gross profit. However, the first company is located on the U.S. side of the U.S.-Canadian border; the second company is located on the Canadian side. ...
Business & Economics
Tax Reform Kabuki Theater Ready to Take Center Stage
Last month, the Legislature sent 600 bills to Governor Jerry Brown for his signature (or veto). Senator Bob Hertzberg’s SB 8 was not among them. Hertzberg created a buzz when he introduced his proposal in late 2014. Los Angeles Times columnist George Skelton wrote Hertzberg’s proposal “points the way to ...
Commentary
Obamacare’s penalties shoot for quality, hit patients
Medicare’s doctors are revolting against Obamacare’s new system for paying them. Soon enough, patients will, too. This year, Medicare implemented a system of “value-based care,” whereby the government pays health care providers for the supposed quality of the care they provide, rather than the quantity. But value-based care isn’t what ...
Business & Economics
Tax cuts will revitalize growth: Opposing view
Governor Jeb Bush’s proposed pro-growth tax reform, mimicked by Donald Trump, is an important step forward. The U.S. economy has been plagued with unacceptably slow growth since the 2007-09 recession — so slow that six years into our supposed recovery, policymakers still talk about the need for economic stimulus. It ...
Commentary
Hillary Clinton’s Answer To Obamacare: More Government
Late last month, Hillary Clinton began releasing the details for her vision for health reform. That vision is little more than Obamacare on steroids. “I will defend the Affordable Care Act, but as president I want to go further,” the Democratic presidential hopeful said at a recent community forum in ...
Commentary
Insurance mergers: Weddings mean funeral for health care
Merging insurance companies could be a disaster for U.S. health care. Welcome to Unholy Matrimony: Healthcare Edition. Insurance giant Aetna has made an offer to combine with Humana, and Anthem has bid to buy Cigna. If regulators allow these multibillion-dollar deals to go through, three corporate behemoths will dominate the ...
Agriculture
Capital Ideas: California’s Water “Shortage”
KEY POINTS IN THIS BRIEF: Many commentators incorrectly identify California’s historic draught, melting of its snow caps, or a handful of misguided policies as the cause of the state’s current water crisis. The cause of California’s current water crisis is the absence of scarcity pricing based on the supply and ...
Health overhaul co-ops bad news for taxpayers
Several nonprofit insurance companies established under President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul have been playing with house — or rather, taxpayer — money. And now they’re losing in a major way. Health Republic Insurance of New York, a taxpayer-funded Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan, just announced that it’s going under. ...
Water markets would alleviate shortages
We’ve all read the daily stories highlighting the drought’s impact on California’s economy and environment. Wells have run dry, forcing some Central Valley communities to shower in church parking lots. Farmers are fallowing land. In many areas of the state, over-pumping groundwater is causing the ground to sink. California faces ...
Oct. 4 Pro-Con: Are tax cuts best for America?
PRO: The U.S. economy has been plagued with unacceptably slow growth since the 2007-09 recession — so slow that six years into our supposed recovery, policymakers still talk about the need for economic stimulus. It should not be this way. Spurring economic growth requires broad-based reforms that must include effective ...
Reigniting U.S. Competitiveness Through Corporate Tax Reform
Imagine two companies that sell the same product across the globe and directly compete against one another. Further imagine that both companies earn the same gross profit. However, the first company is located on the U.S. side of the U.S.-Canadian border; the second company is located on the Canadian side. ...
Tax Reform Kabuki Theater Ready to Take Center Stage
Last month, the Legislature sent 600 bills to Governor Jerry Brown for his signature (or veto). Senator Bob Hertzberg’s SB 8 was not among them. Hertzberg created a buzz when he introduced his proposal in late 2014. Los Angeles Times columnist George Skelton wrote Hertzberg’s proposal “points the way to ...
Obamacare’s penalties shoot for quality, hit patients
Medicare’s doctors are revolting against Obamacare’s new system for paying them. Soon enough, patients will, too. This year, Medicare implemented a system of “value-based care,” whereby the government pays health care providers for the supposed quality of the care they provide, rather than the quantity. But value-based care isn’t what ...
Tax cuts will revitalize growth: Opposing view
Governor Jeb Bush’s proposed pro-growth tax reform, mimicked by Donald Trump, is an important step forward. The U.S. economy has been plagued with unacceptably slow growth since the 2007-09 recession — so slow that six years into our supposed recovery, policymakers still talk about the need for economic stimulus. It ...
Hillary Clinton’s Answer To Obamacare: More Government
Late last month, Hillary Clinton began releasing the details for her vision for health reform. That vision is little more than Obamacare on steroids. “I will defend the Affordable Care Act, but as president I want to go further,” the Democratic presidential hopeful said at a recent community forum in ...
Insurance mergers: Weddings mean funeral for health care
Merging insurance companies could be a disaster for U.S. health care. Welcome to Unholy Matrimony: Healthcare Edition. Insurance giant Aetna has made an offer to combine with Humana, and Anthem has bid to buy Cigna. If regulators allow these multibillion-dollar deals to go through, three corporate behemoths will dominate the ...
Capital Ideas: California’s Water “Shortage”
KEY POINTS IN THIS BRIEF: Many commentators incorrectly identify California’s historic draught, melting of its snow caps, or a handful of misguided policies as the cause of the state’s current water crisis. The cause of California’s current water crisis is the absence of scarcity pricing based on the supply and ...
