Commentary
Business & Economics
Defensive Medicine
The article “Study: Only 1 in 5 medical malpractice cases pay” (Tribune, Aug. 17) reported that “most physicians and virtually every surgeon will face at least one malpractice lawsuit in their careers.” This alarming statistic is an important driver of rising U.S. health care costs. Even though most sued doctors ...
Business & Economics
California ‘Jobs Gap’ Jumps to Record High
California’s “Jobs Gap” with the rest of America jumped to a record high, according to new calculations. In 2010, I devised the “Jobs Gap” to measure how much worse unemployment is in California than the rest of America. The Jobs Gap is calculated by subtracting the national unemployment level from ...
Commentary
Over-The-Counter Remedies That Would Reduce Health Care Costs
Earlier this month, the pharmaceutical company Pfizer announced that it may ask the Food and Drug Administration to allow it to market the cholesterol-lowering statin Lipitor over the counter after its patent expires in November. The FDA has not yet signaled whether it would approve Pfizers proposal. And some doctors ...
Business & Economics
Pension plan embraces absurd double standard
When the taxpayer is backing up the entire liability for the massive pensions received by public employees who are part of the California Public Employees Retirement System, then CalPERS officials are exuberant about the stock market. They insist that a predicted rate of return of 7.75 percent is perfectly realistic. ...
Business & Economics
Pension funds should get real on rate of returns
When the taxpayer is backing up the entire liability for the pensions received by members of the California Public Employees Retirement System, then CalPERS officials are exuberant about the stock market. They insist that a predicted rate of return of 7.75 percent is perfectly realistic. When their own funds are ...
Commentary
Health insurers in states’ cross hairs
The new health care law encourages state politicians to increase their interference with health insurance premiums, an underreported aspect of Obamacare with consequences for patients and health plans alike. Obamacare distributes federal grants that encourage states’ insurance departments to increase their power to dictate insurance premiums. States are responding by ...
Commentary
Competing To Save The Health-Care System Money
American seniors recently received some good news they wont be seeing higher premiums in 2012 for their Medicare prescription drug benefits. In fact, the rates they pay for prescription drug coverage under Medicare Part D will decline this coming year, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human ...
Business & Economics
Taxpayers Pick Up NYC’s $6B Lawsuits Bill
New York City doled out an astounding $6 billion in judgments and settlements in 10 years, some for bizarre claims of injury resulting from biting in a kindergarten classroom, tripping in a Lincoln Center parking lot, and slipping on bus steps, according to the New York Post. Last year alone, ...
California
California: The anti-education-reform state
Across America, state after state has enacted bold, far-reaching systemic education reforms. In contrast, California has not only failed to enact such fundamental reforms, but has actually gone backwards and passed laws that reduce accountability, protect special interests and preserve the status quo. In Indiana, Gov. Mitch Daniels signed legislation ...
Agriculture
Villaraigosa wants more of what doesn’t work
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s speech Tuesday at the Sacramento Press Club left many reporters wondering what the mayor is doing and what he is running for next. It seems odd for an L.A. mayor to fly to Sacramento, give a speech detailing a so-called “grand new vision” even as ...
Defensive Medicine
The article “Study: Only 1 in 5 medical malpractice cases pay” (Tribune, Aug. 17) reported that “most physicians and virtually every surgeon will face at least one malpractice lawsuit in their careers.” This alarming statistic is an important driver of rising U.S. health care costs. Even though most sued doctors ...
California ‘Jobs Gap’ Jumps to Record High
California’s “Jobs Gap” with the rest of America jumped to a record high, according to new calculations. In 2010, I devised the “Jobs Gap” to measure how much worse unemployment is in California than the rest of America. The Jobs Gap is calculated by subtracting the national unemployment level from ...
Over-The-Counter Remedies That Would Reduce Health Care Costs
Earlier this month, the pharmaceutical company Pfizer announced that it may ask the Food and Drug Administration to allow it to market the cholesterol-lowering statin Lipitor over the counter after its patent expires in November. The FDA has not yet signaled whether it would approve Pfizers proposal. And some doctors ...
Pension plan embraces absurd double standard
When the taxpayer is backing up the entire liability for the massive pensions received by public employees who are part of the California Public Employees Retirement System, then CalPERS officials are exuberant about the stock market. They insist that a predicted rate of return of 7.75 percent is perfectly realistic. ...
Pension funds should get real on rate of returns
When the taxpayer is backing up the entire liability for the pensions received by members of the California Public Employees Retirement System, then CalPERS officials are exuberant about the stock market. They insist that a predicted rate of return of 7.75 percent is perfectly realistic. When their own funds are ...
Health insurers in states’ cross hairs
The new health care law encourages state politicians to increase their interference with health insurance premiums, an underreported aspect of Obamacare with consequences for patients and health plans alike. Obamacare distributes federal grants that encourage states’ insurance departments to increase their power to dictate insurance premiums. States are responding by ...
Competing To Save The Health-Care System Money
American seniors recently received some good news they wont be seeing higher premiums in 2012 for their Medicare prescription drug benefits. In fact, the rates they pay for prescription drug coverage under Medicare Part D will decline this coming year, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human ...
Taxpayers Pick Up NYC’s $6B Lawsuits Bill
New York City doled out an astounding $6 billion in judgments and settlements in 10 years, some for bizarre claims of injury resulting from biting in a kindergarten classroom, tripping in a Lincoln Center parking lot, and slipping on bus steps, according to the New York Post. Last year alone, ...
California: The anti-education-reform state
Across America, state after state has enacted bold, far-reaching systemic education reforms. In contrast, California has not only failed to enact such fundamental reforms, but has actually gone backwards and passed laws that reduce accountability, protect special interests and preserve the status quo. In Indiana, Gov. Mitch Daniels signed legislation ...
Villaraigosa wants more of what doesn’t work
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s speech Tuesday at the Sacramento Press Club left many reporters wondering what the mayor is doing and what he is running for next. It seems odd for an L.A. mayor to fly to Sacramento, give a speech detailing a so-called “grand new vision” even as ...
