Too often, regulations undermine the competitive process in the name of promoting competition. The ill-conceived Right to Repair legislation exemplify the problems and risks.
Under the pretense of promoting competition, states as diverse as Texas and California, Arkansas and Hawaii have all considered bills that would violate medical device companies’ intellectual property rights. While...
To say that Americans are anxiously awaiting the end of the COVID-19 pandemic would be an understatement. But for patients who have enjoyed the ease of attending doctor's appointments virtually, a return to the way things were pre-pandemic might be bittersweet.
That's because onerous restrictions on...
Does the United States spend too much on healthcare?
A look at the lower levels of healthcare spending in peer countries like Canada and the United Kingdom would seem to indicate as much.
But a closer look at those numbers reveals a far more complex story.
Take the...
It's budget season in Sacramento. Governor Gavin Newsom's spending proposal is the largest in the Golden State's history.
There's no shortage of expensive and misguided policies in his budget. Chief among them is his push to expand Medi-Cal, the state's Medicaid program, to cover all undocumented...
Last week, the Biden administration announced that 67 million U.S. households ordered at-home COVID-19 tests through a government website in January. Ten million have yet to receive their tests — more than a month after the site launched.
In many parts of the country, the omicron wave has...
Despite the best efforts of progressives such as Senator Bernie Sanders (D., Vt.) and Representative Pramila Jayapal (D., Wash.), Medicare for All is off the table in Congress — for now, at least.
But that doesn’t mean single-payer health care is dead. Like a zombie, the...
On January 31, the campaign for single-payer health care in California suffered its latest defeat. Progressive Democrats in the Assembly were unable to line up enough support for AB 1400, which would've launched a state takeover of private health insurance, Medicare, and Medi-Cal. So Assemblyman Ash...
When President Joe Biden nominated former Obama-era Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf to return to his old post, he made what was widely seen as a safe, if uninspired, choice. He easily sailed through a Dec. 14 Senate committee hearing to vet him. “[Califf] gushed...
To great fanfare, the Biden administration just launched a website where Americans can request at-home COVID-19 tests, delivered by the U.S. Postal Service free of charge.
It's a sad commentary on the competence of the federal government that the successful launch of a website counts as...
Imagine a visit to the local farmer’s market. When you’re about to pay the farmer for some fruit, a man in a suit and sunglasses interrupts the exchange and offers to negotiate a discount with the farmer.
Cool, right?
Not so fast. The man in the suit...
Violating Manufacturer’s Property Rights Does Not Promote Healthy Competition
Too often, regulations undermine the competitive process in the name of promoting competition. The ill-conceived Right to Repair legislation exemplify the problems and risks. Under the pretense of promoting competition, states as diverse as Texas and California, Arkansas and Hawaii have all considered bills that would violate medical device companies’ intellectual property rights. While...
Don’t Dam the Telehealth Flood
To say that Americans are anxiously awaiting the end of the COVID-19 pandemic would be an understatement. But for patients who have enjoyed the ease of attending doctor's appointments virtually, a return to the way things were pre-pandemic might be bittersweet. That's because onerous restrictions on...
High Healthcare Spending Doesn’t Bolster Case for Single-Payer
Does the United States spend too much on healthcare? A look at the lower levels of healthcare spending in peer countries like Canada and the United Kingdom would seem to indicate as much. But a closer look at those numbers reveals a far more complex story. Take the...
Plan to Expand Medi-Cal is a Costly Step Towards Single-Payer
It's budget season in Sacramento. Governor Gavin Newsom's spending proposal is the largest in the Golden State's history. There's no shortage of expensive and misguided policies in his budget. Chief among them is his push to expand Medi-Cal, the state's Medicaid program, to cover all undocumented...
COVID-19 tests come too late
Last week, the Biden administration announced that 67 million U.S. households ordered at-home COVID-19 tests through a government website in January. Ten million have yet to receive their tests — more than a month after the site launched. In many parts of the country, the omicron wave has...
Stalled in D.C., the Single-Payer Fantasy Makes Its Way to Blue States
Despite the best efforts of progressives such as Senator Bernie Sanders (D., Vt.) and Representative Pramila Jayapal (D., Wash.), Medicare for All is off the table in Congress — for now, at least. But that doesn’t mean single-payer health care is dead. Like a zombie, the...
California Single-Payer Has Gone Up In Flames – For Now. Will Progressives Escape The Firestorm?
On January 31, the campaign for single-payer health care in California suffered its latest defeat. Progressive Democrats in the Assembly were unable to line up enough support for AB 1400, which would've launched a state takeover of private health insurance, Medicare, and Medi-Cal. So Assemblyman Ash...
The FDA Needs Reform – Biden’s Nominee Is Not the Person to Do It
When President Joe Biden nominated former Obama-era Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf to return to his old post, he made what was widely seen as a safe, if uninspired, choice. He easily sailed through a Dec. 14 Senate committee hearing to vet him. “[Califf] gushed...
Government is Fighting Covid-19 on Tape Delay
To great fanfare, the Biden administration just launched a website where Americans can request at-home COVID-19 tests, delivered by the U.S. Postal Service free of charge. It's a sad commentary on the competence of the federal government that the successful launch of a website counts as...
At the ‘Pharmer’s’ Market, Patients Suffer While Middlemen Profit
Imagine a visit to the local farmer’s market. When you’re about to pay the farmer for some fruit, a man in a suit and sunglasses interrupts the exchange and offers to negotiate a discount with the farmer. Cool, right? Not so fast. The man in the suit...