Studies

In New Book, Veteran Journalist Shows How to End California’s Water Wars, Protect Habitats and Meet State’s Water Needs

October 19, 2020

California can end its decades-long water wars and meet the state’s water needs by promoting abundance rather than managing scarcity, writes veteran journalist Steven Greenhut in Winning the Water Wars, published today by the nonpartisan Pacific Research Institute. Winning the Water Wars is available for purchase...

NEW BRIEF: Counterfeit Drugs Harm Patients, Economy, Innovation

October 13, 2020

Healthcare

A new brief released today by the Center for Medical Economics and Innovation at the nonpartisan Pacific Research Institute shows that counterfeit drugs put patients in harm’s way, hinder drug innovation, and lead to job losses. Proposals like drug importation or price controls, if implemented,...

CAPITAL IDEAS: The War on Plastics: The Narrative Must Be Fed

October 12, 2020

California

DOWNLOAD THE PDF California is now the first state to require plastic beverage containers to contain a minimum content of recycled material. A step forward? Hardly. The bill, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sept. 24, the day after he issued an executive order outlawing the sale...

PRI Comments on Pending Department of Labor Regulations on Proxy Measures, ESG

September 29, 2020

PRI Senior Fellow in Business and Economics Dr. Wayne Winegarden has submitted comments to the Department of Labor commenting on proposed amendments to federal regulations that would confirm the fiduciary responsibility of plan sponsors regarding "proxy voting and other exercises of shareholder rights." Click here to...

NEW BRIEF: Mandating that Drug Rebates Benefit Consumers Will Help Patients with High Out-of-Pocket Drug Costs

September 29, 2020

Healthcare

A new brief released today by the Center for Medical Economics and Innovation at the Pacific Research Institute found that reforms mandating drug rebates benefit patients rather than payers would lower overall health care costs and help patients with expensive out-of-pocket drug costs. Click here to...

CAPITAL IDEAS – Defending Equity: Newsom Defunds Students So Students Sue

August 20, 2020

California

DOWNLOAD THE PDF As if they didn’t have enough to shocks in their lives already, Californians recently woke up to find that Governor Newsom and the Legislature had defunded schoolchildren in the state budget. But the children are now fighting back and suing the state...

New Brief Shows Impact of California’s Surprise Medical Billing Law: Lower Quality Care, Reduced Access, Higher System Costs

August 19, 2020

California’s surprise medical billing law (Assembly Bill 72) – which imposes price controls on the rates out-of-network physicians can charge at in-network facilities – is hurting patients with lower quality care, reduced access, and higher health care system costs, finds a new brief released today...

CAPITAL IDEAS: Defund AB5 Enforcement

July 06, 2020

California

DOWNLOAD THE PDF One of the several responses to the death of George Floyd has been activists’ demand to defund police departments. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti was one of the first mayors to surrender to the mob and pledge that he would move a portion...

NEW STUDY: Future Medical Innovation Will Be Hindered Unless Elected Officials Embrace Health Care Entrepreneurship

June 25, 2020

Business Economics

As Americans have benefited from tele-health and other innovations thanks to COVID-19 regulatory relief, future medical advances will be stymied unless policymakers remove road blocks that make it difficult for entrepreneurs to develop new technology and for patients to access it, finds the latest study...

CAPITAL IDEAS – Suing Oil Companies: It’s Not About the Environment

June 11, 2020

Download the PDF In late May, a panel of federal judges resurrected a couple of previously dismissed climate change lawsuits filed by San Francisco and Oakland, and also allowed six other community-based suits to go forward. The plaintiffs aren’t concerned with the environment, nor are they...