Wayne H Winegarden
Blog
Spending Watch
Reparations: A Financially Unrealistic Proposal That Will Bankrupt California
Reparations: A Financially Unrealistic Proposal That Will Bankrupt California Wayne Winegarden February 2024 With the introduction of its first set of reparations bills, the California legislature is officially considering the recommendations of the California Reparations Report from the state Reparations Task Force.1 Given these introductions, it is imperative to understand ...
Health Care
NEW BRIEF: End Anti-Market Distortions in Current PBM System Would Lower Patient Costs, Increase Access to Life-Saving Drugs
SACRAMENTO – Fixing the current broken system that incentivizes pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to enact policies that benefit themselves and insurers at the expense of patients would lead to lower patient drug costs, finds a new brief released today by the Center for Medical Economics and Innovation at the nonpartisan ...
Drug Innovation
NEW BRIEF: Cash-Based Support Would Empower Vulnerable to Buy Private Health Insurance, Create More Effective Safety Net
Click to download the brief “Tens of millions are stuck in a flawed government-run healthcare system that provides sub-par care to patients, imposes huge taxpayer costs, and harms the broader healthcare system,” said Dr. Wayne Winegarden, director of PRI’s Center for Medical Economics and the series author. “By providing cash-based ...
Blog
Many cities are zoning people out of their homes
Many cities are zoning people out of their homes By Wayne Winegarden A growing housing unaffordability problem is now plaguing cities across the country. The roots of this crisis are errant monetary and fiscal policies that, before they stoked our current bout of inflation, incentivized a surge in housing prices. ...
Drug Prices
NEW STUDY: 340B Providers Reap Big Profits, Should Be Reformed to Ensure At-Risk Patients Receive Affordable Care
SACRAMENTO – The broken 340B program, designed to provide affordable care for at-risk patients, creates massive profits for providers without necessarily improving patient health outcomes and should be reformed, finds a new issue brief released today by the Center for Medical Economics and Innovation at the nonpartisan Pacific Research Institute. ...
Featured
NEW BRIEF: Establishing An Efficient Health Insurance Market
DOWNLOAD THE BRIEF Cultivating an efficient health insurance market requires reforms that empower patients over payers, which can be achieved by: Making health expenditures and health insurance expenditures tax deductible; Broadening the availability and usability of tax-free saving accounts to help patients cover the deductibles and out of pocket ...
Featured
NEW BRIEF: Broken System Imposes Higher Out-of-Pocket Costs on Patients, Puts Interests of Government and Insurers First
America’s broken third-party healthcare payment system prioritizes government and insurance companies as the largest payers, leaving patients with higher out-of-pocket costs, greater exposure to healthcare financial risk, and reduced access to care – finds the latest paper in the Coverage Denied series released today by the Center for Medical Economics ...
Climate Change
States and Municipal Lawsuits Undermine Innovative Climate Solutions
Cities and states are attempting to set the nation’s energy policies through the judicial system rather than the appropriate legislative process. Dozens of states and localities including New York City, Baltimore, and various California cities have filed suits claiming that oil and gas companies should be held responsible for the ...
Commentary
Drug Pricing Reforms Should Expand Choice, Not Government Control
As President Biden‘s recent State of the Union address made clear, drug pricing will remain a top policy issue for the foreseeable future. The president is correct that something must be done, but his proposals are wrongheaded and will only make things worse. Instead of focusing on government price controls, Congress ...
Business & Economics
NEW STUDY: Rejecting Push to Restrict Gig Entrepreneurship Key to Driving Innovation, Economic Growth, Higher Incomes
Amid a renewed push in Congress and states to enact new gig economy restrictions following California’s controversial AB 5, a new study released today by the nonpartisan Pacific Research Institute finds that enacting these harmful laws would hinder innovation and restrict people’s ability to become entrepreneurs and provide for their ...
Spending Watch
Reparations: A Financially Unrealistic Proposal That Will Bankrupt California
Reparations: A Financially Unrealistic Proposal That Will Bankrupt California Wayne Winegarden February 2024 With the introduction of its first set of reparations bills, the California legislature is officially considering the recommendations of the California Reparations Report from the state Reparations Task Force.1 Given these introductions, it is imperative to understand ...
NEW BRIEF: End Anti-Market Distortions in Current PBM System Would Lower Patient Costs, Increase Access to Life-Saving Drugs
SACRAMENTO – Fixing the current broken system that incentivizes pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to enact policies that benefit themselves and insurers at the expense of patients would lead to lower patient drug costs, finds a new brief released today by the Center for Medical Economics and Innovation at the nonpartisan ...
NEW BRIEF: Cash-Based Support Would Empower Vulnerable to Buy Private Health Insurance, Create More Effective Safety Net
Click to download the brief “Tens of millions are stuck in a flawed government-run healthcare system that provides sub-par care to patients, imposes huge taxpayer costs, and harms the broader healthcare system,” said Dr. Wayne Winegarden, director of PRI’s Center for Medical Economics and the series author. “By providing cash-based ...
Many cities are zoning people out of their homes
Many cities are zoning people out of their homes By Wayne Winegarden A growing housing unaffordability problem is now plaguing cities across the country. The roots of this crisis are errant monetary and fiscal policies that, before they stoked our current bout of inflation, incentivized a surge in housing prices. ...
NEW STUDY: 340B Providers Reap Big Profits, Should Be Reformed to Ensure At-Risk Patients Receive Affordable Care
SACRAMENTO – The broken 340B program, designed to provide affordable care for at-risk patients, creates massive profits for providers without necessarily improving patient health outcomes and should be reformed, finds a new issue brief released today by the Center for Medical Economics and Innovation at the nonpartisan Pacific Research Institute. ...
NEW BRIEF: Establishing An Efficient Health Insurance Market
DOWNLOAD THE BRIEF Cultivating an efficient health insurance market requires reforms that empower patients over payers, which can be achieved by: Making health expenditures and health insurance expenditures tax deductible; Broadening the availability and usability of tax-free saving accounts to help patients cover the deductibles and out of pocket ...
NEW BRIEF: Broken System Imposes Higher Out-of-Pocket Costs on Patients, Puts Interests of Government and Insurers First
America’s broken third-party healthcare payment system prioritizes government and insurance companies as the largest payers, leaving patients with higher out-of-pocket costs, greater exposure to healthcare financial risk, and reduced access to care – finds the latest paper in the Coverage Denied series released today by the Center for Medical Economics ...
States and Municipal Lawsuits Undermine Innovative Climate Solutions
Cities and states are attempting to set the nation’s energy policies through the judicial system rather than the appropriate legislative process. Dozens of states and localities including New York City, Baltimore, and various California cities have filed suits claiming that oil and gas companies should be held responsible for the ...
Drug Pricing Reforms Should Expand Choice, Not Government Control
As President Biden‘s recent State of the Union address made clear, drug pricing will remain a top policy issue for the foreseeable future. The president is correct that something must be done, but his proposals are wrongheaded and will only make things worse. Instead of focusing on government price controls, Congress ...
NEW STUDY: Rejecting Push to Restrict Gig Entrepreneurship Key to Driving Innovation, Economic Growth, Higher Incomes
Amid a renewed push in Congress and states to enact new gig economy restrictions following California’s controversial AB 5, a new study released today by the nonpartisan Pacific Research Institute finds that enacting these harmful laws would hinder innovation and restrict people’s ability to become entrepreneurs and provide for their ...
