Health Care
Commentary
How to Bring Down the Cost of Health Insurance Premiums, Guaranteed
Earlier this summer, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would make medical malpractice suits less lucrative to plaintiffs and trial lawyers. The measure is part of House Republicans’ effort to tackle skyrocketing health costs. Such reforms are sorely needed. But Congress is the wrong forum for these changes. ...
Sally C. Pipes
September 7, 2017
Commentary
The Inconvenient Truth About Obamacare’s Premium Spiral
Insurers have until Sept. 5 to reveal what they will charge for coverage through Obamacare’s exchanges next year. They are required to finalize their rates by Sept. 5 — and sign their contracts by Sept. 27. The numbers they’ve released thus far aren’t pretty. In Iowa, insurer Medica is seeking ...
Sally C. Pipes
September 5, 2017
California
Critics Say Republican Budget Threatens Californians’ Health
As Congress works to pass a budget by the end of the month, advocates for the poor warn Republicans’ proposed cuts to safety-net programs could hurt Californians’ health. The California Budget and Policy Center has crunched the numbers in the House Budget Committee’s proposed budget. The Center says it would ...
Michelle Faust
September 5, 2017
Commentary
Here’s What Single-Payer Advocates Don’t Want You To Know
Single-payer is back on the docket in California. Late last month, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon announced that he’d formed a special committee “to develop plans for achieving universal health care in California.” Rendon has been under pressure from progressive activists all summer, ever since he shelved SB 562, a bill ...
Sally C. Pipes
September 5, 2017
Featured
Will Obamacare Finally Be Repealed and Replaced?
PRI President and CEO Sally Pipes gives her thoughts about what’s next for the efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare, and the move toward a single-payer system in California. Later, she shares her favorite wine with listeners – a French rosé that is going through a Hollywood divorce.
Pacific Research Institute
September 4, 2017
Commentary
Single-Payer Healthcare Isn’t What The Doctor Ordered
America’s doctors are warming to the idea of single-payer healthcare. A new survey from consulting firm Merritt Hawkins finds that 56 percent of doctors support a government-run system at least somewhat, with 42 percent expressing strong support. It’s easy to see why so many doctors are fed up with the ...
Sally C. Pipes
August 30, 2017
Blog
U.S. Pharmaceutical Spending Is Below Average?
For the 30 nations that comprise the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which promotes policies to improve the well-being of people around the world, pharmaceutical spending comprised, on average, 16.9 percent of total health care spending as of 2015. The OECD defines pharmaceutical spending as the expenditures on ...
Wayne Winegarden
August 30, 2017
Commentary
Republicans, Don’t Settle For Half-Hearted Tweaks To Obamacare
Members of Congress will return on September 5 from their recess. They have a lot on their agenda: reforming the tax code, repairing the nation’s crumbling infrastructure, and raising the debt ceiling. President Trump wants to add another item to that agenda. He recently implored Congress to “keep its promise, ...
Sally C. Pipes
August 28, 2017
Commentary
GOP Can Improve Health Care And Lower Taxes
Congressional Republicans are gearing up for a battle over tax reform. Nearly everyone in the caucus would like to slash corporate and individual taxes. But they will need to close some loopholes in the tax code if they hope to offset the revenue they will lose by lowering rates. One ...
Sally C. Pipes
August 25, 2017
Commentary
Medicare Is in Deep Trouble: Here’s How to Rescue It
Medicare’s trust fund will run out of money in just over 10 years, according to a new report from the program’s trustees. Once that happens, the federal government won’t collect enough in payroll taxes to cover beneficiaries’ hospital bills. Congress could hike taxes to cover the shortfall. Or it could ...
Sally C. Pipes
August 23, 2017
How to Bring Down the Cost of Health Insurance Premiums, Guaranteed
Earlier this summer, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would make medical malpractice suits less lucrative to plaintiffs and trial lawyers. The measure is part of House Republicans’ effort to tackle skyrocketing health costs. Such reforms are sorely needed. But Congress is the wrong forum for these changes. ...
The Inconvenient Truth About Obamacare’s Premium Spiral
Insurers have until Sept. 5 to reveal what they will charge for coverage through Obamacare’s exchanges next year. They are required to finalize their rates by Sept. 5 — and sign their contracts by Sept. 27. The numbers they’ve released thus far aren’t pretty. In Iowa, insurer Medica is seeking ...
Critics Say Republican Budget Threatens Californians’ Health
As Congress works to pass a budget by the end of the month, advocates for the poor warn Republicans’ proposed cuts to safety-net programs could hurt Californians’ health. The California Budget and Policy Center has crunched the numbers in the House Budget Committee’s proposed budget. The Center says it would ...
Here’s What Single-Payer Advocates Don’t Want You To Know
Single-payer is back on the docket in California. Late last month, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon announced that he’d formed a special committee “to develop plans for achieving universal health care in California.” Rendon has been under pressure from progressive activists all summer, ever since he shelved SB 562, a bill ...
Will Obamacare Finally Be Repealed and Replaced?
PRI President and CEO Sally Pipes gives her thoughts about what’s next for the efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare, and the move toward a single-payer system in California. Later, she shares her favorite wine with listeners – a French rosé that is going through a Hollywood divorce.
Single-Payer Healthcare Isn’t What The Doctor Ordered
America’s doctors are warming to the idea of single-payer healthcare. A new survey from consulting firm Merritt Hawkins finds that 56 percent of doctors support a government-run system at least somewhat, with 42 percent expressing strong support. It’s easy to see why so many doctors are fed up with the ...
U.S. Pharmaceutical Spending Is Below Average?
For the 30 nations that comprise the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which promotes policies to improve the well-being of people around the world, pharmaceutical spending comprised, on average, 16.9 percent of total health care spending as of 2015. The OECD defines pharmaceutical spending as the expenditures on ...
Republicans, Don’t Settle For Half-Hearted Tweaks To Obamacare
Members of Congress will return on September 5 from their recess. They have a lot on their agenda: reforming the tax code, repairing the nation’s crumbling infrastructure, and raising the debt ceiling. President Trump wants to add another item to that agenda. He recently implored Congress to “keep its promise, ...
GOP Can Improve Health Care And Lower Taxes
Congressional Republicans are gearing up for a battle over tax reform. Nearly everyone in the caucus would like to slash corporate and individual taxes. But they will need to close some loopholes in the tax code if they hope to offset the revenue they will lose by lowering rates. One ...
Medicare Is in Deep Trouble: Here’s How to Rescue It
Medicare’s trust fund will run out of money in just over 10 years, according to a new report from the program’s trustees. Once that happens, the federal government won’t collect enough in payroll taxes to cover beneficiaries’ hospital bills. Congress could hike taxes to cover the shortfall. Or it could ...