Commentary
Commentary
The Legislature shouldn’t decide what vaccines to make illegal
A bill currently making its way through the Idaho Legislature could put the health of countless people at risk. Idaho’s Senate Health Committee recently atdvanced legislation that would impose a two-year moratorium on certain human gene therapy products and ban the use of mRNA vaccines for children and pregnant women ...
Sally Pipes and Wayne Winegarden
March 11, 2026
Commentary
Newsom oversees years of failed California water policy
2026 began in California with two atmospheric rivers and storms, which resulted in precipitation that was 119% of average rainfall for January. However, much of it flowed into the Pacific Ocean. Moreover, by the end of February our statewide snowpack was only 66% of average for this date, constituting a ...
Daniel Kolkey
March 10, 2026
Commentary
Trump’s Plan To Peg Drug Prices to Foreign Countries Could Backfire
President Trump famously quipped during his run for a second term that he had “concepts of a plan” to fix health care. That plan finally came together in January — and congressional Republicans are eager to codify its concepts into law. Most of Mr. Trump’s “Great Healthcare Plan” is promising. ...
Sally C. Pipes
March 9, 2026
Commentary
Republicans Haven’t Cut Medicaid—But They Have Tightened Its Belt
Have Republicans cut $1 trillion from Medicaid? Democrats have made this assertion central to their pitch to voters with this fall’s midterm elections approaching. Yet a new report from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office tells a different story. According to the agency’s latest projections, spending on Medicaid is set to ...
Sally C. Pipes
March 9, 2026
Commentary
Most-Favored-Nation Pricing Would Import Europe’s Drug Rationing
President Trump’s State of the Union address featured several promising healthcare ideas. Expanding access to patient-owned health savings accounts and routing federal subsidies through them, rather than through insurance companies, would unleash competition by empowering consumers to spend their healthcare dollars as they see fit. So would stronger price transparency ...
Sally C. Pipes
March 6, 2026
Commentary
Why progressives’ single-payer health care dream would bankrupt California
California progressives’ single-payer health care fever dream is back. This time, the cost could hit half a trillion dollars a year. Single-payer means the government pays, for everything. Several candidates for governor are promising just such a government takeover of the state’s health insurance system. Billionaire Tom Steyer says, “Bernie ...
Sally C. Pipes
March 4, 2026
California
Empty home tax failed elsewhere — why try it here?
Maybe 2026 is the year of the tax hike in a state where taxes are already an existential burden. Among the many proposed hikes is San Diego Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera’s call for up to a $15,000 annual levy on empty second homes in the city through a proposed June ballot ...
Sally C. Pipes
March 3, 2026
Commentary
Republicans didn’t cut Medicaid — but Democrats did make a mess of it
Democrats are hoping that healthcare will propel them to victory in this year’s midterm elections. Their central charge is that Republicans have cut Medicaid by $1 trillion over 10 years as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill signed into law by President Donald Trump back in July. There’s just ...
Sally C. Pipes
March 2, 2026
Commentary
Republicans already have a plan for making health care affordable in 2026
Affordability is on the lips of lawmakers these days — and with good reason. Nearly half of Americans say they’re struggling to pay for basic necessities like rent, groceries and health care. The good news is that Congress is weighing several reforms that could help make health care in particular ...
Sally C. Pipes
February 27, 2026
commentar
Hospitals Turn a Safety-Net Program Into an ATM
Washington, D.C. is finally taking a hard look at one of the most abuse-ridden federal health programs — the 340B Drug Pricing Program. Last week, the Trump administration released a request for information exploring ways to bring more transparency and accountability to the program. It’s about time.
Sally C. Pipes
February 23, 2026
The Legislature shouldn’t decide what vaccines to make illegal
A bill currently making its way through the Idaho Legislature could put the health of countless people at risk. Idaho’s Senate Health Committee recently atdvanced legislation that would impose a two-year moratorium on certain human gene therapy products and ban the use of mRNA vaccines for children and pregnant women ...
Newsom oversees years of failed California water policy
2026 began in California with two atmospheric rivers and storms, which resulted in precipitation that was 119% of average rainfall for January. However, much of it flowed into the Pacific Ocean. Moreover, by the end of February our statewide snowpack was only 66% of average for this date, constituting a ...
Trump’s Plan To Peg Drug Prices to Foreign Countries Could Backfire
President Trump famously quipped during his run for a second term that he had “concepts of a plan” to fix health care. That plan finally came together in January — and congressional Republicans are eager to codify its concepts into law. Most of Mr. Trump’s “Great Healthcare Plan” is promising. ...
Republicans Haven’t Cut Medicaid—But They Have Tightened Its Belt
Have Republicans cut $1 trillion from Medicaid? Democrats have made this assertion central to their pitch to voters with this fall’s midterm elections approaching. Yet a new report from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office tells a different story. According to the agency’s latest projections, spending on Medicaid is set to ...
Most-Favored-Nation Pricing Would Import Europe’s Drug Rationing
President Trump’s State of the Union address featured several promising healthcare ideas. Expanding access to patient-owned health savings accounts and routing federal subsidies through them, rather than through insurance companies, would unleash competition by empowering consumers to spend their healthcare dollars as they see fit. So would stronger price transparency ...
Why progressives’ single-payer health care dream would bankrupt California
California progressives’ single-payer health care fever dream is back. This time, the cost could hit half a trillion dollars a year. Single-payer means the government pays, for everything. Several candidates for governor are promising just such a government takeover of the state’s health insurance system. Billionaire Tom Steyer says, “Bernie ...
Empty home tax failed elsewhere — why try it here?
Maybe 2026 is the year of the tax hike in a state where taxes are already an existential burden. Among the many proposed hikes is San Diego Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera’s call for up to a $15,000 annual levy on empty second homes in the city through a proposed June ballot ...
Republicans didn’t cut Medicaid — but Democrats did make a mess of it
Democrats are hoping that healthcare will propel them to victory in this year’s midterm elections. Their central charge is that Republicans have cut Medicaid by $1 trillion over 10 years as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill signed into law by President Donald Trump back in July. There’s just ...
Republicans already have a plan for making health care affordable in 2026
Affordability is on the lips of lawmakers these days — and with good reason. Nearly half of Americans say they’re struggling to pay for basic necessities like rent, groceries and health care. The good news is that Congress is weighing several reforms that could help make health care in particular ...
Hospitals Turn a Safety-Net Program Into an ATM
Washington, D.C. is finally taking a hard look at one of the most abuse-ridden federal health programs — the 340B Drug Pricing Program. Last week, the Trump administration released a request for information exploring ways to bring more transparency and accountability to the program. It’s about time.