Commentary
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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.
Commentary
How Trump’s ‘Prior Authorization’ Deal Puts Patients Ahead of Paperwork
Americans increasingly need a permission slip from their insurance company before they can get medical care. And it’s driving them crazy. According to one recent survey, nearly three-quarters of patients find delays and denials of treatment by insurers to be a major problem with our health-care system. Fortunately, a new ...
Commentary
Stop Catastrophizing Catastrophic Plans
Earlier this month, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services proposed a rule to expand access to catastrophic health insurance plans on the exchanges established by the Affordable Care Act. The move may appear modest. In reality, it addresses one of the central design features that has made exchange coverage ...
Commentary
An anti-science FDA is a threat to our health and prosperity
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration supposedly “implements gold standard science.” Yet the agency appears to relish obstructing scientific progress. Earlier this month, Vinay Prasad, the director of FDA’s vaccine division, rejected Moderna’s application for a new mRNA flu vaccine for adults 50 and older on dubious grounds. The FDA ...
Commentary
Medicare’s ‘efficiency’ cut will reduce access, not costs
Many physicians received another pay cut this year, courtesy of Medicare. Under the program’s new physician fee schedule, Medicare reimbursement for the vast majority of physician-provided services will effectively decline by 2.5%. Medicare officials justify the change as an “efficiency adjustment.” The theory is that doctors have gotten more productive ...
Commentary
Drop ‘Bigger Subsidies’ Narrative for Better Insurance Options
The federal government is covering a smaller share of Obamacare enrollees’ premiums this year. That has Democrats warning of a surge in the number of uninsured, as people struggle to shoulder more of the cost themselves. But recent reporting on some of those losing their enhanced premium subsidies reveals that ...
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.
How Trump’s ‘Prior Authorization’ Deal Puts Patients Ahead of Paperwork
Americans increasingly need a permission slip from their insurance company before they can get medical care. And it’s driving them crazy. According to one recent survey, nearly three-quarters of patients find delays and denials of treatment by insurers to be a major problem with our health-care system. Fortunately, a new ...
Stop Catastrophizing Catastrophic Plans
Earlier this month, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services proposed a rule to expand access to catastrophic health insurance plans on the exchanges established by the Affordable Care Act. The move may appear modest. In reality, it addresses one of the central design features that has made exchange coverage ...
An anti-science FDA is a threat to our health and prosperity
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration supposedly “implements gold standard science.” Yet the agency appears to relish obstructing scientific progress. Earlier this month, Vinay Prasad, the director of FDA’s vaccine division, rejected Moderna’s application for a new mRNA flu vaccine for adults 50 and older on dubious grounds. The FDA ...
Medicare’s ‘efficiency’ cut will reduce access, not costs
Many physicians received another pay cut this year, courtesy of Medicare. Under the program’s new physician fee schedule, Medicare reimbursement for the vast majority of physician-provided services will effectively decline by 2.5%. Medicare officials justify the change as an “efficiency adjustment.” The theory is that doctors have gotten more productive ...
Drop ‘Bigger Subsidies’ Narrative for Better Insurance Options
The federal government is covering a smaller share of Obamacare enrollees’ premiums this year. That has Democrats warning of a surge in the number of uninsured, as people struggle to shoulder more of the cost themselves. But recent reporting on some of those losing their enhanced premium subsidies reveals that ...
