Commentary
Commentary
You should absolutely believe Kamala Harris: ‘Medicare for All’ will kill your health insurance
Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., wants to ban private health insurance. But if she can’t do that outright, she’s happy settling for a reform that will eventually take away private health coverage. Harris, who is pursuing the Democratic nomination for president in 2020, spoke honestly about her proposal for the healthcare ...
Sally C. Pipes
February 13, 2019
Commentary
The GND: Glitter, Nonsense, and Devitalization
By Andrew I. Fillat and Henry I. Miller The latest public policy bandwagon is the “Green New Deal,” or GND, whose acronym could well stand for Glitter, Nonsense, and Devitalization. Some of its proposals are so outlandish that they would be more appropriate coming from enthusiastic (but not very smart) ...
Pacific Research Institute
February 13, 2019
CEQA
CEQA: How to mend it since you can’t end it
By Daniel Kolkey It’s no coincidence that California’s housing prices began to diverge from the rest of the country in 1970 – the very year that the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) was enacted. According to California’s nonpartisan Legislative Analyst, “Between 1970 and 1980, California home prices went from 30 ...
Pacific Research Institute
February 13, 2019
Agriculture
Do organic farms really produce ‘chemical free, healthier food’?
In “The Wealth of Nations,” the 18th century economist and philosopher Adam Smith observed about the chicanery of some businessmen, “People of the same trade seldom meet together, even for merriment and diversion, but the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the public, or in some contrivance to raise prices.” ...
Henry Miller, M.S., M.D.
February 12, 2019
Business & Economics
Fostering Transparency In The Pharmaceutical Market
In response to the problem of rising list prices for drugs, elected officials continue to propose counterproductive reforms. Whether it is importing drugs from Canada or indexing U.S. drug prices to the prices charged in other countries, these policies will make the current bad situation worse because they fail to ...
Wayne Winegarden
February 12, 2019
Business & Economics
Medicare price controls would harm patients and workers
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar just released a sweeping proposal that would drastically change how Medicare pays for advanced cancer therapies and other potent medicines. The plan relies on foreign price controls to reduce drug spending by $17 billion over five years. Although drug spending may decline, the ...
Wayne Winegarden
February 11, 2019
Commentary
Washington’s rude healthcare awakening
Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee wants to create a state-run health insurance plan to compete against private coverage on the Evergreen State’s Obamacare exchange. This plan, known as a “public option,” is a terrible idea. It’d be a boondoggle for taxpayers and open the door to a future single-payer system. Inslee claims a public ...
Sally C. Pipes
February 8, 2019
Commentary
Here’s an idea for controlling drug prices: Restore market forces
By Henry I. Miller, M.S., M.D. and Jeff Stier Trump administration officials keep searching for solutions to rising prescription drug prices, which are increasing faster than inflation. “Drug makers and companies are not living up to their commitments on pricing. Not being fair to the consumer, or to our Country!” ...
Pacific Research Institute
February 7, 2019
Commentary
Grassley-Klobuchar proposal ushers in dangerous counterfeit drugs
Congress is poised to consider a bill that would allow Americans to import prescription drugs from Canada. The bill’s authors, Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), label their effort as a bipartisan push to “help Americans who struggle to pay exorbitant prices for medication.” It’s noble of lawmakers to ...
Sally C. Pipes
February 7, 2019
California
Does California Even Know How to Fix Its Housing Problem?
New Gov. Gavin Newsom’s budget asks for $500 million to boost construction of housing for “moderate income” Californians. Housing, he said while introducing his first budget, “is the issue.” He is correct. Everyone is aware of the grim state of housing in California. But no one, at least those with enough political influence to shift policy, seems ...
Kerry Jackson
February 6, 2019
You should absolutely believe Kamala Harris: ‘Medicare for All’ will kill your health insurance
Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., wants to ban private health insurance. But if she can’t do that outright, she’s happy settling for a reform that will eventually take away private health coverage. Harris, who is pursuing the Democratic nomination for president in 2020, spoke honestly about her proposal for the healthcare ...
The GND: Glitter, Nonsense, and Devitalization
By Andrew I. Fillat and Henry I. Miller The latest public policy bandwagon is the “Green New Deal,” or GND, whose acronym could well stand for Glitter, Nonsense, and Devitalization. Some of its proposals are so outlandish that they would be more appropriate coming from enthusiastic (but not very smart) ...
CEQA: How to mend it since you can’t end it
By Daniel Kolkey It’s no coincidence that California’s housing prices began to diverge from the rest of the country in 1970 – the very year that the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) was enacted. According to California’s nonpartisan Legislative Analyst, “Between 1970 and 1980, California home prices went from 30 ...
Do organic farms really produce ‘chemical free, healthier food’?
In “The Wealth of Nations,” the 18th century economist and philosopher Adam Smith observed about the chicanery of some businessmen, “People of the same trade seldom meet together, even for merriment and diversion, but the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the public, or in some contrivance to raise prices.” ...
Fostering Transparency In The Pharmaceutical Market
In response to the problem of rising list prices for drugs, elected officials continue to propose counterproductive reforms. Whether it is importing drugs from Canada or indexing U.S. drug prices to the prices charged in other countries, these policies will make the current bad situation worse because they fail to ...
Medicare price controls would harm patients and workers
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar just released a sweeping proposal that would drastically change how Medicare pays for advanced cancer therapies and other potent medicines. The plan relies on foreign price controls to reduce drug spending by $17 billion over five years. Although drug spending may decline, the ...
Washington’s rude healthcare awakening
Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee wants to create a state-run health insurance plan to compete against private coverage on the Evergreen State’s Obamacare exchange. This plan, known as a “public option,” is a terrible idea. It’d be a boondoggle for taxpayers and open the door to a future single-payer system. Inslee claims a public ...
Here’s an idea for controlling drug prices: Restore market forces
By Henry I. Miller, M.S., M.D. and Jeff Stier Trump administration officials keep searching for solutions to rising prescription drug prices, which are increasing faster than inflation. “Drug makers and companies are not living up to their commitments on pricing. Not being fair to the consumer, or to our Country!” ...
Grassley-Klobuchar proposal ushers in dangerous counterfeit drugs
Congress is poised to consider a bill that would allow Americans to import prescription drugs from Canada. The bill’s authors, Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), label their effort as a bipartisan push to “help Americans who struggle to pay exorbitant prices for medication.” It’s noble of lawmakers to ...
Does California Even Know How to Fix Its Housing Problem?
New Gov. Gavin Newsom’s budget asks for $500 million to boost construction of housing for “moderate income” Californians. Housing, he said while introducing his first budget, “is the issue.” He is correct. Everyone is aware of the grim state of housing in California. But no one, at least those with enough political influence to shift policy, seems ...