Commentary
Commentary
Brace Yourself
It’s been a tough year for some of America’s favorite health care bogeymen — insurers. U.S. insurers had to absorb nearly $2.9 billion in unexpected medical expenses from their customers in Obamacare’s exchanges in 2014, according to new data from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. But don’t shed tears ...
Commentary
Tough times for health care insurers — and patients
It’s been a tough year for some of America’s favorite health care boogeymen: insurers. U.S. insurers had to absorb nearly $2.9 billion in unexpected medical expenses from their customers in Obamacare’s exchanges in 2014, according to new data from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. But don’t shed too many ...
Business & Economics
Lessons from the San Francisco Airbnb Fight
In 1979, the Pacific Research Institute opened its doors in San Francisco. Jimmy Carter was President; Diane Feinstein was mayor; and Brian Chesky, the founder of home-sharing platform Airbnb, was still two years away from being born. San Francisco voters this month gave Chesky and Airbnb a win, defeating Proposition ...
Business & Economics
California’s Regulations are Harming Small Businesses
The regulatory burden in California continues to grow. Minimum wage increases—which simultaneously raise costs on businesses and harms many low-wage workers and consumers—have passed in Los Angeles and San Francisco. California is also pursuing regulations that would reduce the viability of Uber and Lyft, the popular ride-for-hire services revolutionizing how ...
Commentary
Middle-class Colorado students underperform on federal testing
Are the Colorado public schools that serve mostly middle-class students performing well? Lots of parents seem to think so. They may believe that student performance problems are limited to places like poor areas in Denver. But the public schools serving many middle-class Colorado students are not performing as well as ...
Commentary
Ghosts, Goblins, Obamacare — Oh, My!
On November First, Obamacare’s exchanges will open for business, and Americans without employer-sponsored or individual coverage will be able to select their health insurance plans for the upcoming year. The timing makes sense. Open enrollment follows the scariest day of the year — Halloween. And the ensuing two months will ...
Commentary
Obamacare’s Enrollment Is Flatlining
Yesterday, Obamacare’s third open-enrollment period began. From November 1 to January 31, Americans without employer-sponsored or government insurance coverage will be able to purchase health plans for 2016. It’s the third open-enrollment period for Obamacare. And it’s shaping up to be a challenge. According to the Obama administration, 10.5 million ...
Commentary
Don’t let artificial caps stifle drug production
This is shaping up to be another banner year for medical progress. Regulators have already approved 28 new medicines, roughly on last year’s pace of 41 new drug approvals – the most since the Clinton administration. But in future years, the list of medical breakthroughs could prove much shorter. In ...
Business & Economics
The Problem With Private Lawyers Courting Attorney Generals
Addressing the problem of abusive lawsuits remains a necessary, yet unrealized, state and federal reform. Perhaps nowhere are the costs from abusive lawsuits more evident than in the health care industry. The risk of frivolous medical malpractice litigation raises insurance costs and incentivizes doctors to practice defensive medicine. According to ...
Commentary
Mind the PPACA gaps
Sally Pipes, the president of the Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy, has been one of the most visible players in the U.S. health finance policy fight for decades. Sir Anthony Fisher, a British businessman, set up the institute and sister think tanks, including the Manhattan Institute, to publish analyses ...
Brace Yourself
It’s been a tough year for some of America’s favorite health care bogeymen — insurers. U.S. insurers had to absorb nearly $2.9 billion in unexpected medical expenses from their customers in Obamacare’s exchanges in 2014, according to new data from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. But don’t shed tears ...
Tough times for health care insurers — and patients
It’s been a tough year for some of America’s favorite health care boogeymen: insurers. U.S. insurers had to absorb nearly $2.9 billion in unexpected medical expenses from their customers in Obamacare’s exchanges in 2014, according to new data from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. But don’t shed too many ...
Lessons from the San Francisco Airbnb Fight
In 1979, the Pacific Research Institute opened its doors in San Francisco. Jimmy Carter was President; Diane Feinstein was mayor; and Brian Chesky, the founder of home-sharing platform Airbnb, was still two years away from being born. San Francisco voters this month gave Chesky and Airbnb a win, defeating Proposition ...
California’s Regulations are Harming Small Businesses
The regulatory burden in California continues to grow. Minimum wage increases—which simultaneously raise costs on businesses and harms many low-wage workers and consumers—have passed in Los Angeles and San Francisco. California is also pursuing regulations that would reduce the viability of Uber and Lyft, the popular ride-for-hire services revolutionizing how ...
Middle-class Colorado students underperform on federal testing
Are the Colorado public schools that serve mostly middle-class students performing well? Lots of parents seem to think so. They may believe that student performance problems are limited to places like poor areas in Denver. But the public schools serving many middle-class Colorado students are not performing as well as ...
Ghosts, Goblins, Obamacare — Oh, My!
On November First, Obamacare’s exchanges will open for business, and Americans without employer-sponsored or individual coverage will be able to select their health insurance plans for the upcoming year. The timing makes sense. Open enrollment follows the scariest day of the year — Halloween. And the ensuing two months will ...
Obamacare’s Enrollment Is Flatlining
Yesterday, Obamacare’s third open-enrollment period began. From November 1 to January 31, Americans without employer-sponsored or government insurance coverage will be able to purchase health plans for 2016. It’s the third open-enrollment period for Obamacare. And it’s shaping up to be a challenge. According to the Obama administration, 10.5 million ...
Don’t let artificial caps stifle drug production
This is shaping up to be another banner year for medical progress. Regulators have already approved 28 new medicines, roughly on last year’s pace of 41 new drug approvals – the most since the Clinton administration. But in future years, the list of medical breakthroughs could prove much shorter. In ...
The Problem With Private Lawyers Courting Attorney Generals
Addressing the problem of abusive lawsuits remains a necessary, yet unrealized, state and federal reform. Perhaps nowhere are the costs from abusive lawsuits more evident than in the health care industry. The risk of frivolous medical malpractice litigation raises insurance costs and incentivizes doctors to practice defensive medicine. According to ...
Mind the PPACA gaps
Sally Pipes, the president of the Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy, has been one of the most visible players in the U.S. health finance policy fight for decades. Sir Anthony Fisher, a British businessman, set up the institute and sister think tanks, including the Manhattan Institute, to publish analyses ...
