Commentary
California
READ THE LATEST ON CA'S BULLET TRAIN
Iowa senator looks to throw the emergency brake on far overbudget spending on out-of-control train projects
California is in dire need of federal funds to keep its high-speed rail dream alive. But a Midwestern senator is standing athwart the “gravy train” yelling stop. Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst recently introduced the Put the Brakes on Boondoggles Act, a to-the-point bill to withhold federal aid from transit construction ...
Kerry Jackson
June 7, 2023
Commentary
Read the latest on Sen Bernie's plan for Medicare for All
May We Never Know Dysfunction, Cruelty of Public Health Care
“The current health care system in the United States is totally broken,” Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said at a recent event on Capitol Hill. “It is totally dysfunctional, and it is extremely cruel.” His preferred fix remains Medicare for All — a sweeping government takeover of health insurance. His latest ...
Sally C. Pipes
June 6, 2023
Commentary
Implementing work requirements should be a legislative priority
Medicaid work requirements aren’t in the debt limit deal. They should’ve been
President Joe Biden signed a measure on Saturday that suspended the country’s debt limit after weeks of wrangling with Republicans in the House. The legislation averts a default on the nation’s debt. Democrats managed to keep Medicaid work requirements out of the final compromise . That’s a shame. The proposal would have helped rein in federal spending while ...
Sally C. Pipes
June 5, 2023
Commentary
Read Sally Pipes' latest on health care reform
Repeal laws that stifle health care competition
Patients in several states could soon find it easier to access life-saving medical care, if state legislators and executive officials eliminate so-called certificate-of-need restrictions for new acute-care hospitals in rural areas. Certificate-of-need laws require health care providers to get a state government’s sign-off before building new facilities, expanding existing ones, ...
Sally C. Pipes
June 4, 2023
Commentary
Here’s How Lawmakers Can Slash Medicare Spending Without Cutting Benefits
Politicians don’t agree on much these days, but one thing seems to bring even Democrats and Republicans together. And that’s refusing to cut Medicare. That position may be politically popular. But it’s at odds with the long-term sustainability of the program. Medicare’s hospital insurance trust fund is set to go bankrupt ...
Sally C. Pipes
May 30, 2023
Commentary
State Public Plans No Blueprint for Affordable Healthcare
A divided Congress has prevented “Medicare for All” from taking off. So progressive activists have turned their attention to the states. Several have launched “public options,” health plans chartered by the state to compete against private insurers. The results have not been impressive. People are not opting for public option ...
Sally C. Pipes
May 26, 2023
Commentary
Read about recent healthcare professional needs
Scope-of-practice reforms can address doctor shortage
America is facing a chronic doctor shortage. Solving that problem will require not just more doctors but a much bigger role for advanced-practice nurses in our healthcare system. A 2021 report found that the United States will need nearly as many as 48,000 more primary care doctors by 2034 to ...
Sally C. Pipes
May 22, 2023
Commentary
New COVID-19 research is troubling
Gov’t Undermines Search for Heart Disease Treatments
New research into COVID-19 has revealed some troubling findings. Even mild cases can lead to lasting heart complications. Comparing test data collected before and after a group of patients in their mid-30s contracted mild cases of COVID, researchers noticed an increase in arterial stiffness and cardiovascular inflammation. That means they may face “a widespread ...
Sally C. Pipes
May 22, 2023
Commentary
Moderna, Pfizer signal they plan to raise price of their shots
In defense of pandemic profits
The price of a COVID-19 shot will soon go up. The federal public health emergency ended this month, and the government will stop providing COVID vaccines to all Americans free of charge. Moderna and Pfizer have both signaled that they plan to raise the prices of their shots once the ...
Sally C. Pipes
May 21, 2023
California
Newsom wisely channels Jerry Brown on state budget
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s just released “May Revise” budget plan is generating criticism from a surprising source — legislative progressives. The Newsom administration projects that the shortfall has grown by $9.3 billion to $31.5 billion. Adding to the problem, California can’t count on a federal bailout and the national economy is ...
Wayne Winegarden
May 19, 2023
READ THE LATEST ON CA'S BULLET TRAIN
Iowa senator looks to throw the emergency brake on far overbudget spending on out-of-control train projects
California is in dire need of federal funds to keep its high-speed rail dream alive. But a Midwestern senator is standing athwart the “gravy train” yelling stop. Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst recently introduced the Put the Brakes on Boondoggles Act, a to-the-point bill to withhold federal aid from transit construction ...
Read the latest on Sen Bernie's plan for Medicare for All
May We Never Know Dysfunction, Cruelty of Public Health Care
“The current health care system in the United States is totally broken,” Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said at a recent event on Capitol Hill. “It is totally dysfunctional, and it is extremely cruel.” His preferred fix remains Medicare for All — a sweeping government takeover of health insurance. His latest ...
Implementing work requirements should be a legislative priority
Medicaid work requirements aren’t in the debt limit deal. They should’ve been
President Joe Biden signed a measure on Saturday that suspended the country’s debt limit after weeks of wrangling with Republicans in the House. The legislation averts a default on the nation’s debt. Democrats managed to keep Medicaid work requirements out of the final compromise . That’s a shame. The proposal would have helped rein in federal spending while ...
Read Sally Pipes' latest on health care reform
Repeal laws that stifle health care competition
Patients in several states could soon find it easier to access life-saving medical care, if state legislators and executive officials eliminate so-called certificate-of-need restrictions for new acute-care hospitals in rural areas. Certificate-of-need laws require health care providers to get a state government’s sign-off before building new facilities, expanding existing ones, ...
Here’s How Lawmakers Can Slash Medicare Spending Without Cutting Benefits
Politicians don’t agree on much these days, but one thing seems to bring even Democrats and Republicans together. And that’s refusing to cut Medicare. That position may be politically popular. But it’s at odds with the long-term sustainability of the program. Medicare’s hospital insurance trust fund is set to go bankrupt ...
State Public Plans No Blueprint for Affordable Healthcare
A divided Congress has prevented “Medicare for All” from taking off. So progressive activists have turned their attention to the states. Several have launched “public options,” health plans chartered by the state to compete against private insurers. The results have not been impressive. People are not opting for public option ...
Read about recent healthcare professional needs
Scope-of-practice reforms can address doctor shortage
America is facing a chronic doctor shortage. Solving that problem will require not just more doctors but a much bigger role for advanced-practice nurses in our healthcare system. A 2021 report found that the United States will need nearly as many as 48,000 more primary care doctors by 2034 to ...
New COVID-19 research is troubling
Gov’t Undermines Search for Heart Disease Treatments
New research into COVID-19 has revealed some troubling findings. Even mild cases can lead to lasting heart complications. Comparing test data collected before and after a group of patients in their mid-30s contracted mild cases of COVID, researchers noticed an increase in arterial stiffness and cardiovascular inflammation. That means they may face “a widespread ...
Moderna, Pfizer signal they plan to raise price of their shots
In defense of pandemic profits
The price of a COVID-19 shot will soon go up. The federal public health emergency ended this month, and the government will stop providing COVID vaccines to all Americans free of charge. Moderna and Pfizer have both signaled that they plan to raise the prices of their shots once the ...
Newsom wisely channels Jerry Brown on state budget
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s just released “May Revise” budget plan is generating criticism from a surprising source — legislative progressives. The Newsom administration projects that the shortfall has grown by $9.3 billion to $31.5 billion. Adding to the problem, California can’t count on a federal bailout and the national economy is ...