Commentary
California
Why Did California’s Campaign Against Anthem Blue Cross Collapse?
I have written a series of blog entries about California’s health care regulators attacking health plans for “rescission,” which the regulators have equated with “post-claims underwriting.” The former consists of revoking a policy because the beneficiary made a material misrepresentation about his health status on his application. The latter consists ...
Commentary
Hidden provision could endanger economy, civil liberties
As the Senate prepares to vote on the current housing legislation, I would like to bring to your attention a dangerous hidden provision that will burden several innovative Bay Area companies and threaten the civil liberties of all Americans. Senators Christopher Dodd and Richard Shelby quietly attached to H.R. 3221 ...
Climate Change
Index of Leading Environmental Indicators 2008
To borrow the blunt language of Generation X and the “Millennials,” Does the United States suck on the environment? This 13th edition of the Index of Leading Environmental Indicators aims to address this question in a new and broader context. Contrary to the perception expressed in the epigraphs above, the ...
Commentary
Remedies tackle California’s remedial education program
Every year poorly prepared college students cost Californians some $14 billion in remedial education programs, according to a new report published by the Pacific Research Institute or PRI. The report “The High Price of Failure in California: How Inadequate Education Costs Schools, Students, and Society,” argues that these direct and ...
Business & Economics
Turning POTS into PANS
The California Public Utilities Commission on Tuesday proposed relaxing 13-year-old price caps on basic telephone service. Yielding to the demands of public interest groups, regulators currently force telecommunications companies to offer the cheapest basic rates in the nation. Yet, if artificially low prices are necessary to protect consumer welfare, why ...
Commentary
AB 32 is a breath of foul air for taxpayers, businesses
California is in the midst of economic turmoil. Headlines shout daily about the plummeting dollar and home values, disappearing jobs, soaring fuel and food costs, and a growing massive state budget deficit. Apparently oblivious to the strain on California households, some state legislators are trying to rush implementation of a ...
Business & Economics
Letters: The Tort War, Unresolved
To the Editor: To the Trenches: The Tort War Is Raging On (June 22, 2008) Re “To the Trenches: The Tort War Is Raging On” (June 22): One area of particular concern, especially in this election year, is torts’ impact on health care. Fears of malpractice lawsuits prompt many doctors ...
Business & Economics
Politicians Tell Big Oil How to Make Billions
When it comes to vilifying big evil corporations, the accusations made about oil companies never disappoint. The latest controversy centers on whether the government should allow more drilling for oil and natural gas on federal lands. A widely cited report (pdf) from the congressional Committee of Natural Resources gives all ...
Business & Economics
Illinois the ‘Lawsuit Capital of the Midwest’
The evidence is overwhelming. There simply is no denying Illinois’ reputation as the “Lawsuit Capital of the Midwest.” Just in the past few months, several nationwide studies have been released and have confirmed Illinois’ status as a magnet for lawsuits. One report from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce ranks Illinois ...
Business & Economics
Baker, Kritzer, & Vidmar on Jackpot Justice
Tom Baker (Connecticut/Penn), Herbert Kritzer (William Mitchell), and Neil Vidmar (Duke) have posted Jackpot Justice and the American Tort System: Thinking Beyond Junk Science on SSRN. Here is the abstract: In 2007 the Pacific Research Institute released a report, “Jackpot Justice: The True Cost of America’s Tort System,” that is ...
Why Did California’s Campaign Against Anthem Blue Cross Collapse?
I have written a series of blog entries about California’s health care regulators attacking health plans for “rescission,” which the regulators have equated with “post-claims underwriting.” The former consists of revoking a policy because the beneficiary made a material misrepresentation about his health status on his application. The latter consists ...
Hidden provision could endanger economy, civil liberties
As the Senate prepares to vote on the current housing legislation, I would like to bring to your attention a dangerous hidden provision that will burden several innovative Bay Area companies and threaten the civil liberties of all Americans. Senators Christopher Dodd and Richard Shelby quietly attached to H.R. 3221 ...
Index of Leading Environmental Indicators 2008
To borrow the blunt language of Generation X and the “Millennials,” Does the United States suck on the environment? This 13th edition of the Index of Leading Environmental Indicators aims to address this question in a new and broader context. Contrary to the perception expressed in the epigraphs above, the ...
Remedies tackle California’s remedial education program
Every year poorly prepared college students cost Californians some $14 billion in remedial education programs, according to a new report published by the Pacific Research Institute or PRI. The report “The High Price of Failure in California: How Inadequate Education Costs Schools, Students, and Society,” argues that these direct and ...
Turning POTS into PANS
The California Public Utilities Commission on Tuesday proposed relaxing 13-year-old price caps on basic telephone service. Yielding to the demands of public interest groups, regulators currently force telecommunications companies to offer the cheapest basic rates in the nation. Yet, if artificially low prices are necessary to protect consumer welfare, why ...
AB 32 is a breath of foul air for taxpayers, businesses
California is in the midst of economic turmoil. Headlines shout daily about the plummeting dollar and home values, disappearing jobs, soaring fuel and food costs, and a growing massive state budget deficit. Apparently oblivious to the strain on California households, some state legislators are trying to rush implementation of a ...
Letters: The Tort War, Unresolved
To the Editor: To the Trenches: The Tort War Is Raging On (June 22, 2008) Re “To the Trenches: The Tort War Is Raging On” (June 22): One area of particular concern, especially in this election year, is torts’ impact on health care. Fears of malpractice lawsuits prompt many doctors ...
Politicians Tell Big Oil How to Make Billions
When it comes to vilifying big evil corporations, the accusations made about oil companies never disappoint. The latest controversy centers on whether the government should allow more drilling for oil and natural gas on federal lands. A widely cited report (pdf) from the congressional Committee of Natural Resources gives all ...
Illinois the ‘Lawsuit Capital of the Midwest’
The evidence is overwhelming. There simply is no denying Illinois’ reputation as the “Lawsuit Capital of the Midwest.” Just in the past few months, several nationwide studies have been released and have confirmed Illinois’ status as a magnet for lawsuits. One report from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce ranks Illinois ...
Baker, Kritzer, & Vidmar on Jackpot Justice
Tom Baker (Connecticut/Penn), Herbert Kritzer (William Mitchell), and Neil Vidmar (Duke) have posted Jackpot Justice and the American Tort System: Thinking Beyond Junk Science on SSRN. Here is the abstract: In 2007 the Pacific Research Institute released a report, “Jackpot Justice: The True Cost of America’s Tort System,” that is ...
