Commentary
Commentary
Warning: COVID-19 Lockdowns May Cause Cancer
During the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic, the most vocal proponents of aggressive lockdowns often framed the issue as a trade-off between personal freedom on the one hand and public health on the other. Stay-at-home orders may have prevented some people at the margin from congregating and spreading the virus. ...
California
California Government Awash in Money Now, But a Reckoning Lies Ahead
Did a member of the California Legislature inadvertently, and quite publicly, admit that “progressive” governance is unsustainable? While discussing the state’s eviction protections and financial aid for renters during a CalMatters podcast, Assemblyman David Chiu, a San Francisco Democrat, said “If we run out of money, all bets are off.” This ...
Business & Economics
The SEC Is Considering Rules That Would Discourage Transparency And Encourage Inaccuracy
The SEC, under former Chairman Jay Clayton, issued a rule that improved the proxy advisory services market by promoting transparency and holding proxy firms more accountable for inaccuracies. Rather than implementing the necessary improvements to these reforms, Chairman Gary Gensler intends to roll-back the progress already made. Proxy advisory firms ...
Commentary
It’s time for hospitals to make pricing transparent
Many hospitals are refusing to comply with a Trump-era requirement that went into effect on Jan. 1 to publish the prices for more than 300 “shoppable” medical procedures. This intransigence is alarming – and expensive. The rule could save American patients and insurers up to $27 billion annually, but only ...
Commentary
This Medicare change should concern seniors
Earlier this month, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced plans to cut Medicare’s payment rates to physicians by nearly 4%. The announcement comes just days before the program turns 56 on July 30. The pay cut, which has received intense pushback from several physician groups, is slated to ...
Commentary
Democrats $3.5 Trillion Budget Leaves the Health Care Sector as Broken as Ever
One of the most striking aspects of the $3.5 trillion budget resolution proposed last week by Senate Democrats is how little it does to improve America’s ailing healthcare system. The plan funnels massive sums of money into everything from Medicare and Medicaid to Obamacare’s premium tax credits. But it utterly fails to ...
Commentary
FDA Foot-Dragging On Vaccines Is Unfortunately No Surprise
Two months, one week, and five days. That’s how much time has passed since Pfizer and BioNTech filed for approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for their Covid-19 vaccine. The agency has not hinted when that decision might be coming. Moderna formally asked the FDA for approval of its vaccine seven ...
Commentary
Single-payer health care’s deadly waitlists
Millions of people have canceled doctor’s appointments and postponed elective surgeries over the past 18 months. But now that the pandemic has largely subsided, many patients feel it’s once again safe to seek care. A Gallup poll conducted in May found that nearly 17% of Americans had gone to a ...
Climate Change
History Repeats as Solar Power Oversold, Underperforms
Some stories in the world of energy are perennial. Pretty much every year, we read new advances in energy production or use that are going to revolutionize the world. And every year, that prediction doesn’t pan out. Other stories are decadal. Every 10 years or so, we hear about radical ...
Commentary
Biden Takes Obamacare From Bad to Worse
The Biden administration just announced a set of new proposals aimed at expanding access to coverage through Obamacare’s health insurance exchanges. The actual effects of these reforms will be inconsequential at best — and at worst, harmful. The main problem with the online marketplaces is that the plans on offer ...
Warning: COVID-19 Lockdowns May Cause Cancer
During the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic, the most vocal proponents of aggressive lockdowns often framed the issue as a trade-off between personal freedom on the one hand and public health on the other. Stay-at-home orders may have prevented some people at the margin from congregating and spreading the virus. ...
California Government Awash in Money Now, But a Reckoning Lies Ahead
Did a member of the California Legislature inadvertently, and quite publicly, admit that “progressive” governance is unsustainable? While discussing the state’s eviction protections and financial aid for renters during a CalMatters podcast, Assemblyman David Chiu, a San Francisco Democrat, said “If we run out of money, all bets are off.” This ...
The SEC Is Considering Rules That Would Discourage Transparency And Encourage Inaccuracy
The SEC, under former Chairman Jay Clayton, issued a rule that improved the proxy advisory services market by promoting transparency and holding proxy firms more accountable for inaccuracies. Rather than implementing the necessary improvements to these reforms, Chairman Gary Gensler intends to roll-back the progress already made. Proxy advisory firms ...
It’s time for hospitals to make pricing transparent
Many hospitals are refusing to comply with a Trump-era requirement that went into effect on Jan. 1 to publish the prices for more than 300 “shoppable” medical procedures. This intransigence is alarming – and expensive. The rule could save American patients and insurers up to $27 billion annually, but only ...
This Medicare change should concern seniors
Earlier this month, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced plans to cut Medicare’s payment rates to physicians by nearly 4%. The announcement comes just days before the program turns 56 on July 30. The pay cut, which has received intense pushback from several physician groups, is slated to ...
Democrats $3.5 Trillion Budget Leaves the Health Care Sector as Broken as Ever
One of the most striking aspects of the $3.5 trillion budget resolution proposed last week by Senate Democrats is how little it does to improve America’s ailing healthcare system. The plan funnels massive sums of money into everything from Medicare and Medicaid to Obamacare’s premium tax credits. But it utterly fails to ...
FDA Foot-Dragging On Vaccines Is Unfortunately No Surprise
Two months, one week, and five days. That’s how much time has passed since Pfizer and BioNTech filed for approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for their Covid-19 vaccine. The agency has not hinted when that decision might be coming. Moderna formally asked the FDA for approval of its vaccine seven ...
Single-payer health care’s deadly waitlists
Millions of people have canceled doctor’s appointments and postponed elective surgeries over the past 18 months. But now that the pandemic has largely subsided, many patients feel it’s once again safe to seek care. A Gallup poll conducted in May found that nearly 17% of Americans had gone to a ...
History Repeats as Solar Power Oversold, Underperforms
Some stories in the world of energy are perennial. Pretty much every year, we read new advances in energy production or use that are going to revolutionize the world. And every year, that prediction doesn’t pan out. Other stories are decadal. Every 10 years or so, we hear about radical ...
Biden Takes Obamacare From Bad to Worse
The Biden administration just announced a set of new proposals aimed at expanding access to coverage through Obamacare’s health insurance exchanges. The actual effects of these reforms will be inconsequential at best — and at worst, harmful. The main problem with the online marketplaces is that the plans on offer ...
