New Study: Medicare’s Price Controls Are Fueling America’s Growing Doctor Shortage
The Pacific Research Institute’s Center for Medical Economics and Innovation today released a new issue brief warning that continued federal underpayment of doctors is fueling a looming healthcare crisis by accelerating the nation’s physician shortage and undermining access to care. Written by PRI senior fellow in business and economics and CMEI director Dr. Wayne Winegarden, the brief (titled “It’s Time for Medicare to Stop Shortchanging Physicians”) finds that Medicare reimbursement rates are well below market ...
Proposed Patent Tax Threatens the Research That Powers Growth
Is federally funded science really a raw deal for taxpayers? Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick seems to think so. “If we fund it and they invent a patent,” he recently said, “the United States of America taxpayer should get half the benefit.” Lutnick is proposing a 50% excise tax on the revenue that academic institutions derive from licensing research breakthroughs to private companies. It’s a deeply misinformed idea — one that would endanger the health and ...
ISSUE BRIEF: Government Policy Is Consolidating the Practice of Medicine
A new issue brief released today by the Pacific Research Institute—the California-based, nonpartisan, free market think tank—finds that certain states’ efforts to tighten corporate practice of medicine laws hurt independent physicians, empower hospitals to consolidate local provider markets, and raise healthcare costs. “Competition is a prerequisite for affordable, high-quality care,” said Dr. Wayne Winegarden, the author of the issue brief and Director of the Center for Medical Economics and Innovation at the Pacific Research Institute. ...
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Single Payer
Medical Debt
Drug Prices
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Podcasts
Sally Pipes – On the Health Care Debate in Washington
December 1, 2025
Sally Pipes – The World’s Medicine Chest
March 3, 2025
Wayne Winegarden – The Impact of Covid-19 Restrictions
October 2, 2023
Bill Smith – Rationing Medicine
May 23, 2023
Blogs
Healthcare Reform Should Take Aim at Hidden Prices
Anthony Velasquez
February 3, 2026
How do price controls damage innovation?
Sally C. Pipes
December 17, 2025
Commentary
Proposed Patent Tax Threatens the Research That Powers Growth
Sally C. Pipes
February 10, 2026
Cancer Breakthroughs Threatened by D.C.’s Price Controls
Sally C. Pipes
February 6, 2026
House GOP must promote commonsense health care reform
Sally C. Pipes
February 6, 2026















