Medicare
California
California heads for single-payer havoc with CalCare
California Democrats have renewed their quest to take over the state’s health insurance system. The state Assembly’s Health Committee approved legislation that would effectively outlaw private health insurance and force all Californians onto a government-run plan called CalCare. The plan calls for a tax increase of at least $163 billion, ...
Sally C. Pipes
January 18, 2022
Commentary
Opinion: Build Back Better’s Medicare Drug-payment Cap Worth Saving
Senate Democrats have restarted negotiations over their Build Back Better Act. The $1.75 trillion bill contains a laundry list of bad ideas, especially when it comes to health care policy. But there’s one reform in the legislation that makes sense — a $2,000 cap on out-of-pocket prescription drug costs for Medicare beneficiaries. The proposal ...
Sally C. Pipes
January 17, 2022
Commentary
California Can Look Forward to Socialized Medicine If Single-Payer Returns
It’s been five years since California Democrats tried and failed to bring socialized medicine to the Golden State. But with the new year comes a renewed attempt to abolish private health insurance and force all of the state’s 39 million residents into a new government-run plan. AB 1400 passed the state Assembly’s ...
Sally C. Pipes
January 13, 2022
Commentary
Some hospitals are charging 2 or 3 times more than the one next door
Imagine you’re a mom-to-be from Roxbury Township, looking to schedule a cesarean section. You’re halfway between Morristown Medical Center and Newton Medical Center. The listed price at Morristown — the top-ranked hospital in the state — is $24,927. At Newton, it’s nearly three times as much — $66,091. Price discrepancies like these are ...
Sally C. Pipes
January 7, 2022
Commentary
The Feds Continue to Fail Their Covid-19 Test
Americans who have COVID-19 but lack symptoms should only isolate for five days, according to new guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week. That’s a significant improvement over the agency’s previous recommendation of 10 days. The revised guidelines have sparked fierce debate because the CDC included no directive that ...
Sally C. Pipes
January 6, 2022
Commentary
What cereal can teach us about the generic drug market
Imagine you’re walking the aisles of your local supermarket, on the hunt for your favorite cereal. You usually purchase the generic version, since it tastes nearly the same and is much cheaper than the name-brand version. But today, you notice that the price of the name-brand cereal is just a ...
Sally C. Pipes
January 3, 2022
Blog
Support PRI’s Campaign for America’s Future
What does the future hold for America? Roadblocks for choice in education? COVID mandates forever? Inflation through the roof? Socialist “Medicare for All” proposals, which would require brutal tax increases and discourage promising young men and women from entering medicine? Politicians in Washington and Sacramento are pushing policies that drive ...
Sally C. Pipes
December 31, 2021
Commentary
Expanding telehealth access is a lifesaver for vulnerable patients
It’s hard to find a silver lining in a pandemic. But COVID-19 has convinced the medical and policymaking establishments, perhaps unwittingly, that high-quality care can be delivered remotely. The telehealth revolution is upon us. Lawmakers waived numerous arcane and outdated regulations governing the use of telemedicine to make the service ...
Sally C. Pipes
December 29, 2021
Commentary
A Disastrous Year In Federal Healthcare Spending
For current and future taxpayers, 2021 was a brutal year—at least when it comes to healthcare spending. Congress and the Biden administration approved tens of billions in new expenditures. Much of that money was, or will be, wasted on inefficient programs and subsidies that do little to improve the quality ...
Sally C. Pipes
December 27, 2021
Commentary
Building Back To Canadian Health Care?
Senate Democrats have delayed action on their multi-trillion-dollar Build Back Better Act until the New Year. If it passes, even more people will be dependent on the federal government for health coverage. It would represent the latest stepping-stone toward single-payer health care, which progressives like Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., have dreamed of ...
Sally C. Pipes
December 20, 2021
California heads for single-payer havoc with CalCare
California Democrats have renewed their quest to take over the state’s health insurance system. The state Assembly’s Health Committee approved legislation that would effectively outlaw private health insurance and force all Californians onto a government-run plan called CalCare. The plan calls for a tax increase of at least $163 billion, ...
Opinion: Build Back Better’s Medicare Drug-payment Cap Worth Saving
Senate Democrats have restarted negotiations over their Build Back Better Act. The $1.75 trillion bill contains a laundry list of bad ideas, especially when it comes to health care policy. But there’s one reform in the legislation that makes sense — a $2,000 cap on out-of-pocket prescription drug costs for Medicare beneficiaries. The proposal ...
California Can Look Forward to Socialized Medicine If Single-Payer Returns
It’s been five years since California Democrats tried and failed to bring socialized medicine to the Golden State. But with the new year comes a renewed attempt to abolish private health insurance and force all of the state’s 39 million residents into a new government-run plan. AB 1400 passed the state Assembly’s ...
Some hospitals are charging 2 or 3 times more than the one next door
Imagine you’re a mom-to-be from Roxbury Township, looking to schedule a cesarean section. You’re halfway between Morristown Medical Center and Newton Medical Center. The listed price at Morristown — the top-ranked hospital in the state — is $24,927. At Newton, it’s nearly three times as much — $66,091. Price discrepancies like these are ...
The Feds Continue to Fail Their Covid-19 Test
Americans who have COVID-19 but lack symptoms should only isolate for five days, according to new guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week. That’s a significant improvement over the agency’s previous recommendation of 10 days. The revised guidelines have sparked fierce debate because the CDC included no directive that ...
What cereal can teach us about the generic drug market
Imagine you’re walking the aisles of your local supermarket, on the hunt for your favorite cereal. You usually purchase the generic version, since it tastes nearly the same and is much cheaper than the name-brand version. But today, you notice that the price of the name-brand cereal is just a ...
Support PRI’s Campaign for America’s Future
What does the future hold for America? Roadblocks for choice in education? COVID mandates forever? Inflation through the roof? Socialist “Medicare for All” proposals, which would require brutal tax increases and discourage promising young men and women from entering medicine? Politicians in Washington and Sacramento are pushing policies that drive ...
Expanding telehealth access is a lifesaver for vulnerable patients
It’s hard to find a silver lining in a pandemic. But COVID-19 has convinced the medical and policymaking establishments, perhaps unwittingly, that high-quality care can be delivered remotely. The telehealth revolution is upon us. Lawmakers waived numerous arcane and outdated regulations governing the use of telemedicine to make the service ...
A Disastrous Year In Federal Healthcare Spending
For current and future taxpayers, 2021 was a brutal year—at least when it comes to healthcare spending. Congress and the Biden administration approved tens of billions in new expenditures. Much of that money was, or will be, wasted on inefficient programs and subsidies that do little to improve the quality ...
Building Back To Canadian Health Care?
Senate Democrats have delayed action on their multi-trillion-dollar Build Back Better Act until the New Year. If it passes, even more people will be dependent on the federal government for health coverage. It would represent the latest stepping-stone toward single-payer health care, which progressives like Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., have dreamed of ...