Government imposition of widespread lockdowns in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have produced profound economic dislocations. Congress has sought to mitigate this economic damage by enacting a series of bills that have raised federal spending, deficits, and debt to extraordinary levels. Current deficits and debt are instructive, but insufficient, measures of a government’s financial … [Read more...] about Potential Long-Term Economic Consequences of the Federal Response to the COVID-19 Lockdowns
Responding to the Coronavirus Crisis and Building a Stronger Health Sector for the Future
An open letter to the American people from 83 participants in the Health Policy Consensus Group and other health care leaders The COVID-19 crisis has highlighted the need for flexibility in our health sector and for public officials to do more to empower medical professionals and health care innovators to provide the care and coverage people want and need. Those goals must guide our … [Read more...] about Responding to the Coronavirus Crisis and Building a Stronger Health Sector for the Future
Potential long-term economic consequences of the federal response to the COVID-19 lockdowns
Norbert J. Michel, PhD, Paul Winfree, and Doug Badger |The Heritage Foundation | Senate leaders are hard at work on another coronavirus relief package, and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said this week “kids in school, jobs and health care are likely to be the focus of the bill.” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says a developing coronavirus relief bill will cost at least … [Read more...] about Potential long-term economic consequences of the federal response to the COVID-19 lockdowns
Incentives and Data Matter: An analysis of the left’s coronavirus relief plan
Galen Senior Fellow Brian Blase concludes in an important new paper that the formula being proposed by leading House Democrats to provide coronavirus relief to states would exacerbate Medicaid’s already-serious problems and provide a huge incentive for states to keep their unemployment rates high. His analysis shows most states would receive $19 in federal money for every $1 they spend through … [Read more...] about Incentives and Data Matter: An analysis of the left’s coronavirus relief plan
Caution! Medicaid and coronavirus relief don’t mix!
Op-Ed in The Wall Street Journal by Brian Blase | The left’s new priority is to convince Congress to send hundreds of billions of additional dollars to states to help them weather the coronavirus storm. A leading Democratic proposal would funnel the money through Medicaid, with a built-in incentive for states to keep their economies closed and unemployment rates high. The bill, … [Read more...] about Caution! Medicaid and coronavirus relief don’t mix!
Is Social Distancing Working?
“Sweden has largely eschewed social distancing, choosing instead to permit more normal levels of economic and social interaction,” Galen Senior Fellow Doug Badger writes in a piece he coauthored for The Daily Signal. So how is that working out? They link to an interview with one of the world’s leading epidemiologists, Johan Giesecke, who “gave a very blunt … [Read more...] about Is Social Distancing Working?
Subsidizing COBRA Is Bad Policy, Three Former White House Economists Say
Big businesses, insurance companies, hospitals, unions, and liberal policy groups are calling on Congress to subsidize COBRA policies to ensure that the recently unemployed can maintain their employer-based health insurance coverage. While the goal is understandable, the policy is misguided and would create a series of problems. As such, Congress should avoid taking this action. First, … [Read more...] about Subsidizing COBRA Is Bad Policy, Three Former White House Economists Say
Is Medicaid Expansion Worth It?
Targeted initiatives focused on vulnerable patients and children prove to be far better public investments than does a broad-based Medicaid expansion, according to a new paper by Brian Blase and David Balat for the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Their detailed review of academic studies and state experience shows the most cost-effective way to use public resources to improve health is … [Read more...] about Is Medicaid Expansion Worth It?