The CDC and mask mandates: Unmasking the truth | By Norbert Michel and Doug Badger | April 27, 2021, National Interest | How reliable are government declarations that mask mandates prevent the spread of the coronavirus? Not very, as a new article by Norbert Michel and Doug Badger in National Interest demonstrates. With the Center for Disease Control’s announcement this week that it’s … [Read more...] about Misplaced Trust on Mask Mandates
Doug Badger
Don’t Attack Innovation
“Pharmaceutical Innovation is Winning the War on COVID-19. Biden Shouldn’t Disarm.” | By Doug Badger | Chicago Tribune, April 17, 2021 The Biden administration is launching what amounts to a federal assault against pharmaceutical innovation—innovation that led to the historic feat of producing vaccines against COVID-19 in record time. President Biden would impose federal price controls on … [Read more...] about Don’t Attack Innovation
Back To Normal?—Doug Badger In Sun Sentinel
Will life after COVID-19 be normal? |By Doug Badger |Sun Sentinel, March 5, 2021 | Can the federal government ban evictions? Seems like a pretty straightforward question. But the answer touches on a deeper one, as yet unsettled: Will life after COVID-19 be normal? Consider what a federal judge said recently when he struck down a Centers for Disease Control ban on evictions, which the Trump … [Read more...] about Back To Normal?—Doug Badger In Sun Sentinel
The New Push to Expand Government’s Role in Health Care Won’t Work
The following is an open letter from 68 leaders participating in the Health Policy Consensus Group. The full list of signatories follows the letter. Democrats in Congress have proposed a COVID-19 relief bill that includes provisions to dramatically increase government subsidies for health care coverage for millions of people who already have insurance while further expanding … [Read more...] about The New Push to Expand Government’s Role in Health Care Won’t Work
Assessing President Biden’s Obamacare Expansion Proposals
Joe Biden rejected calls from other Democrats to back a single-payer, government-run health care system, instead saying his plan was to expand the Affordable Care Act. President Biden is now proposing to "fix" it—including spending vastly more money on the program, creating a public option (i.e., another government-run health plan), and imposing price controls. Two of the country's leading … [Read more...] about Assessing President Biden’s Obamacare Expansion Proposals
COVID-19: Why President Biden’s Response Strategy Falls Short
There is a natural tendency for a new Administration to focus on the things it can control. Reshuffling boxes on organizational charts, creating multi-agency working groups, and ordering up studies and reports conveys an aura of competent governance. The risk is that the federal government will waste precious time and energy organizing itself instead of organizing a more effective response to the … [Read more...] about COVID-19: Why President Biden’s Response Strategy Falls Short
Mask Mandates: Do They Work? Are There Better Ways to Control COVID-19 Outbreaks?
President Joe Biden has signed two executive orders mandating that people wear masks. Instead of focusing on masks, which many localities already have, Biden should focus on more effective responses. “Although mask-wearing may reduce transmission rate, it has not prevented cases from spiking either here or abroad. Governments should pursue additional strategies. These include adopting better … [Read more...] about Mask Mandates: Do They Work? Are There Better Ways to Control COVID-19 Outbreaks?
Forget lockdowns: At home self testing can work for COVID-19 containment
The pandemic is again raging in Italy, where strict lockdowns and widespread mask-wearing were once believed to have tamed the coronavirus contagion. It was the first country to impose lockdowns and left them in place longer than most other nations. Its national mask mandate is enforced by military police, with fines recently increased to 1,000 euros per violation. Public … [Read more...] about Forget lockdowns: At home self testing can work for COVID-19 containment