By Brian Blase, Casey Mulligan and Doug Badger | Three former White House economic advisers warn in a paper released today by the Galen Institute that Congress would delay the recovery if it extends the $600 weekly increase in unemployment insurance (UI) benefits scheduled to expire July 31. In their paper, “Getting America Back to Work and Hastening the Recovery,” they estimate that … [Read more...] about Getting America Back to Work and Hastening the Recovery
Doug Badger
It’s time to ban balance billing
Negotiations to end surprise billing have been at an impasse for nearly a year. Discussions between the White House and congressional leaders over another coronavirus bill offer an opportunity to finally end this practice that defrauds millions of patients every year. The lobbying battle lines are well defined. On one side stand the private equity firms that have bought medical staffing agencies … [Read more...] about It’s time to ban balance billing
Potential Long-Term Economic Consequences of the Federal Response to the COVID-19 Lockdowns
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
End the Calamity of Shutdowns
By Doug Badger & Grace-Marie Turner - June 11, 2020 - RealClearHealth | States like New York and New Jersey with the strictest lockdown policies are relaxing some restrictions, but they must accelerate their reopenings and focus on targeting resources to hotspots and to protecting the most vulnerable. Months of confinement have taken an enormous toll in physical and mental health … [Read more...] about End the Calamity of Shutdowns
Recession has hit America’s health care industry – and it’s brutal. Here’s what needs to happen now
By Amy Anderson and Doug Badger |FOX Business June 10, 2020 | The health care sector is in recession. Hospitals, physician and dental practices and clinical laboratories are hemorrhaging money and furloughing staff. Some are on the brink of bankruptcy. While the world is calling health workers “heroes," many are losing their jobs. In April, the sector shed 1.4 million … [Read more...] about Recession has hit America’s health care industry – and it’s brutal. Here’s what needs to happen now
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
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