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
Doug Badger
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
It’s Time to Redesign Government-Hospital Coronavirus Funding
Brian Blase, Doug Badger, and Josh Archambault argue in National Review that new funding to hospitals should be coupled with reforms that will protect patients from surprise medical bills and require price transparency. Congress has provided more than $100 billion to help hospitals whose revenue has plummeted during the coronavirus crisis and is preparing to spend another $75 in legislation … [Read more...] about It’s Time to Redesign Government-Hospital Coronavirus Funding
How to Resolve the Coronavirus Testing Crisis
The administration’s guidelines for “Opening Up America Again” rely heavily on the ability of states to develop a robust COVID-19 testing capacity, and Congress is negotiating adding as much as $25 billion to this week’s funding bill to significantly expand testing. Badger and Turner argue that a dramatic increase in coronavirus testing is needed before people will feel safe … [Read more...] about How to Resolve the Coronavirus Testing Crisis
Affordable Care Act at Ten: Huge Expansion of Welfare and Injury to Individual Insurance Market
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, signed into law March 23, 2010, represents the most sweeping federal health reform legislation since the creation of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965. In the ensuing decade, the ACA has led to greater federal government control over the health care system through its mandates, subsidies, and taxes, leading to much higher costs and spending and fewer … [Read more...] about Affordable Care Act at Ten: Huge Expansion of Welfare and Injury to Individual Insurance Market
On Surprise Medical Bills, Congress Should Side With Consumers, Not Special Interests
If you’re wondering why Congress still hasn’t protected consumers from surprise medical bills, ask Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas. “It’s troubling that it’s taking this long,” Doggett, a senior member of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, recently told Politico. “But this can’t be something that is 100 percent for the provider or 100 percent for the insurer. … [Read more...] about On Surprise Medical Bills, Congress Should Side With Consumers, Not Special Interests
A Targeted Approach to Surprise Medical Billing
New Paper By Badger & Blase Surprise medical bills are a source of frustration for many Americans, and legislation to address the problem appeared to be on a fast track early in the year. But action has since slowed, primarily due to a stand-off between the two powerful interest groups that often benefit from surprise medical bills: providers and insurers. Complicating this … [Read more...] about A Targeted Approach to Surprise Medical Billing