George Mason University economics professor Don Boudreaux writes a letter to The Washington Post correcting columnist E.J. Dionne’s mistaken defense of Barack Obama’s health care plan: According to E.J. Dionne, “Few investments would help businesses more than offloading a share of their health-care costs to the government. It’s social justice with an economic kick” (“Hoover vs. Roosevelt?” October 10). Overlooking the questionable “justice” of forcing Peter to pay Paul’s insurance premiums, Mr. Dionne’s economics is wrong. Government provision of universal health insurance won’t reduce employers’ costs of employing workers. Worker …
The Heritage Foundation has long been an advocate for increased consumer choice in health care. In The New York Post, The Cato Institute’s Michael Cannon does a great job pushing back against some of the fear mongering coming from the left about what increased consumer choice would mean for consumer’s health care coverage: Obama sees choice as dangerous. He fears that “where there are no requirements for you to get cancer screenings,” no insurers would offer such coverage. The New Republic’s Jonathan Cohn echoes, “Less cancer screening under McCain’s plan? …
This morning, The Lewin Group, a non-partisan health care econometrics firm, released its long-awaited report on the presidential candidates’ health plans. Lewin is “the gold standard of independent health-care analysis.” Its report revealed profound differences in the candidates’ directions for health reform. Barack Obama clearly favors an expansion of government programs (and the creation of new ones); more regulation handed down from Washington; new mandates, rules, and penalties; and restrictions on individual choice. John McCain advocates empowering consumers; reigning in government programs; freeing up insurance markets; and enabling individuals and …
A round-up of Op-Eds from the Heritage Foundation India: A Land on the March – Ed Feulner As The Heritage Foundation’s “Index of Economic Freedom” shows each year, more economic freedom (an open economy operating under the rule of law) generates more economic growth. That, in turn, means a higher income for the average person. This is exactly what’s happening in India[...] Another Reason to Drill – Ben Lieberman The restrictions on offshore energy are based on outdated environmental fears – advances in technology have dramatically reduced the risk of …
As part of their Health Care Watch series, The New York Times Campaign Stops blog invited Heritage vice president for domestic policy Stuart Butler to analyze the presidential candidates health care plans. Butler writes: Barack Obama’s approach might be called “expand and economize.” Essentially he would add commitments and centralize, and then try to offset costs with new revenue and efficiency improvements. He would widen coverage by launching new programs and expansions of existing ones, plus requirements on many businesses to increase worker coverage or pay a tax. He seeks …
Make a list of the things you think government does really well. Almost everyone can agree it is pitifully short. Why, then, would we want government to run something as important as health care? The argument for a federal solution to affordable health care assumes the feds will do a good job, and is marked by a lack of understanding about what has made America the wealthiest country in history. Our meteoric rise was ignited by doing less, not more, when it came to regulating the choices people could make …
Roundup of Op-Ed’s from the Heritage Foundation Should Washington loan the Big Three automakers $50 billion to develop fuel-efficient vehicles? No By Nick Loris and James Gattuso Regardless of whether such an assertion holds true for Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, that argument does not hold water for the auto industry. Not only are the Big Three a smaller portion of the auto market than a generation ago, but even in the event of bankruptcy, their assets would not simply disappear.[...] The Doctrine According to Charlie Gibson By: Helle Dale …
This past Tuesday night Intelligence Squared US hosted a live debate at The Rockefeller University on health care. New York Times columnist Paul Krugman was among the participants and, not surprisingly he took the position that socialized medicine was awesome. Being in Manhattan, Krugman figured he probably had a sympathetic audience to help prove his point. Hilarity ensued: PAUL KRUGMAN: Actually, can I just — I wanted to ask a question. And— JOHN DONVAN: Please—please do— PAUL KRUGMAN: —and I wanted to ask, actually two questions, to the audience. First, …
When it comes to retirement and pension benefits, federal, state, and local government officials have all been humming the same mantra: never pay for something today if you can put off paying for it until tomorrow. Unfortunately, tomorrow is here. The federal government is on the hook for $41 trillion in unfunded obligations for Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, and state and local governments owe an additional $1.5 trillion to their state employees for health and pension benefits. The national reality of these promises started hitting home this year when …
Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA) dropped by Heritage this afternoon for our Conservative Bloggers’ Briefing to talk about his Middle Class Bill of Rights, a plan he’s crafted to address concerns he’s hearing from constituents in his district and across America. Cantor said for too long Democrats have claimed to ownership over the middle class. He’s hoping to change that perception with a plan that: Brings down gas prices Lowers the cost of food Makes paychecks go further Creates more jobs and ensures safer retirements Provides health care coverage for families …
