Healthcare | AEIdeas

Monday, May 20, 2013

Credit: Obama White House; AEI

Part-time Nation: Was the April jobs report really the Obamacare jobs report?

James Pethokoukis | May 3, 2013, 10:05 am

US job growth in April beat economist expectations as nonfarm payrolls rose 165,000, and the jobless rate fell to a four-year low of 7.5%. But the report contained worrisome signs that President Obama’s health care reform law is hurting full-time, high-wage … read more >

Pethokoukis

Another Obamacare glitch: Landmark study shows Medicaid causes ‘no significant improvements in measured physical health outcomes’

James Pethokoukis | May 1, 2013, 9:17 pm

I’m not sure if this counts as one those health care “glitches and bumps,” President Obama talked about the other day. But whatever term you choose, it’s hardly a good harbinger for Obamacare and its dramatic Medicaid expansion. New results … read more >

Pethokoukis

Liberals make two erroneous assumptions about free-market healthcare plans

James Pethokoukis | April 4, 2013, 3:10 pm

Lots of back-and-forth between Ben Domenech, Ezra Klein, Yuval Levin, and Matthew Yglesias on whether there really are workable center-right alternatives to Obamacare. I think there are, and center-left criticism frequently makes at least two systemic errors that color its … read more >

Economics, Pethokoukis

A possible fix for that coming US doctor shortage? Disruptive innovation

James Pethokoukis | April 4, 2013, 11:56 am

A Drudge headline right now highlights this medical math: 30 million Americans currently without health insurance will be getting coverage next year. But by 2020, there’s a projected shortage of 45,000 primary care physicians. This seems like a big problem. But there … read more >

Economics, Pethokoukis

Will healthcare reform give big business an edge over small business?

James Pethokoukis | April 3, 2013, 3:34 pm

Peter Coy of Bloomberg BusinessWeek, citing the new ADP jobs report, points out that since “the U.S. economic recovery began in June 2009, big employers (1,000 employees and up) have increased employment 7.5 percent, while small employers (fewer than 50 … read more >

Pethokoukis, Economics, U.S. Economy

Obama’s brain mapping project is a good idea. But is he selling it like a sports stadium?

James Pethokoukis | April 2, 2013, 1:58 pm

Spending $100 million on a brain mapping project that may, as President Obama said today, “find new ways to treat, cure, and even prevent brain disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy, and traumatic brain injury” is a no-brainer. That, even if … read more >

Foreign and Defense Policy, Economics, Health Care, India

Indian drug protectionism wins again

Roger Bate | April 2, 2013, 12:39 pm

On Monday, the Indian Supreme Court ended a seven year legal fight with drug company Novartis when it denied a patent for the company’s blockbuster Leukemia drug, Glivec. Health activists hailed the decision as a godsend that will ensure India … read more >

Economics, Health Care, Pethokoukis

So what do Republicans want to do about healthcare, exactly?

James Pethokoukis | March 28, 2013, 3:33 pm

Is this the best use of the time and political capital of national Republicans? National Journal: If Republicans hope to completely repeal the health care law, they have to start by taking back the Senate in 2014 and would likely … read more >

Economics, Health Care, Taxes and Spending

The New York Times must choose: Ideology or protecting Americans’ health and saving taxpayers money

Jon Entine | February 25, 2013, 3:35 pm

In a sharp rebuke of a New York Times investigation, an analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found that a last-minute provision added to the early January “fiscal cliff” bill could save taxpayers as much as $4 billion—rather than … read more >

Economics, Health Care

5 ways to improve Obamacare

Henrik Temp | February 21, 2013, 2:16 pm

The Affordable Care Act (ACA, commonly known as Obamacare) is here to stay, as commentators from the left and right are acknowledging. But just because it can’t be fully repealed doesn’t mean that it can’t be significantly improved. read more >

Lean In… to Government?
Sheryl Sandberg's runaway best-selling book Lean In has managed to offend both the Left and the Right. Sandberg touts female hard-headedness, yet also calls for an elaborate government- and employer-supplied support system for women. […]
Are American Voters Racist?
Racial prejudice plays a very small role in American politics, but a highly disciplined sense of self-interest on the part of one group may play a very large role in the way the federal government functions. […]
The Perpetual Passion for Paper
Paper is becoming less important in some respects, but its strengths — prestige, utility, permanence, and security — are more essential than ever. […]
Could California Make a Comeback?
An unexpected glimmer of hope might cast a new light on the Golden State. […]