What’s New
What Price for Drugs?
When was the last time you saw a news headline announcing that a cancer patient died because she couldn’t afford a drug that could have saved her life? I bet you haven’t. Why? Because it doesn’t happen. At least not in this country. President Trump doesn’t understand the market for drugs. He is not alone. Most people don’t understand it. Here is John Goodman’s contribution to clear thinking:
- In Part I, he asks readers to imagine a free market for drugs, in which drug manufacturers are given a patent for a certain length of time. The patent allows drug companies to charge a monopoly price. But by price discriminating, they insure that almost no one goes without a lifesaving drug.
- In Part II, he asks how free market health insurance would cover expensive drugs. People who are more risk averse would purchase “top up” plans to pay for drugs conventional insurance finds not cost effective.
- In Part III, he shows that both public insurance and unwisely-regulated private health insurance face perverse incentives to favor the healthy over the sick. Reforms are suggested.
How the Barbarians Won
Have you ever thought about the difference between the biblical Jesus who said that the meek will inherit the earth and the Christ in whose name the Crusaders warred against Muslims and Jews?
These examples are, of course, at the extremes of Christianity—Jesus’ love of the least-favored people versus triumphant soldiers who went to war with the cross on their flags. But the image of Christians conducting wars and inflicting pain still jars us, and it is impossible for Christians to approve of those who took over Jerusalem in 1099 and massacred Muslims and Jews in the process.
How did this transformation take place?
$1T in Medicaid Cuts That Leave Beneficiaries Better Off
John Goodman identifies 12 reforms to Medicaid that will Allow Republicans to reach their budget goals without reducing any real benefit for enrollees. Among the ideas: let enrollees buy medical care the way they buy food with food stamps, have a heath savings account and have access to 24/7 direct primary care. More
China’s Decades-Long Tragedy
We are witnessing one of the greatest ironies of modern history: the population policy of the Chinese government. The state’s coercive one-child policy—complete with forced birth control, sterilizations, late (even caesarean) abortions, and likely infanticide—began...
Inside the Liberal Mind: The Tensions of Modern Political Thought
Why Can’t Every School be a Magnet School?
For many years, magnet schools were the only public schools that competed for students. And the experience as been very positive. So why can’t every school do that? John Goodman argues that every public school should be able to specialize in what it does best and compete for students. More
Stubborn History: The Reading Wars
For nearly 200 years there has been a controversy in the United States over how to teach reading.
What Should Republicans Do About Medicaid?
There is tremendous waste in the program. That means that Congress can make the program work better for beneficiaries and at the same time free up trillions of dollars to help fund the tax bill. The reforms include Roth Health Savings Accounts, 24/7 direct primary care, and access to a competitive medical marketplace. More
What’s Next for the Democratic Party?
Where DOGE and the Tax Bill Intersect
On the one hand, Elon Musk has been given a goal of reducing government waste by the Trump administration. On the other hand, congressional Republicans are desperate to find ways to cut spending in order to pay for a high-priority tax bill. The intersection of these two goals creates a rare opportunity to institute reforms that would be very hard to accomplish under ordinary circumstances. More.