Opinion
-
Nevada Lawmaker Renews Fight for Public Pension Reform
Opinion -As the gap between public pension liabilities and actual fund assets widens, a Nevada lawmaker is redoubling his efforts to defuse a ticking fiscal time bomb in the state. For several years, State Rep. -
HHS: Medicaid Patients Have Limited Access to Doctors
Opinion -A new study by the Office of Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services found half of all providers listed in Medicaid managed care plan are not available to new Medicaid patients, either because they are not at the listed location -
New Orleans Passes Sweeping Smoking Ban
Opinion -In late January, the New Orleans City Council approved a sweeping ban on smoking in the city, outlawing all cigarette and e-cigarette use in all privately owned bars and clubs, public recreational areas, sports arenas, and movie theaters. -
Bogus Research on Formaldehyde in E-Cig Vapor
Opinion -The New England Journal of Medicine yesterday published a letter claiming that vapor contains “hidden” formaldehyde at far higher levels than cigarettes (here), which made headlines worldwide. -
Medicaid Expansion’s Bad Priorities
Opinion -Gov. Bill Haslam proposes to expand Tennessee’s Medicaid program under the Affordable Care Act. -
Cuomo Cozies up to Environmentalists, Bans Fracking in New York
Opinion -New York made history on December 17th, 2014 as Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the state would ban hydraulic fracturing, also known as “fracking,” becoming the first state with significant deposits of oil or natural gas to do so. -
States’ Cigarette Sin Taxes Drive Booming Underground Markets
Opinion -States’ excise taxes on tobacco, intended to curb tobacco use, are instead causing unintended consequences such as black-market sales and other extralegal economic activity, according to a new study of consumer behavior. -
DOJ Abandons Civil Asset Forfeiture ‘Adoption’ Program
Opinion -A federal program allowing local law enforcement to receive shares of assets seized from citizens without criminal charges or search warrants has ended, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced in late January.Since 2008, the U.S. -
U.S. Oil and Gas Reserves Soar
Opinion -Continuing a trend that has sent ripples through global energy markets in recent years, U.S. oil and natural gas reserves hit new highs in 2013, according to a December 2014 Energy Information Administration report.Proved natural gas reserves rose 9. -
Obamacare Insurance Tax Will Hit State Budgets
Opinion -Thirty-six states that rely on private managed-care programs to provide medical services to all or some of their Medicaid recipients are facing added costs caused by the Affordable Care Act, according to a report by the actuarial consulting firm Milliman. -
Heartland Institute Experts React to West Virginia Legislature’s Repeal of Renewable Power Mandates
Opinion -The West Virginia House today passed a bill that would repeal the state’s Alternative and Renewable Energy Portfolio by a vote of 95-4. -
OIG Report Finds CMS Unprepared for Exchange Launch
Opinion -consumer-power-report -Consumer Power Report #450 President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address Tuesday barely made mention of his signature domestic policy achievement. But that doesn’t mean everyone else is keeping quiet about it. -
Washington Taxpayers Socked by ‘Volatile’ New Tax Hike Plan
Opinion -Washington governor Jay Inslee’s proposed increases overall state spending by 16 percent, which he plans to fund with a sharp tax hike in the state’s capital gains tax. -
Nevada Counties, Ranchers, and Miners Challenge Sage Grouse Settlement
Opinion -Nevada counties, along with mining and ranching groups, sued the Obama administration, challenging a 2011 settlement between the U.S. -
Medical Procedure “Prices” in the News
Opinion -I've gotten to know a lot about medical prices over the past few years after writing a book, The Self-Pay Patient, on how to find affordable care by paying directly for treatment and avoiding the third-party payment system entirely. -
Obama ‘Tax Relief Plan’ May Be Scored as Additional Spending
Opinion -A proposal President Obama announced in his 2015 State of the Union address in late January would increase taxes on some taxpayers by $320 billion, offsetting tax relief measures he says are targeted at middle-class Americans. -
New York City Regulators Clash with Uber over Driver Data
Opinion -The New York Taxi & Limousine Tribunal in early January suspended most of Uber’s bases in the city, as punishment for the ridesharing company’s refusal to comply with city regulators’ demands for private customer data. -
FDA Considers Modernizing Information Sharing Rules
Opinion -Colorado Rep. Diana DeGette (D) is urging the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to recognize the importance of Internet communication in drug research. -
Permanent Internet Access Tax Ban Is a ‘Sleeper Hit’ with Taxpayers
Opinion -In December 2014, Congress re-extended the Internet Tax Freedom Act (ITFA), a ban on the taxation of Internet access, as part of the “cromnibus” spending bill. -
How Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Vision Underpins the Compact for a Balanced Budget
Opinion -Perhaps the most important aspect of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s vision was his core belief that every American should be represented equally in our system of governance, regardless of race, color or creed. -
Folsom City Council Proposes Banning Smoking in Apartment Homes
Opinion -City council members in Folsom, California, a suburb of Sacramento, are considering expanding the city’s smoking ban to include apartment residences and restaurant patios. -
Pope Takes on Climate Change
Opinion -Pope Francis has decided to make fighting global warming an important papal cause in 2015. At the close of December 2014, the press was abuzz with news the pope plans to issue an encyclical to the world’s Catholic bishops concerning climate change. -
Health Insurance CO-OPs Get Taxpayer Bailouts
Opinion -The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced in December two struggling health insurance cooperatives had been given emergency solvency loans. -
In Missouri, Traffic Fines Double as Revenue Boosters
Opinion -Months after the tragic police incident in Ferguson, Missouri, St. Louis County policing practices have been under scrutiny by critics.
