One of the most important differences between my book, Priceless: Curing the Healthcare Crisis, and the conventional literature on health policy is my belief that patients should be encouraged to choose between healthcare and other uses of money. And that’s not just for small expenses. I think patients should be encouraged to make choices...
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In my previous post I argued that low-income populations suffer disproportionately when lawmakers and bureaucrats fail to grasp that healthcare and other complex systems present special challenges. Now I would like to step back from particular examples and draw general lessons for policymakers trying to deal with complex systems. (I offer additional guidelines in...
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The United States government was founded on the principle of protecting individual rights. The Declaration of Independence says, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights...” People have rights as individuals, and do not derive their rights from...
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Most people in public policy do not understand complex systems. They really don’t understand social science models either. As a result, the idea that a policy based on good intentions could actually make things worse is beyond their comprehension. Take health policies designed for low-income patients. Through our insistence on pushing low-income families into...
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In news of no particular surprise to anyone, agents at the Cincinnati IRS office from which emanates the scandal surrounding targeted scrutiny of Tea Party, conservative, and limited government non-profits, are declining to take the fall. In interviews with House Oversight Committee investigators, Cincinnati IRS employees revealed that (gasp!) orders to target such groups...
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I received a postcard in yesterday’s mail. The first paragraph reads: “The City of Tallahassee’s Office of Cross-Connection Control monitors actual or potential backflow via cross connections with non-approved water sources. We are committed to the quality of water delivered to our customers, and your drinking water remains clean and free of contaminants [sic]....
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President Obama’s policies have been criticized by some as harming the economy. The “stimulus” policies he has put into place are not working, according to critics. Indeed, the economic recovery has been unusually slow. Here and here are two of the many articles critical of the president’s economic policies. When I Googled “stimulus not...
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I suspect that most readers of The Beacon tend to favor personal freedoms to a sufficient degree that they will immediately agree with the title of this post. If we want to live in a free country, freedom has to mean that we are free to make choices that others, including others in positions...
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The 17th Amendment is in its centennial year, having been ratified in 1913. The Amendment mandates the direct election of senators. Prior to its passage, Article I, Section 3 of the Constitution specified, “The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two senators from each state chosen by the Legislature thereof...” The...
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In response to the current, “Progressive” (i.e., authoritarian) jihad against the Second-Amendment right of Americans to own and use firearms non-invasively, here is the Independent Institute’s new archive page of articles, books, and videos, “Firearms, Violence and the Second Amendment,” to arm everyone with the facts. In addition, GLOCK Inc. has just produced three,...
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