Indian Superbugs

As a followup on my libertarian case for prescription laws, I note this recent story on Indian superbugs that are totally antibiotic-resistant: India’s $12.4 billion pharmaceutical industry manufactures almost a third of the world’s antibiotics, and people use them so liberally that relatively benign and beneficial bacteria are becoming drug immune in a pool of [...]

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When X is Not-X

There have been some wonderful pieces written in the past few weeks trying to make sense of the President’s claim that a SCOTUS decision to overturn the Affordable Care Act would be unprecedented. Of course, the pieces often proceed as follows The President stated X The President obviously knows not-X  Therefore X must have a [...]

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In the Land of the Blind, the One Eyed Man is King

Those of you who followed Grover’s link and read the transcript (or even better, heard the audio) of yesterday’s Supreme Court hearing may find the following quote entertaining (h/t Politico). The Source: White House Counsel Kathryn Ruemmler. “Mr. Verrilli is an extraordinarily talented advocate who possesses a sharp mind, keen judgment, and unquestionable integrity. He [...]

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Less Economic Freedom, Less Personal Freedom

This proposal in the UK to tax “fatties” highlights once again how once government gets deeply involved in funding health care, the pressures to control people’s lifestyles become significant. This is the same argument we hear from supporters of sky-high cigarette taxes, smoking bans, seat-belt and helmet laws, ad nauseam. “We all pay for it.” [...]

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Chart of the Day

My only problem with the chart is its title. I don’t think a simple bivariate correlation is enough to establish causality. But it’s a suggestive piece of evidence, since both regime uncertainty and the employer mandate associated with the PPACA are plausibly related to slowing job growth.

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Liberty: the example of circumcision

The Seattle Times, Slate, and other outlets have run interesting stories in the last couple of days discussing a new initiative that will appear on this November’s ballot in San Francisco–and hold onto your privates, gentlemen: It would ban circumcision for all minors (under age 18), rendering it a misdemeanor punishable by up to one [...]

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The Care of the Elderly Under Socialism

 European commentators on US healthcare are often misguided in their description of the American system as a ‘free market’ model – when that system involves significant levels of government regulation and funding. Equally, American commentators are often misguided in their accounts of ‘socialist’ healthcare in Europe. Europe contains a diversity of healthcare systems. Some, such [...]

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Additional Thoughts on Health Care: Eliminate the “Backstops”

Having read Judge Vinson’s decision, available here, I must recommend it. It is a relatively brief 78 pages and, at times, the discussion is quite lively. Will the Supremes agree with Vinson on the unconstitutionality of the individual mandate and the question of severability? Only time will tell. One passage (not central to the decision) [...]

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The Politics and Policy of Health Care in the Age of PPACA

Avik Roy has an interesting piece in National Review on how conservatives (really, free-marketeers) should approach the policy and politics of health care in the age of PPACA. I largely agree with his policy prescriptions, somewhat vaguely stated as they are: First, Republicans must foster a truly free market for health insurance by eliminating the [...]

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