"Think of an economy where people could be an artist or a photographer or a writer without worrying about keeping their day job in order to have health insurance." - Nancy Pelosi It’s a wonderful world that the Democrats envision, where our artist class (as Democrats see themselves) "create," and the productive members of society pick up... continue reading »

As the Democrats scramble to pass health care legislation, talk still returns to the idea that at least the health care bill is "deficit neutral". That is, while it spends more than a trillion on a new entitlement, it pays for itself mostly by cuts in Medicare... continue reading »

Anyone forced to pay a lawyer for relatively simple tasks like a business incorporation or will have experienced the control that "licensed professonals" exert over us... continue reading »

When I get a checkup, my doctor always includes a PSA test.  My medical-researcher brother tells me to refuse.   But it's hard to refuse.  My doctor says "you really should do this -- it's a painless test and prostate cancer is no fun."   He bullies me into taking the test (my brother has to  sign a special form to decline the PSA). One year I got a suddenly higher PSA reading.  OMG, I’ve got cancer!   “Maybe it’s a lab mistake”, said my doc.  “We’ll test again.”  The next result was just as high.   “Maybe it’s an i... continue reading »

Yesterday’s WSJ had my head whipping around in disbelief.  First, a column by school “reformer” Diane Ravitch explaining why she had concluded that “ deregulation and privately managed charter schools were not the answer to the deep-seated problems of American education." Wow... continue reading »

As the House moves closer to a deal on the 2,000+ page Senate health care bill,  this morning's Washington Post offers more clever wordplay from President Obama:

Obama and his health secretary staged a two-pronged attac... continue reading »

So many Americans hate business and remain clueless about markets that politicians thrive by pandering to their ignorance. The president is no exception in his eagerness to replace insurance with some kind of expanded welfare state. In a speech on health care last week, he vilifies insurance companies, claiming that they "freely ration health care based on... continue reading »

Uh-oh... the Intrade betting odds that Obamacare will pass are now above 50%. That means that smart people who put their money where their mouths are now think that it is likely that some form of Obamacare will pass before June 30th... continue reading »

The astute Holman Jenkins once again gets to the heart of a matter. In this case, the heart is the rarely discussed, boring but powerful facet of our current health insurance system that distorts all efforts to cut costs, and discourages individuals from taking control of their own health care: the tax deduction for employer-provided health insurance.

Everybody knows this turned "insurance" into something else... continue reading »

Would libertarian Stossel let insurance companies run wild? That’s how Bill O’Reilly teases my Factor appearance tonight. Bill and I at least agree about the problems with Obamacare, especially the out of control costs it would bring. But he thinks that the government must step in to “regulate insurance companies”, to “make the market competitive.” But the market is actually pretty competitive. There are around 1,300 companies nationwide. Many employers self-insure, setting their own rates... continue reading »