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Trump’s Tariff Recession Is HereMy new forecast, completed in late April, predicts a national recession began as early as March in reaction to Trump’s tarriffs.

Two Key Economic Lessons in One BillHoosiers face trade-offs and opportunity costs in the wake of SEA1.

Time to Fix Economic Development PolicyAllocating tax dollars to land development won’t cause economic growth.

The Unanticipated Effects of SB1Businesses, governments and households may all feel the effects.

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Commentaries tagged with health care

May 4, 2025 Two Key Economic Lessons in One BillHoosiers face trade-offs and opportunity costs in the wake of SEA1.
September 8, 2024 You Maybe Don’t Want to Ask How We Can Balance our Federal BudgetIt seems like we could easily cut spending—until you understand what we are spending money on.
May 19, 2024 The End of Noncompete ClausesBusinesses that have shielded themselves from competition through noncompete clauses will need to do better.
August 27, 2023 Indiana’s Hospital Monopolies Are WorseningBetween 2019 and 2021, the average American saw a $10 increase in hospital charges, compared to an increase of $175 per Hoosier.
August 6, 2023 Looking Back at Mistakes with a Critical EyeI was not alone in making these mistakes, but there’s no comfort in being wrong with a crowd.
July 23, 2023 Populists Are Wrong—Life Is Better TodayMany problems arise when comparing the past to today.
April 9, 2023 Some More Truth About Hospital MonopoliesWhy do not-for-profit hospitals show annual profits of 20 to 30 percent?
April 9, 2023 Some More Truth About Hospital MonopoliesWhy do not-for-profit hospitals show annual profits of 20 to 30 percent?
February 5, 2023 HB1004 Would Restrict Hospital MonopoliesIndiana’s not-for-profit hospitals are among the most profitable businesses in the United States.
February 5, 2023 HB1004 Would Restrict Hospital MonopoliesIndiana’s not-for-profit hospitals are among the most profitable businesses in the United States.
November 6, 2022 Adopt the Governor’s Public Health Commission Report Proposals Hoosier health problems are in areas that are the most susceptible to public health interventions.
November 6, 2022 Adopt the Governor’s Public Health Commission Report Proposals Hoosier health problems are in areas that are the most susceptible to public health interventions.
October 16, 2022 Partisan Effect of Disinformation on COVID DeathsNationwide, at least 250,000 Americans died of COVID because they chose not to be vaccinated.
September 4, 2022 Lingering Effects of COVID on WorkThe U.S. is still about 1.0 percent below its pre-COVID participation rate.
August 14, 2022 SB1 Will Be Deeply Damaging to Indiana’s EconomyPublic policy is about trade-offs, it is just imperative to know what they are.
July 31, 2022 Trying to Measure the Effect of Abortion Bans on Our EconomyThe effect we see right now is vastly different from what we’ll see in a few years.
July 31, 2022 Trying to Measure the Effect of Abortion Bans on Our EconomyThe effect we see right now is vastly different from what we’ll see in a few years.
May 8, 2022 The Lives of Mothers Through the Last CenturyThe women of the 20th century witnessed the most stunning technological and economic growth.
April 24, 2022 Ending Hospital Monopolies Is Needed to Restore Free MarketsThe economic argument against monopoly power is that it interferes with the free functioning of markets.
April 24, 2022 Ending Hospital Monopolies Is Needed to Restore Free MarketsThe economic argument against monopoly power is that it interferes with the free functioning of markets.
February 6, 2022 Some Surprising Lessons from COVID Learning LossThe median school saw pass rates on standardized tests drop by more than 10 percent.
January 9, 2022 IU Health’s Price Freeze Is a GimmickThe medical provider has become a strong regional monopoly in many parts of the state.
January 9, 2022 IU Health’s Price Freeze Is a GimmickThe medical provider has become a strong regional monopoly in many parts of the state.
January 2, 2022 2021 Was an Unnecessarily Horrible YearFrom political unrest to vaccination and economic woes, this year was heavy.
October 10, 2021 COVID and the Risks of Medical Care Delays As we think about the longer-term effects of COVID, we must consider how many people have deferred medical care because of the disease.
October 10, 2021 COVID and the Risks of Medical Care Delays As we think about the longer-term effects of COVID, we must consider how many people have deferred medical care because of the disease.
August 1, 2021 Slowing Economy Caused by the UnvaccinatedIn just the last three months, more than 32,000 Americans died of COVID.
December 20, 2020 Indiana’s Hospital Monopolies Worse than CaliforniaOur hospital monopolies are financially damaging to Indiana’s economy and Hoosier families.
December 20, 2020 Indiana’s Hospital Monopolies Worse than CaliforniaOur hospital monopolies are financially damaging to Indiana’s economy and Hoosier families.
November 15, 2020 It’s the Disease Wrecking the Economy, Not the Government ResponseWe Americans are stubborn people, for both good and ill.
July 26, 2020 Challenges for Indiana’s Colleges Threaten Long-term GrowthSome of the costs of COVID-19 on US colleges are already emerging.
June 7, 2020 What Long-Term Changes Might We Anticipate from These Crises?The first half of 2020 has given us a trade war, global pandemic, economic downturn, and protests.
May 17, 2020 It’s the Disease, Not the GovernmentConsumer spending changed before any government restrictions were implemented.
April 26, 2020 Covid-19 Response May Be the Most Consequential Decision in State HistoryThe real policy question is whether the benefit of these decisions outweighed the costs.
April 12, 2020 Economic Uncertainty Surround COVID-19Until we develop a vaccine, a robust treatment or broad immunity, a significant level of reduced economic activity must be expected.
April 5, 2020 Long-Term Changes from COVID-19We need to place a more personal context on this crisis, and muse upon the potential change this will lead to in our economic lives.
March 29, 2020 We are Still Underreacting to COVID-19 RisksThis is a recession of choice, in the same way rationing in World War 2 was a choice.
March 22, 2020 Time for Timidity Is OverThe direction of our economy depends on the path of this disease and how we respond.
March 15, 2020 Federal Stimulus, Local Leadership Are KeyThe farther away government gets from us, the less useful it becomes in matters that directly affect our lives.
March 8, 2020 A Decelerating Economy on the Brink of RecessionThe arrival of Covid-19 is already exacting a toll on the weakened manufacturing sector.
March 1, 2020 Pandemics and Market EffectsTo prepare for Covid-19, we study past disease outbreaks.
January 26, 2020 Hospital Monopolies Are an Urgent Legislative ProblemHealthcare often costs more than many families’ property and income taxes combined.
December 22, 2019 Yes, Virginia, There Is a Hospital Monopoly Problem in IndianaThe typical Hoosier is spending $746 per year more on healthcare than they should be.
October 6, 2019 Fixing Our Hospital Monopoly ProblemWe have a serious hospital monopoly problem in need of immediate attention.
September 29, 2019 Indiana Has a Hospital Monopoly ProblemThe most profitable industry in our state pays no property tax, no income tax, but overcharges schools, city and county governments for healthcare.
July 16, 2017 Thoughts on the Universal Basic IncomeThis program would put more money in our paychecks but also would eliminate the social safety net.
April 2, 2017 Healthcare Law Changes About Consumer Choice Healthcare information is ruthlessly suppressed.
July 17, 2016 The Lessons of Pokémon GoThe game’s value lies in the economic, social, and health impacts.
January 10, 2016 Demand, Not Supply, Is the Drug Problem“Prescription only” restrictions are a bandage for a bigger issue.
March 29, 2015 No End to the Meth ScourgeUsing data from two other states, the results of a proposed prescription-only pseudoephedrine policy are clear.
November 23, 2014 Thank You, Professor GruberGruber is a well-regarded health economist who created a micro-simulation model used for health care policy.
October 26, 2014 Ebola, Soda and School LunchesThis whole issue is about the size and scope of government.
May 25, 2014 The VA and Broken PromisesA promise of nearly infinite health care to any large group of people will have a nearly infinite cost.
October 27, 2013 The Affordable Care Act into the FutureThe ACA must work for more than 30 million households—one-third of whom are functionally illiterate, and another third of whom have no computer or internet at home.
March 26, 2012 Smoking Law Recognizes the Value of LifeAt worst, this legislation will make Hoosiers look like we've entered the 21st century.
July 12, 2010 A Modest Proposal: The SUN Tax of 2010The SUN Tax would fix all our debt problems, with only a few modifications.
March 29, 2010 What Cost for Healthcare Reform?The potential flaws in this bill are so enormous that to opponents of the bill it looks like a planned failure, designed to usher in a national health service.
November 30, 2009 CDC Breast Cancer Recommendation not SupportedOur findings suggest that delaying mammograms cost lives.
October 19, 2009 Flu Season Prelude to Healthcare ReformThe system cannot work - precisely because it is government, not doctors and patients, that makes the choices.
August 17, 2009 The Tricky Health Care DebateWe will spend more, not less, on health care as we become richer - and live to be older.
June 30, 2008 Health Care Policy is ComplexRising costs, payment sources and increasing regulations perplex the policy debate.
August 6, 2007 How Tax Reform Could Help Control Health Care Costs "... the tax treatment of employer-funded health care premiums encourages companies and workers to craft insurance plans that pay for as many things as possible ..."
July 30, 2007 The Link Between Taxes and Health Care Costs"With a third-party insurance provider paying the bill, we may not even know the price of what we’re using."
May 14, 2007 Your Employer Cares About Your Health"...thanks to the skyrocketing costs of health care, there is a new player in the mandate game, and that is businesses themselves."
April 30, 2007 Is Health Care An Economic Driver? "...the business opportunities in health care have been sufficient to attract plenty of investment without any sweeteners coming from the public purse."
March 26, 2007 Smoking and the Economy"...the differences in these survival rates...can have an enormous impact on the workforce and the population...."
March 19, 2007 Ideas Needed for Fixing Health Care Financing "...we simply can't afford to keep doing what we are doing."
June 26, 2006 Affordable Universal Health Care is Not Affordable "As a sustainable mechanism for financing the delivery of health care to seniors, Medicare as it stands today can only be called a colossal failure."
June 5, 2006 Beware the Battles of Health Care Giants "Consumers are like those terrorized Tokyo bystanders in the 1950’s movies – fearful because no matter which monster wins, there will still be a monster on the loose."
March 27, 2006 Consumer Driven Health Care is Coming"The only way you, the consumer, can be said to be truly in charge of your health care spending is to spend your own money."
August 26, 2005 Health Care Premiums Are Killing Jobs "... in a world where employers pick up a large share of health care costs of their workforce, rising health costs make it harder to find and keep a job."
April 16, 2004 A Nation of Busybodies "Health care has become such a significant cost to businesses that differences in risk factors across cities and states can show up on the bottom line."
June 20, 2003 It’s Medicare Reform That Needs Reforming "Does it really make sense for working taxpayers to dig into their pockets to pay for the ordinary medical expenses of the rich? "
December 20, 2002 A Tale of Two Economies "In a twelve month span that has seen no net job growth in the overall economy, the health services industry has added 280,000 new jobs. But that growth has not come without cost.
May 24, 2002 Health Care System Controls Disease Better Than Costs "We have created a health care system that gives many access to a higher quality and quantity of health care services than they could otherwise afford."

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