Topic
7 analyses
Health Care
Americans pay far more for the same medicines. The drivers are patents, opaque rebates, and fragmented purchasing power. Here are reforms that lower prices without killing innovation.
Business
Americans spend more per person on prescription drugs than other developed nations and consume most of the world's opioids. Over-prescription of opioid pain relievers drives addiction, the author argues, and more of the money spent on the war on drugs should go to treatment.
Economics
Drug testing welfare recipients isn’t worth the cost, the post argues. In four of five states with comparable counts, under 1% of welfare applicants tested positive, and more did among those referred for or taking a drug test; Oklahoma’s rate was about 9%.
Economics
Makes the case for legalizing cannabis nationwide, citing lower enforcement costs, fewer possession arrests, new tax revenue and jobs, and its medical use as a substitute for opiates.
Alternative Energy
Pulls the Balancing the Federal Budget series into a master plan and argues that balance can be achieved, but it won’t be easy. It pairs more spending on science, education and infrastructure with cuts to defense and a single-payer health care system meant to lower costs.
Alternative Energy
Non-defense discretionary spending has stayed low and steady as a share of GDP, the post argues, and should grow rather than be cut. It walks through what this spending funds, from health research and transportation to education, science, law enforcement and diplomacy.
Economics
Health care spending has increased rapidly since 1960, but why? This part of the budget series traces the growth in Medicare and Medicaid spending and asks whether it is sustainable.