Is It Time to Regulate Prices in Health Care?

Howdy folks - Welcome to the first episode of 584 Vetoes, a new podcast I’m doing with Danny Heil.

This week we’re discussing why price controls and “using the government’s size to drive down prices” aren’t the simple solutions in health care that they appear to be.

It’s our first episode, so we’d appreciate your feedback or questions for future shows. Email us at: feedback@584vetoes.com

Why “584 Vetoes?”

Our favorite president is Grover Cleveland, who vetoed an incredible 584 bills in his two non-consecutive terms as president. (We enthusiastically recommend A Man of Iron: The Turbulent Life and Improbable Presidency of Grover Cleveland by Troy Senik to learn more.) We appreciate his stubborn approach to government spending and his principled stand against those who disagreed with him - even among those in his own party.

We’re trying to get the word out about our new podcast. Please help us out by sharing it with your most politics-obsessed friend.

What’s in the Episode:

* [1:53] Show Topic: “Is It Time to Consider More Regulation in Health Care?”

* We respond to this JAMA article by Sherry Glied and Amitabh Chandra

* I mention NASA’s SLS rocket versus SpaceX’s reusable booster

* Danny cites our earlier public option research with Lanhee Chen: “The Fiscal Effects of the Public Option”

* Danny cites more of our state public option research: “Promises Unmet: The Early Experiences of State Public Option Plans”

* [24:21] New Reports / Data

* We discuss CBO’s “Alternative Approaches to Reducing Prescription Drug Prices”

* Hoover’s recent healthcare conference in its Washington D.C. office

* Here’s H.R. 3 that would have created international reference pricing

* Gilead’s Hepatitis C drug, competition, and authorized generics

* [39:00] Interesting Polls

* Gallup Poll: Majority of Americans Feel Worse Off Than Four Years Ago

* The key detail hidden in the post: 72% of Democrats said they were better off and only 7% of Republicans said they were better off

* Danny gets pedantic and explains what “the second derivative of the price level with respect to time” means.

* [42:52] Veto of the Week

* Grover Cleveland’s first veto: “I hereby return without my approval House bill No. 1391, entitled ‘An act to provide for the erection of a public building at Springfield, Mo.’”

* [45:18] Send Us Feedback!

* Have questions for us? Want to test out an argument? Do you want to check if something you heard on the internet is true? Let us know!

* Send an email to feedback@584vetoes.com

* Find me on Twitter @TomVChurch

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