James K. Boyce, economics and the Political Economy Research Institute, is co-author of an op-ed that argues that the Republican health care bill before Congress will not only shift income to wealthy people, it will also shorten the lives of people who lose their health insurance. (Dollars & Sense, March 2017)
Author: sgilroy
An economic columnist writing about the negative impact a rise in the national living wage in the U.K. is having notes that Arindrajit Dube, economics, argues that a minimum wage should be set at 50 percent of the median wage in any market area. The national living wage in the U.K. is 60 percent of the median wage. (Forbes, 3/20/17)
Robert N. Pollin, Distinguished Professor in economics and co-director of the Political Economy Research Institute, says it is good news that global CO2 emissions remained flat for the third year in a row even as the global economy grew. “It shows that if you switch technologies, you can continue to grow…but it will not get us very far down the line because we need much more dramatic cuts in emissions,” Pollin says. (Marketplace, 3/17/17)
Gerald Friedman, economics, comments on the plan presented by Speaker of the House Paul Ryan to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Friedman, an expert on the economics of health care, finds numerous serious flaws with the Ryan proposal, is quoted as saying that the plan does not offer “meaningful access through meaningful insurance,” and ultimately declares “I can’t figure this thing out.” His past research on the economic viability of single-payer plans is also referenced in a separate syndicated opinion piece. (Republican, 3/16/17; The Market Oracle, Dissident Voice, 3/15/17)
From A Matter of Life and Death:
“This week Republicans in Congress introduced a bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. Since then, debate in Washington has centered on the costs of the Republicans’ plan. But while money will move around if this plan is passed, it is really about life and death.
The core of the Republican plan is an end to a tax on investment income, a tax that has been used for the last seven years to pay for health insurance for about 20 million Americans (one in 12 of us).
No health insurance program — public or private — is perfect. But people who have health insurance are more likely to get the preventive care, screenings and medical care they need.” READ MORE….
“Over the last decade, Latin American countries have enacted some of the most ambitious environmental and social protections in the world. But these hard-won protections faced their first serious test in the recent China-led commodities boom, as growth exploded in intrinsically-risky sectors like mining and oil.” Read more…
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price says a Republican proposal now before Congress will provide greater access to health care. But that is not accurate, said Gerald Friedman, a University of Massachusetts Amherst economics professor and expert on the economics of health care (Diane Lederman, MassLive, 3-15-17)
Gerald C. Friedman, economics, says the tax credits in the proposed health care bill offered by Republicans in Congress are too low to allow people, especially the elderly, to purchase health insurance. He also says if the plan becomes law and the mandate for some businesses to provide health insurance for employees is repealed, it will lead to companies dropping health insurance coverage. (Gazette, 3/8/17)
Gerald C. Friedman, economics, was a participant in a forum on health care and the future of the Affordable Care Act. (Gazette,3/2/17)
Robert N. Pollin, Distinguished Professor in economics and co-director of the Political Economy Research Institute, says President Donald J. Trump is wrong to blame undocumented immigrants for low wages and unemployment. (The Real News Network, 2/28/17)