NCPA - Publications

Expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program

NCPA — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:22:12 GMT

On October 3, President Bush vetoed a bill passed by Congress to expand funding for the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) by $35 billion, paid for with a $0.61 tax on cigarettes. The House passed the bill by a vote of 265-159 and it passed 67-29 in the Senate.

Estate Tax Myths

NCPA — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 10:30:00 GMT

Congress is facing a tax deadline. Under legislation passed in 2001, the federal estate tax is being phased out: The tax rate is falling and the value of the property of the deceased that is exempted from the tax is rising. The tax is scheduled to disappear in 2010, but it will return in 2011 at pre-2001 rates - up to 55 percent for estates valued in excess of $1 million. The Senate voted in April 2009 to reduce the rate of the revivified tax to 35 percent, but the House of Representatives has not acted.

Reasonable Responses to Climate Change

NCPA — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 13:40:27 GMT

Many people are concerned that an increasing concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere - due primarily to such human activities as burning fossil fuels for energy - is causing the Earth to warm, with potentially harmful results. In response, many developed countries agreed to the Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change, committing them to limit and eventually reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. The United States chose not to participate, in part because the agreement exempts such developing countries as China and India, although they have the world's fastest-growing economies and emissions.

Applying the Lessons of State Health Reform

NCPA — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 10:33:57 GMT

Lack of health insurance is a significant, persistent problem in New Jersey. In 2007, more than 1.3 million residents were uninsured - three-fourths were working-age adults 19 to 64 years old. About 15.6 percent of New Jersey residents are uninsured, which is close to the national average, and the U.S. Census Bureau recently ranked New Jersey 34th among states in the percentage of residents with insurance coverage.

Is the Mattress a Good Place for Money?

NCPA — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 11:30:00 GMT

In fall 2008, the stock market suffered a severe decline. Fear prompted a number of individuals to suspend contributions to their 401(k) retirement accounts. They reasoned that holding the money and having it retain its face value was preferable to putting it in a money-losing investment. Even employees who were invested in bonds, rather than equities, stopped contributing. Some companies temporarily suspended their matching contributions.

Crisis of the Uninsured: 2009

NCPA — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 11:36:13 GMT

One of the primary goals of health reform is to ensure that all Americans have health insurance. Yet it is generally overlooked that the proportion of Americans without health coverage has been relatively stable over time. According to the Census Bureau, in 2008 the number of individuals in the United States lacking health coverage rose from 45.7 million to 46.3 million. The proportion of uninsured Americans remained virtually unchanged, rising from 15.3 percent to 15.4 percent.

Alternative Certification Programs: Meeting the Demand for Effective Teachers

NCPA — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 11:30:00 GMT

Growing public school enrollment, an increase in the number of teachers retiring or leaving the profession and legislated limits on class size have made finding competent educators a growing challenge. In recent years, all 50 states and the District of Columbia have established alternative certification programs to help meet this challenge. But have these programs been successful?

The High Cost of Cash for Clunkers

NCPA — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 11:30:13 GMT

The $1 billion set aside for the Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS), or "Cash for Clunkers," ran out quickly this summer. CARS aims to encourage the purchase of more fuel-efficient vehicles by offering a $3,500 to $4,500 government-funded rebate to consumers who trade-in vehicles that get less than 18 miles per gallon (mpg) for new cars that get more than 22 mpg or new trucks that get at least 18 mpg. Congress refueled the popular stimulus program with another $2 billion - enough to buy a total of approximately 750,000 trade-ins.

How Tort Reform Cut Florida Workers’ Compensation Costs

NCPA — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 12:06:39 GMT

Could tort reform reduce health care costs? Using the legal system to resolve patient injury claims is expensive and inefficient. The cost of litigation - principally attorneys' fees - raises claim costs, adding billions of dollars a year to premiums for workers' compensation and health insurance.

Congressional Brief: Health Care

NCPA — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 18:03:32 GMT

To confront America's health care crisis, we do not need more spending, more regulations or more bureaucracy. We do need people, however, including every doctor and every patient. All 300 million Americans must be free to use their intelligence, their creativity and their innovative ability to make the changes needed to create access to low-cost, high-quality health care.

Improving Savings Incentives for the Poor

NCPA — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 11:30:40 GMT

Americans have been saving less and less of their after-tax income for the past 15 years. The annual personal savings rate averaged 8 percent from 1929 to 2000, but reached a historical low of 0.4 percent in 2005. With the onset of the 2008-2009 recession, however, the savings rate rose again to more than 6 percent.

Soaking the Rich and Drenching Small Business

NCPA — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 10:30:00 GMT

As soon as 2010, small businesses could face three simultaneous tax hikes that would raise their marginal tax rate as high as 66.9 percent. Democrats in Congress plan to raise taxes on top earners by allowing some of the Bush tax cuts to expire. Draft legislation in the House of Representatives to overhaul the health care system contains two additional proposals that aim to soak the rich. However, these tax hikes will drench small businesses.

The New Federal Tobacco Tax: Who Loses?

NCPA — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 10:30:00 GMT

The recent expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP) was funded by an increase in federal excise taxes on tobacco products. Congress increased the federal tax on cigarettes by 61 cents per pack and raised the tax on other tobacco products, with the goal of equalizing the tax per pound of tobacco.

10 Steps to Free Our Health Care System

NCPA — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 10:30:33 GMT

To confront America's health care crisis, we do not need more spending, more regulations or more bureaucracy. We do need to liberate every American, including every doctor and every patient, to use their intelligence, creativity and innovative abilities to make the changes needed to create access to low-cost, high-quality health care.

Perspectives on the Geographic Variation in Health Care Spending

NCPA — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 13:04:46 GMT

Health care reform is definitely at the top of the domestic policy agenda. But before we move ahead on significant changes in the health care markets in the United States, it is critical that we flesh out our understanding of one of the leading rationales for reform. The argument goes something like this. Health care spending varies dramatically from region to region without producing commensurate variation in health outcomes. Indeed, higher health care spending per capita is not consistently associated with better health outcomes. The observed disconnect between health care spending and outcomes suggests that through a more efficient use of health resources, spending could be cut substantially.