Transparency in Medical Pricing

What to Know: How much will a caesarean section cost at one California hospital. It could be $6,241. Or it could be $60,584. Price transparency is revealing huge cost differences in medical procedures.

The TPPF Take: Price transparency is key to truly reforming health care.

“Health care is one of the only places where a consumer has no idea of the cost of a service before it is provided,” says TPPF’s David Balat. “This failure to disclose real prices has been one of the major drivers of skyrocketing healthcare cost and leaves consumers with little power.”

Courting a Crisis

What to Know: One state senator is sounding the alarm over government-run pension plans, saying: “[Defined benefit] pensions are things that can blow up a budget, blow up a state, blow up a city.” His concern is warranted given the recent rash of fiscal crises erupting nationwide and the problems plaguing Texas. In November 2020 alone, Texas’ pension debt grew to a staggering $87 billion.

The TPPF Take: Defined benefit pension plans are unworkable and unsustainable. Posterity demands that Texas take a more responsible approach.

“Texas’ state and local retirement systems are making promises they can’t keep with money they don’t have. These empty promises threaten to blow up on taxpayers and retirees alike,” says TPPF’s James Quintero. “Elected officials can get ahead of Texas’ pension problem by ceasing to offer defined benefit pension plans and transitioning all new employees to a more sustainable alternative, like defined contribution.”

Should Taxpayers Fund Lobbyists?

What to Know: New polling says that Texas don’t like the practice of government lobbying government, using tax dollars.

The TPPF Take: “Texans overwhelmingly oppose allowing tax dollars to fund lobbyists, with 86% saying the practice should end and only 7% who believe it should stay,” says TPPF’s Brian Phillips.