Celebrating 35 years of advancing freedom in Wisconsin

Mandate for Madison: Roadmap for Healthcare Reform In Wisconsin

By Dan Sem, Ph.D., J.D.

and Scott Niederjohn, Ph.D.

The challenge of improving healthcare has gained attention across the nation. Proposals advanced in Wisconsin and elsewhere seek to reduce healthcare costs, maintain quality and increase accessibility. This report examines the economics of healthcare, considering both demand and supply in the market.

The United States currently does not have an efficiently functioning market for healthcare, and that is especially true in Wisconsin, where even basic direct primary care legislation that was adopted in a majority of states has yet to pass. The reasons for this inefficiency of healthcare delivery will be considered along with the trade-offs that all healthcare public policies must face.

Finally, with action unlikely at the federal level to improve healthcare markets, we advance a set of principles that should be followed in any healthcare reforms considered by Wisconsin policymakers. With some of the highest quality healthcare in the country, also ranking second for best doctors (but not as high for health outcomes), Wisconsin can also lead the way in innovating the more efficient delivery of affordable and accessible care.

Read the report.

Grover Norquist, one of Washington D.C.'s most influential voices for free markets and limited government, will keynote a Badger Institute luncheon on August 3 in Milwaukee. 

Norquist is founder & president of Americans for Tax Reform, a group that works to limit the size and cost of government and opposes higher taxes at all levels. An advocate for lower, simpler taxes, Norquist will discuss what’s going on with the push to raise taxes in Washington, the drawbacks of higher taxes at the federal, state and local level, and the need for reform in Wisconsin. There will also be a question-and-answer opportunity on policy issues facing the country. 

Click here to register.

Podcast: Forgiving Student Loan Debt: Who wins and who loses?

Student debt forgiveness schemes are both inefficient and unfair policies for helping low-income families. Concordia University Wisconsin economics professor Scott Niederjohn discusses his latest analysis of who wins and who loses if President Biden erases some or all of these college loan obligations. 

Listen to the podcast. 

Weekly Survey: Do you think open markets and price transparency would lead to lower health care and insurance costs?

Last Week's Results

At a Glance

Source: Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce Summer 2022 Wisconsin Employer Survey

What We're Reading

• Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty: Model School Board Policies
• Ian Rowe: Why understanding America’s exceptional history builds self-reliance
• American Federation for Children: Missouri Governor Signs Charter Equity Bill
• Angela Rachidi: A Simpler Safety Net for Families
• Norman Podhoretz: America the Beautiful
• Heritage Foundation: Biden’s Executive Actions on Food Stamps, Obamacare, Student Loans Will Balloon Deficit, CBO Says

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