Free Republic

Time magazine has done our nation a service by publishing Steven Brill's long article on medical care costs. There isn't much in the article that people who follow the issue closely didn't already know piecemeal, but Brill puts things together in an articulate package for the average reader. Brill makes several points: Per-unit medical costs are substantially higher in the United States than in nearly every other nation. We charge the highest prices to the self-insured or uninsured people who have the least bargaining power. Compensation levels for some doctors and many managers are high, as are profits for hospitals...

Federal tax policies lie at the core of ongoing arguments between the two major political parties. Unfortunately, this debate focuses on only one issue, marginal tax rates for individual income taxes. It ignores the equally important issues of what should go into the "tax base" and what loopholes should be allowed. It is too bad we have forgotten the experience of the Reagan era, when all of these issues were on the table. But no elected officials seem to have the leadership ability or political courage to broaden the debate. The Reagan administration brought about the most fundamental changes in...