Publications -- Study

NCPA studies generally break new ground on policy issues. A study seeks to cast new light on an issue and to stimulate policy-makers and others to think of new, innovative solutions to the problems associated with the issue. Studies may combine several elements of analysis, including original research, reviews of academic literature, creative approaches for solving public policy problems, and economic modeling.

Nov 01, 2007

ST #304 – Medical Tourism: Global Competition in Health Care

Global competition is emerging in the health care industry.  Wealthy patients from developing countries have long traveled to developed countries for high quality medical care.  Now, a growing number of less-affluent patients from developed countries are traveling to regions once characterized as "third world."  These patients are seeking high quality medical care at affordable prices. 

Sep 01, 2007

ST #302 – Integrated Disability and Retirement Systems in Chile

People are living longer and healthier lives, yet disability benefits are the fastest growing portion of social security expenditures in the United States and many other countries.  What can be done to restrain the rising cost of disability?  Chile may have found a partial answer. 

Sep 01, 2007

ST #303 – Bad for Species, Bad for People: What’s Wrong with the Endangered Species Act and How to Fix It

The Endangered Species Act (ESA), passed in 1973, was designed to recover species to a level at which they are no longer considered endangered and therefore do not require the Act's protection.  Unfortunately, the law has had the opposite effect on many species.  The ESA can severely penalize landowners for harboring species on their property, and as a result many landowners have rid their property of the species and habitat rather than suffer the consequences.

Aug 07, 2007

ST #301 – How Much Do Americans Depend on Social Security?

Social Security benefits over the next 75 years will exceed payroll tax revenues by $4.6 trillion. To close this enormous fiscal gap, one proposal is to cut the benefits of high-income workers. Many low-income workers depend almost entirely on Social Security for their retirement income, but it is often assumed that high-wage workers can maintain their standard of living without Social Security benefits due to their private pensions and savings. Surprisingly, however, even high-wage workers depend on Social Security for a substantial portion of their retirement income and would significantly change their consumption and saving behavior in the absence of Social Security.

Jul 01, 2007

ST #299 – Medicare: Past, Present and Future

Although Social Security reform has received considerable attention in recent years, Medicare is the far-bigger problem.  Medicare is growing at a faster rate and has an unfunded liability six times the size of Social Security. 

Jun 22, 2007

ST #300 – Taxing the Poor

The income tax is highly progressive.  It takes a higher portion of the income of the rich than the poor.  But federal, state and local governments raise revenues in a number of ways that are regressive, taking a greater portion of the incomes of the poor than the rich.  In some cases, the total dollar amounts paid by the poor are higher than the amounts paid by the rich.

Jun 01, 2007

ST #298 – Does It Pay to Save?

Does it pay to save?  The answer is often no.  In fact, penalties for saving are astronomical for some households, particularly young, single-parent and lower-income families.  But these are the very people who need the strongest incentives to save for retirement. 

Mar 12, 2007

ST #296 – The Market for Medical Care: Why You Don’t Know the Price; Why You Don’t Know about Quality; And What Can Be Done about It.

In most markets, prices and quality indicators are transparent - clear and readily available to consumers.   Health care is different:  Prices are difficult to obtain and often meaningless when they are disclosed.  Many patients never learn the cost of their care.

Feb 01, 2007

ST #297 – The Rising Burden of Health Spending on Seniors

The United States spends about 17 percent of its national income on health care, the highest in the world.  Some have wondered how high spending can go and what difference it will make.  In thinking about that question, the experience of our senior citizens provides a vital clue.  

Jan 17, 2007

ST #295 – Protecting the Environment Through the Ownership Society — Part II

The United States was founded on the principle of private property ownership as the ultimate guarantor of individual liberty and prosperity. Yet, more than 40 percent of the land is owned by government, and the federal government controls ocean resources within 200 miles of the coast.