For over three decades, CEI has advocated health care reforms that put more power in the hands of consumers to choose their health providers, treatment protocols, and scope of insurance coverage. We have advocated reform of the Food and Drug Administration’s drug and device approval process to allow for greater flexibility and patient choice. And in 2013, CEI organized the court challenges to Obamacare’s exchange subsidies that concluded with the Supreme Court’s King v. Burwell decision.
Healthcare Issue Areas
Featured Posts
News Release
Senate Parliamentarian Eliminates Medicaid Reform Provisions, Leaving Costs/Problems Intact
The Senate’s parliamentarian has determined that many of the Medicaid provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill cannot be passed with simple majority vote via…
Blog
FDA can’t stomach fluoride and doesn’t want you to, either
On May 13, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it would begin a process intended to exclude ingestible prescription fluoride products for…
Blog
Free the Economy podcast: Drug costs and benefits with Sally Pipes
In this week’s episode we cover reforms to the Endangered Species Act, attacks on US tech firms, nuclear power innovation,…
Search Posts
Newsletter
Billions for Health Care, Failing Detroit and a Supreme Court Review
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that a leading Democratic health care proposal would cost $829 billion over ten years. Residents and observers debate the reputation…
Blog
Obamacare’s Provisions Have Already Been Tried, and Failed, at the State Level
The major provisions of ObamaCare already have been tried. They've led to increased costs and reduced access to care" for people who once had private…
Newsletter
Retail Prices, Utility Politics and Swine Flu
The Maryland legislature bans manufacturers from setting minimum retail prices for their products. Florida Gov. Charlie Crist plays hardball with the state’s public utilities. Doctors…
Study
FDA and Internet Advertising
The Medium is the Message…
Newsletter
Climate Science Destroyed, Online Drug Advertising and Opposing Net Neutrality
A government-funded research center destroys the original data behind its predictions of global warming. The Food and Drug Administrations seeks input about online advertising of…
Newsletter
A Swine Flu Vaccine, Rising Unemployment and Limits on Executive Pay
The federal government launches a swine flu vaccine campaign. Alan Greenspan predicts increased economic growth, but also rising unemployment. The White House moves to limit…
Blog
Video Response to Will Ferrell MoveOn.org: People Are Saying Mean Things About Big Government!
Remember that Will Ferrell, celebrity-packed video on Obamacare last month? The one from MoveOn.org? One of those “we’re from Hollywood, and we’re here to…
News Release
FDA Urged to Reconsider Internet Drug Advertising Rules
FDA Urged to Reconsider Internet Drug Advertising Rules Agency Harms Consumers With ‘1960s Approach’ to Online Ads Washington, D.C., October 6, 2009—A new…
Washington Examiner
Media’s Homers Yawn as Obama Cons
Blog
Big Labor’s Big Prize in Health Care “Reform”
In his Wall Street Journal column today, Holman Jenkins highlights one of the prizes at stake for organized labor in the current health care…
Blog
Senate Finance Committee Rejects Public Option
Liberal Democrats are fuming. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Cal.) and House Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Cal.) remain committed to a "public option". President Obama…
Blog
Cutting Off Funds to ACORN Is Constitutional, and Would Protect Against Voter and Financial Fraud
Earlier, ACORN was caught in a scandal, promoting child prostitution. Both Houses of Congress voted to cut off federal funds to ACORN. Rep. Barney…
Blog
Weekly Flu Watch – What Swine Flu ISN’T Doing This Week
Every Friday the CDC website publishes a situation update on swine flu with figures updated through the previous week, though some of the data…
Washington Examiner
Meryl’s Mad Green Meanderings about Julia
In the new movie "Julie & Julia," Meryl Streep does well portraying the late Julia Child, but one can say Streep also benefits from…
Blog
Obama Slaps Unconstitutional Gag Order on Critic of His Health Care Plan
While Obama ally ACORN attempts to gag whistleblowers who exposed its role in a recent scandal, the Obama administration is trying to gag…
Blog
Obama Losing Youth on Health Care
The National Journal had an interesting article this week describing the difficulty Democrats have been having getting young adults interested in the health care debate.
Blog
ACORN Sues Whistleblowers for Exposing Its Wrongdoing in Scandal
ACORN is now suing the whistleblowers who allegedly filmed it promoting illegal sexual activities for $2 million! And not just them, but…
Blog
Hard-Left Obama Policies Draw Criticism for Undermining Democracy, Security, and the Rule of Law
In his 2008 campaign, Barack Obama talked a lot about “bipartisanship,” but in office, he has governed from the far left, on both domestic and…
Blog
Yet Another ACORN Scandal
ACORN, which had its housing funds cut-off by Congress over a recent scandal, is now embroiled in a tax-evasion scandal, reports the…
Blog
Slate’s William Saletan vs. the Food Cops
Slate’s William Saletan has had it with the growing overreach of the food police, a reaction which he acknowledges puts him in unusual company.
Newsletter
Obama at the UN, the Healthcare Tax and the Costs of Cap and Trade
President Obama call for a “new era of global engagement” in addressing climate change and other issues. Economists debate the financial impact that a healthcare…
Blog
ACORN’s Empire Will Expand Under Obama’s Health-Care Plan and Financial Rules
Congress recently voted to cut off federal housing funds to controversial group ACORN. But since most federal money goes to ACORN-related…
Blog
AP: Obama Health-Care Plan Raises Taxes, Breaks Campaign Promises
The Associated Press is now chiding President Obama for falsely claiming that his proposed tax on uninsured people is not a tax. It is…
Blog
ObamaCare’s Smoke and Mirrors: Huge Costs Paid for by Imaginary Savings
Obama’s health care plan uses imaginary savings to finance massive new spending. His claim that it will not increase the deficit is based on the…
Washington Examiner
It’s All About Cost In Health Care Debate
Opposing Views
Obama Wants to Extend Patriot Act – Just Like Bush
People are often surprised to hear how similar President Obama’s policies are to President Bush’s. They shouldn’t be. One may be a Republican and the…
Blog
Democratic Governor Criticizes Deficit-Exploding Obama Health-Care Plan; Middle Class Faces Huge Health and Global-Warming Tax Hikes
Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen (D) is criticizing Obama’s health-care plan as “the mother of all unfunded mandates,” saying it will force states to spend…
Newsletter
Cap and Trade Debate, FDA’s Record on Cancer Drugs and Taxing Soda
The release of Treasury Department memos on the cost of a cap and trade system for greenhouse gas emissions creates a furor. Critics assail Richard…
Blog
Public Option Is Not The Worst Aspect Of ObamaCare
"If liberal health-care reform is going to make people better off, why does it require "a very harsh, stiff penalty" to make everyone buy it?…
Blog
Big Health and Energy Tax Increases for the Middle Class from Obama and Liberal Congressmen
Even the trimmed-down version of Obama's health-care plan recently announced by a ranking Senator contains lots of tax increases for the middle class.
Blog
NYT Love Letter to FDA
New York Times reporter Gardiner Harris has a front page article in today's paper on the head of the Food and Drug Administration's Office of…
Newsletter
The Costs of Cap and Trade, Deadly Auto Regulations and Rockefeller on Health Care
The U.S. Treasury Department admits that a “cap and trade” system for regulating greenhouse gas emissions could cost every household $1,761 a year. New fuel…
Newsletter
Obama on Wall Street, EPA Backlash and Health Care Roadblocks
President Obama gives a major speech in New York on the future of Wall Street. The Environmental Protection Agency’s attempt to censor data on global…
Newsletter
Norman Borlaug’s Legacy, Junk Food Science and ACORN’s Shame
Plant scientist Norman Borlaug – Nobel Prize winner and father of the “Green Revolution” – dies at age 95. The Environmental Working Group issues a…
Opposing Views
9/11 Ignored-Obama Undermines Airline and Train Security
In the aftermath of 9/11, Congress foolishly shifted airline security screening to the inept Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which has failed to detect explosive…
Blog
To Heckle the President, or Not?
Politicians make themselves look bad far more effectively than any heckler could. They don’t need the help.
Blog
Fact-Checking Obama’s Health-Care Speech: Many False Claims
In his health-care speech last night, President Obama promised the world, but didn’t explain how he would pay for it. It was all sizzle,…
Newsletter
Obama’s Health Care Speech, Minority Underemployment and Investing in Global Warming
President Obama’s national health care address receives mixed reviews. DC Progress hosts a panel discussion on the problem of “underemployment” among locals in Washington, D.C.
Blog
“ObamaCare’s Crippling Deficits”
Martin Feldstein, an economic advisor to Obama, criticized “ObamaCare’s Crippling Deficits” in Monday’s Wall Street Journal, noting that “the higher taxes, debt payments…
Newsletter
Obama on Health Care, Solar Feuding in the Desert and Julia Child’s Legacy
President Obama prepares for a major speech on health care. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. feuds with fellow environmentalists over the creation of a major solar…
Opposing Views
Obama’s Own Economic Advisor Criticizes Budget Plans
Martin Feldstein, an economic advisor to Obama, criticized “ObamaCare’s Crippling Deficits” in Monday’s Wall Street Journal, noting that “the higher taxes, debt payments and…
Study
Political Malpractice
Most Americans agree that our health care system is broken. But it is increasingly clear that what ails health care is not too little, but…
News Release
Democrat Health Proposals Draw Fire, Institute Offers Alternate Plan
Democrat Health Proposals Draw Fire, Institute Offers Alternate Plan Report Concludes Reform Plans Would Worsen Cost and Coverage Problems Washington, D.C., September 9, 2009—As President…
Opposing Views
Meryl Streep’s Attack on Julia Child Ironic, Ungrateful
In the new movie “Julie & Julia,” Meryl Streep does well portraying the late Julia Child, but one can say Streep also benefits from…
News Release
Institute Condemns FDA Crackdown on Truthful Drug Advertising
The Competitive Enterprise Institute today condemned a recent Food and Drug Administration and Department of Justice crackdown on the dissemination by drug manufacturers of information…
Blog
Matt Taibbi versus Sensible Health Care
In a blog post at Rolling Stone, Journalist In Name Only Matt Taibbi accuses the media of “help[ing] sandbag health care reform.” In the…
Blog
The Starry-Eyed 37 Percent
Some time ago I said that President Bush's chronically low approval ratings were a good thing. Evidence of widespread skepticism about politicians. Or at least…
Blog
No Savings from Preventive Care
A new study published in the journal Health Affairs calls into question claims by congressional Democrats and President Obama that mandatory coverage of preventive care…
Blog
Obama Health-Care Plan Would Drive Up Inflation and Health-Care Costs, Shrink Economy, and Reinforce Worst Features of Status Quo
ObamaCare would shrink the economy, drive up health-care costs and inflation, and increase the deficit, notes David Kopel, a “lifelong Democrat.” Kopel…
Newsletter
Cybersecurity, Consumer Snitching and an Insurance Downgrade
A new bill to would give the White House “cybersecurity emergency” powers. Consumer Reports magazine turns a high-performing showerhead over to the EPA for exceeding…
Opposing Views
Obama Keeps Lying About Health Care, Even After Being Caught
You just can’t trust President Obama’s claims about his health-care plan. He keeps on lying even after he is caught lying and his lies…
Blog
Obama Keeps Lying About His Health-Care Plan, Even After Being Caught by Fact-Checkers
You just can’t trust President Obama’s claims about his health-care plan. He keeps on lying even after he is caught lying and his lies have…
Blog
Ted Kennedy’s Deregulatory Legacy on Airlines and Trucking
Tributes are pouring in for Edward M. "Ted" Kennedy, who lost his battle with brain cancer late Tuesday evening at the age of 77.
Newsletter
Healthcare Complexity, Union Politics and Insurance Markets
Critics question the unwieldy complexity of current healthcare legislation. A compromise version of the so-called “Employee Free Choice Act” gains momentum in Congress. Florida Rep.
Blog
Obama’s Health-Care “Reform” Contains Hidden Tax Penalties for Unsuspecting Taxpayers
ObamaCare won’t just raise taxes on the rich, and impose tax penalties on people without approved health-insurance plans. It will also dramatically…
Newsletter
EPA’s Economists, Healthcare Rallies and the Cash for Clunkers Crash
Environmental Protection Agency officials consider scrapping the agency’s economics office after receiving a report critical of current global warming policy. Democrats plan public rallies to…
Blog
Letting Illegal Immigrants Sink Health-Care “Reform”
Mickey Kaus, who voted for Obama and wants universal health-care, wonders why Obama is damaging his credibility and endangering his health-care reform proposals by…
Blog
More Legal Experts Say ObamaCare Is Unconstitutional
More legal experts are questioning the constitutionality of ObamaCare. In today’s Washington Post, two former Justice Department lawyers, David Rivkin and Lee Casey, argue that…
Blog
Why I Want a Public Option in the Health Care Bill
A bill with a public option will probably not pass. Too much opposition. But one without it probably will.
Newsletter
Regulating online drug ads, Google Book settlement, bottled water to the rescue
Yahoo being scrutinized online pharmaceutical ads. Microsoft, Yahoo, and Amazon sign on to oppose the Google Book settlement.
Blog
The Great Health Care Reform Trilemma
I recently posted on facebook about health care reform and trying to “have it all.” I’m no expert, but it seems to me that you…
Blog
Yes, ObamaCare Will Likely Cover Illegal Immigrants
Media fact-checkers have caught Obama telling several falsehoods about his health-care proposals. But they have let him get away with other false claims,…
Blog
FDA Regulation of Internet Drug Advertising
Today, CEI filed comments on a draft FDA guidance document advising prescription drug manufacturers on how to comply with regulations requiring the presentation of risk…
Comment
Comments on the FDA’s Draft Guidance for Industry, Presenting Risk Information In Prescription Drug and Medical Device Promotion
In comments on an FDA draft guidance document for drug industry advertising, CEI challenged the agency to bring its “1960s approach to prescription drug advertising…
Newsletter
Swiss bank settlement, Hurricanes, Healthcare debate continues
UBS agrees to turn over to the IRS the names of 4,450 U.S. account holders. …
News Release
Institute Urges FDA to Get Real on Internet Drug Advertising
Institute Urges FDA to Get Real on Internet Drug Advertising CEI Says ‘1960s Approach’ Harms Consumer Interest Washington, D.C., August 20, 2009—The Competitive Enterprise…
Blog
“ObamaCare Is All About Rationing” and Tax Increases, Obama Adviser Says
“ObamaCare is all about rationing,” says one of Obama’s own advisers, Martin Feldstein. Feldstein earlier noted that Obama’s health-care plan would…
Blog
Legal Experts and Civil Rights Commission Attack Obama Health-Care Plan As Unconstitutional
Constitutional law professor Rob Natelson argues that Obama’s health-care plan is unconstitutional in four different ways. The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights…
Opposing Views
OSHA Nominee Anti-Gun Activist & Junk Science Peddler
Obama has nominated David Michaels, an anti-gun activist, to head the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), a powerful agency that regulates real…
Opposing Views
Shoppers Boycott Whole Foods, CEO’s Health Care Views
Blog
Obama Backs Costly Health-Care Status Quo, and Limits on Choice and Competition
Germany is a lot smaller than the U.S., but it has a lot more health insurers to choose from, and cheaper health-care costs. One reason…
Blog
Fact Checkers: Obama Is Lying About Health Care
USA Today caught Obama telling three fibs about health care, such as falsely claiming that “under the reform we’re proposing, if you like your…
Blog
Civil Rights Commission Criticizes Obama Health-Care Plan’s Racially-Discriminatory Affirmative Action
The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights says Obama’s health-care plan is racially discriminatory. The House health-care bill backed by Obama is filled with “sections…
Blog
More alternatives to Obamacare
Lots of commonsense suggestions to rein in health care costs that won’t bankrupt the country in John Mackey’s op-ed in the Wall…
Opposing Views
Mother Who Starved Child to Death Escapes Punishment
A Baltimore mother who deliberately starved her one-year-old son to death will soon be released after pleading guilty, reports the Associated Press in the…
Blog
The Truth About Town Hall Meetings
Yesterday, the Obama administration distanced itself from some of the more outrageous comments made by congressional Democrats, including one made by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi…
Blog
“Join Your Fellow Pervs for Some Explicit, Twisted Fun” Courtesy of Obama’s Stimulus Package
“Join your fellow pervs for some explicit, twisted fun,” urged a recipient of more than $25,000 from Obama’s $800 billion stimulus package, which…
Newsletter
Microhoo under the Microscope, Mob Mentality and Horse Killings in Florida
Microsoft and Yahoo brace for scrutiny from antitrust officials. Democrats claim that opponents of health care legislation are part of an “angry mob”. Florida authorities…
Blog
All Community Organizing Is Astroturfing – And That’s Fine!
The fact that members of Congress extolling the president’s plan are attacking astroturfers while leaving their arguments alone says to me that the Congressmen believe…
Blog
Deceptive Obama Health-Care Plan Worsens the Status Quo, Explodes Costs, Say Washington Post Columnists
The Washington Post endorsed Obama — indeed, it hasn’t endorsed a Republican for president since 1952 — but a lot of Washington Post columnists are…
News Release
CEI Proposes Legalizing Horse Meat Sale
A Senior Fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a think tank with offices in Washington, D.C. and Tallahassee, proposes a simple solution to the spate…
Blog
Hate Crime in St. Louis? Obama Backers Beat Up Black Critic of Health-Care “Reform,” Use Racial Slurs
Kenneth Gladney, a black critic of Obama’s health-care plan, was beaten, kicked, and called racist names by members of the SEIU, a…
Blog
Deficit Rises $880 Billion to Record $1.3 Trillion, Due to Massive, Unprecedented Government Spending
The federal budget deficit has already risen by $880 billion to an unprecedented $1.3 trillion. Most of the increase is attributable to recent…
Blog
Policy Translated: Health Care Reform
[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Bvnay1DhYM 285 234]…
Blog
Krugman: Town Hall mobsters are probably racists and “birthers”
“The Town Hall Mob.” That’s the title of Paul Krugman’s opinion piece in the New York Times today – and it’s a doozy. In…
Opposing Views
The Odium of Sodium
Blog
Liberal Congressional Leaders Buy Luxury Jets, Trash the Environment
Congress plans to spend $200 million on luxury jets for liberal House leaders, even though it earlier denounced the automakers for having corporate…
Blog
A Poster too Important to Leave to the Market
The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is giving away copies of a poster (pictured right) of Barack Obama, which it describes as “an original…
Blog
Obama Health-Care Plan Contains Affirmative-Action and Subsidies for Left-Wing Community Organizers Like ACORN
The massively-costly health-care reform bills backed by Obama are riddled with provisions mandating “preference” for organizations that exhibit “cultural competency,” a politically-correct…
Newsletter
Atlantic Hurricanes, Healthcare Costs and Cash for Clunkers
Weather researchers predict a quieter Atlantic hurricane season than previously expected. Politicians debate strategies for containing the costs of healthcare. The White House refuses to…
Blog
Health-Care “Reform” Always Costs More Than Promised
The depressing truth, as told by former Congressman Tim Penny (D-MN) and former Senator Rudy Boschwitz (R-MN).
Newsletter
Rising Sea Levels, Green Jobs and E-cigarettes
Scientists predict rising sea levels over the next century. Workers at a wind turbine factory stage a protest over announced layoffs. The Food and Drug…
Blog
FDA to Smokers: Drop Dead
The FDA is now moving towards banning a smoking alternative that could save many lives. Every year, millions of smokers like my wife try…
Opposing Views
Possible FDA Ban on E-Cigarettes is Wrong Move
The FDA is now moving towards banning a smoking alternative that could save many lives. Every year, millions of smokers like my wife try…
Opposing Views
Possible FDA Ban on E-Cigarettes is Wrong Move
The FDA is now moving towards banning a smoking alternative that could save many lives. Every year, millions of smokers like my wife try…
Blog
The Obama’s Administration’s Strange Double Standards on Hate Crimes, Terrorism, and Health Care: Soft on the Guilty, Cruel to the Innocent, Unfair to Taxpayers
When black panthers were caught on videotape menacing white voters in Philadelphia, using nightsticks and racial epithets to drive them away from the polls,…
Newsletter
The Microhoo Deal, Food Safety Bills and Free Trade with Korea
Analysts speculate about the future of the Microsoft’s rivalry with Google in the wake of a major new deal with Yahoo. Food safety bills move…
Blog
Food Safety Bills Moving Through Congress
With all out attention diverted to the government's attempted takeover of the half of US health care that isn't already nationalized, the attempted destruction of…
Blog
Where’s the Reality in Legislation?
In “Why Obamacare Is Sinking,” Charles Krauthammer argues that President Obama’s reliance on rhetoric is finally beginning to fail because “you can’t fake it…
Blog
VIDEO: Healthcare Reform Ideas from the Other Washington
John Barnes at the Washington Policy Center (motto: “Improving Lives Through Market Solutions”) passes on a 3-video series about the fight over healthcare “reform” we’re…
