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PRESS CLIPPINGS

FEBRUARY 4, 2010

The Good, Bad and Ugly of Nebraska Health Care

To put it in medical terminology, Nebraska's health care quality is in stable condition but has somewhat deteriorated.

That's the diagnosis from the Commonwealth Fund's 2009 State Scorecard on Health System Performance.
Overall, the 2009 State Scorecard paints a picture of health care systems under stress. The measurements provide a framework for state and federal action to address common concerns as well as specific areas of need. It assesses benchmarks for 38 indicators of access, quality, costs and health outcomes. To view the complete report, please CLICK HERE.

JANUARY 28, 2010

The Faustian Bargain in Omaha Politics

Editor's Note: Beginning this year, the Platte Institute for Economic Research will be having guest writers contribute to our Platte Chat newsletter. This is the first such guest Platte Chat. The writer is Dan Welch, an Omaha lawyer who served on the Omaha City Council from 2001-2009. He was the Omaha City Council President from 2005-2009.

Like all unionized organizations, the City of Omaha is now in the normal process of negotiating long-term contracts with union employees. Omaha's elected officials are responsible for negotiating and approving these contracts. But unlike most collective bargaining arrangements, the State of Nebraska allows for public unions to contribute to elected officials campaigns, despite the fact that these officials will set the salaries and benefits of the very same unions. This is a clear conflict of interest and creates a problem for taxpayers.

JANUARY 20, 2010

Wallets on Empty - Is There a Fuel Tax Increase Down the Road?

In fiscal year 2006, the State of Nebraska collected $172.04 from every man, woman and child in the state in the form of motor fuel taxes - the sixth highest per-capita amount in the United States. And yet, Nebraska is looking for even more revenue to help fill its ever dwindling bucket of cash to maintain and improve our roads. Apparently digging their hands into citizens' pockets for more cash than 44 other states just isn't quite enough.