Brief Analyses / Health

A Brief History of Health Savings Accounts

In January 2004, 250 million non-elderly Americans gained access in principle to health savings accounts (HSAs). Since then, individuals have been able to self-insure for some of their own medical needs and manage some of their own health care dollars.

Policy Reports

Inequities in Texas Telecom Taxation

Telecommunications, cable and wireless service consumers pay a barrage of federal, state and local taxes and fees imposed on these services and their providers. Telecom services are usually taxed like tangible goods and other intangible services, but taxes and fees vary among states and cities. California has the highest state sales tax rate (7.50 percent), while Colorado has the lowest (2.9 percent).

Bob McTeer

Remembering JFK

Forbes: Distinguished Fellow Bob McTeer reflects on President Kennedy’s famous “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country” speech.

Pete du Pont

The Great Destroyer

Polls show an increasing majority of Americans dislike President Obama’s health-care law and disapprove of the job the president is doing.

Policy Reports

Can We Put a Price on Nature?

Nature provides a variety of services to mankind. Forests and wetlands, for example, filter pollutants, cleaning the water. Weathering, microbes, and various plants and insects create and enrich the soil. The world’s forests and oceans work as the lungs of the earth, taking in carbon dioxide and emitting oxygen. Undeveloped land provides a variety of recreational opportunities, from hiking, camping and off-road biking to hunting and fishing.