The history of government price-control policies that seek to impose price ceilings on goods and services…
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Ramirez Cartoon: Drug Price Control Poison

The history of government price-control policies that seek to impose price ceilings on goods and services is both long and replete with failure. That’s because price controls discourage innovation and investment, and lead to shortages in the marketplace, among other unintended consequences.

No targeted industry is immune from the predictable negative impacts of prices controls – not even prescription drugs, which seem to be a primary target in the price-control crosshairs of policymakers at all levels of government.

In his latest cartoon, two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Ramirez sums up the negative consequences of prescription drug price control policies – whether they take the form of direct price caps, “negotiated” Medicare and other prices, or Most Favored Nation…[more]

May 28, 2025 • 01:05 PM

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CFIF Launches New Ads Calling for Full Repeal of Tennessee’s Certificate-of-Need Laws Print
By CFIF Staff
Thursday, March 09 2023

“Lost Hospitals, Lost Health Care Services, Lost Jobs…It’s Time to Fully Repeal the Tennessee CON.”

NASHVILLE, TN – Today, the Center for Individual Freedom (CFIF) launched a new digital advertisement in the Knoxville media market as part of its ongoing campaign calling for full repeal of Tennessee’s Certificate of Need (CON) laws. The advertisement highlights how the state’s CON laws have cost Tennessee communities additional hospitals and health care services, as well as hundreds of millions in direct economic investment, along with the untold numbers of jobs that would have resulted from such investment. 

“Tennessee’s CON laws have prevented up to 63 additional hospitals from being built across the state, including as many as 25 in rural areas, which desperately need them,” said Jeff Mazzella, President of CFIF, referencing a recent report by the Beacon Center for Tennessee that looked at the impact of the state’s CON laws over the last 20 years. 

Tennessee’s CON laws empower a board of unelected bureaucrats to deny new health care facilities and services across the state, restricting access to the high-quality health care on which Tennesseans depend. In 2021, the state legislature made progress by reforming the state’s CON laws. CFIF is urging the legislature to finish the job and fully repeal the state’s remaining CON requirements.

“A whopping 5.5 million Tennesseans have been denied increased access to health care services and Tennessee’s communities have lost over $700 million dollars in direct investment as a result of the state’s CON laws,” Mazzella continued. “That is unacceptable. It’s time for lawmakers to fully repeal Tennessee’s remaining CON laws once and for all.” 

Click here to watch the ad

Full text of the ad

Tennessee’s Certificate of Need or CON law empowers unelected bureaucrats to deny access to new quality health care choices.

Without it, Tennessee could have had up to 63 more hospitals, with 25 located in rural areas.

Over 5 million Tennesseans have been denied access to new health care services…

…and we’ve lost over $700 million dollars of economic investment.

Lost hospitals. 

Lost health care services. 

Lost jobs.

It’s time to fully repeal the Tennessee CON.

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Notable Quote   
 
"After stepping off the plane in Nashville, having paid far more than expected for your flight, the rental car desk awaits.Four days with a Toyota Camry costs $670. A Starbucks coffee on the way to the hotel is another $7.Your budget hotel somehow costs $500 for the weekend, breakfast not included. Eating out for dinner means the day's spending is comfortably into four figures.Welcome to America in…[more]
 
 
— Keiran Southern, The Times
 
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