Health care is one of the fastest growing expenses for consumers as well as taxpayers. Public health spending is now the largest part of the state of Michigan’s budget. What do we get for all this money? Are health outcomes improving as a result of more government spending?
Research suggests it is not. While the United States has some of the best medical facilities, technology and treatments, we spend significantly more than other nations for it. On top of that, government policies restrict the supply of health care while heavily subsidizing it at the same time.
So, what can state lawmakers do about it? This panel will discuss a variety of health care policies Michigan should adopt, like repealing hospital monopoly laws, loosening up scope-of-practice rules for health care workers and improving regulations related to drug pricing.
Tuesday, October 17, 2023
Lunch: 11:30 a.m.
Program: 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
The Louie Building
Freedom Hall (6th Floor)
123 W. Allegan St.
Lansing, MI 48933
Call our Events office at
Registration is closed.
Dr. William Smith is Senior Fellow and Director of Pioneer Life Sciences Initiative. Dr. Smith has 25 years of experience in government and in corporate roles. His career includes senior staff positions for the Republican House leadership on Capitol Hill, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, and the Massachusetts Governor’s office where he served under Governors Weld and Cellucci. He spent 10 years at Pfizer as Vice President of Public Affairs and Policy, where he was responsible for Pfizer’s corporate strategies for the U.S. policy environment. He later served as a consultant to major pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device companies. Dr. Smith earned his Ph.D. in political science with distinction at The Catholic University of America.
Matthew D. Mitchell is a Senior Research Fellow and Certificate of Need Research Coordinator at the Knee Center for the Study of Occupational Regulation at West Virginia University. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Centre for Economic Freedom at the Fraser Institute and an Affiliated Senior Scholar at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. In his writing and research, he specializes in economic freedom, public choice economics, and the economics of regulatory barriers to entry. Mitchell has testified before the US Congress and several state legislatures. He has advised federal, state, and local government policymakers on both fiscal and regulatory policy. His research has been featured in numerous national media outlets, including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, National Public Radio, and C-SPAN. Mitchell received his PhD and MA in economics from George Mason University and his BA in political science and BS in economics from Arizona State University. He is also an affiliated senior scholar at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.
Josh Archambault is a visiting healthcare fellow at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. He is the president and founder of Presidents Lane Consulting. His work experience has ranged from a senior legislative aide to a governor, legislative director for a state senator, to years working for think tanks operating in 35 states and in D.C. He is a regular contributor to the Forbes.com blog, The Apothecary. Josh holds a master’s in public policy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and a B.A. in political studies and economics from Gordon College.
