Research Library

High cancer drug prices significantly contribute to health care costs in the United States, with the average annual price of new cancer drugs increasing from less than $10,000 before 2000 to $145,000 in 2015. Baker Institute fellows Hagop M. Kantarjian and Vivian Ho highlight this issue and propose possible solutions.

This compilation of briefs addresses a range of issues the new administration will face in the coming years.  “It is our hope that these Baker Institute studies will prove to be useful starting points for the new administration to develop comprehensive, forward-looking solutions," said Baker Institute Director Edward Djerejian.

About 1 million Texans gained health care coverage due to the Affordable Care Act, according to new research by health policy fellows Vivian Ho and Elena Marks. The new findings published in the American Journal of Public Health examined the effects of the ACA’s Marketplace on Texas residents and determined which population subgroups benefited the most and the least.

Repealing Obamacare and replacing it with market-based coverage that is both compassionate and prudent will make health care affordable again, which will guarantee access to insurance coverage for all Americans.

With growing competition from abroad, the U.S. must reform its fiscal policy to reduce debt, maximize economic efficiency — including minimizing the distortions caused by the tax system — and maintain its areas of competitive advantage.

There is broad consensus in the medical and scientific community that substance abuse should be treated as a medical and public health problem, not a crime. The authors recommend a sensible pivot from failed policies of drug prohibition toward a realistic approach to drug use.

Has the quality of surgical care in the Veterans Health Administration improved over time?

Regardless of one’s views toward Fidel Castro, his strong impact on world history is undeniable, Latin America Initiative director Erika de la Garza writes in this post for the Baker Institute Blog.

Almost two-thirds of Texans ages 18 to 64 stayed insured with health care coverage during the past 12 months, according to a new report by Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and the Episcopal Health Foundation.

This policy brief analyzes the impact of the increasing number of parents who opt their children out of school-entry vaccinations for nonmedical reasons in Texas and argues that the state should make obtaining nonmedical exemptions more rigorous in order to reduce the public health risks and costs associated with vaccine-preventable diseases.