Reports

Report | Iowa PIRG Education Fund | Health Care

Building a Better Health Care Marketplace

One of the most important elements in last year’s health care reform law is the creation of new state-based health insurance marketplaces called exchanges. If states create a strong exchange, consumers will reap the benefits as insurers compete for their business, lowering costs and improving quality.

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Report | Iowa PIRG | Health Care

Building a Better Health Care Marketplace: Driving Quality and Cost Improvements through the Exchange

A health care exchange that pools its enrollees’ bargaining power will help give consumers a better deal on their coverage, but it will need to do more to get the unsustainable rise in health care costs under control. That is because while consumers and businesses pay plenty in premiums and out-of-pocket costs, much of our health care spending does not yield the results that we really want—healthier people.

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Report | Iowa PIRG Education Fund | Tax

Picking Up the Tab

Some U.S.-based multinational firms or individuals avoid paying U.S. taxes by transferring their earnings to tax haven countries with minimal or no taxes. These tax haven users benefit from their access to America’s markets, workforce, infrastructure and security; but they pay little or nothing for it—violating the basic fairness of the tax system and forcing other taxpayers to pick up the tab.

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Report | Iowa PIRG Education Fund | Transportation

Transportation and the New Generation

Youth in Iowa and accross the country have begun to shift their transportation preference our from behind the wheel, and towards alternative options. Increased dependence on transportation alternatives like public transit, biking, or passenger rail supports re-invisioned transportation policy solutions that reflect the needs of twenty-first century Iowa.

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Report | Iowa PIRG Education Fund | Democracy

Following the Money 2012

The ability to see how government uses the public purse is fundamental to democracy. Transparency in government spending promotes fiscal responsibility, checks corruption, and bolsters public confidence. In the past few years, state governments across the country have made their checkbooks transparent by creating online transparency portals. These government-operated websites allow visitors to view the government's checkbook - who receives state money, how much, and for what purposes. Most of these websites are also searchable, making it easier for residents to follow the money and monitor government spending of many sorts. Today almost every state operates a transparency website with the stateís checkbook accessible to the public.