Author Archives: matt ohern

State’s Strand of Budget Worry Beads Capped by Expanded Medicaid

Call them the Secretary of Finance’s worry beads.  It is easy to imagine Aubrey Layne putting his fingers on one bead on the strand after another as he asks the economic powers outside his control to smile on Virginia and … Continue reading

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More Reason for Cynicism about Medicaid Expansion

More than 300,000 Virginians have something today they didn’t have last year — health insurance through Medicaid, observes Virginia Public Radio. What they don’t have is a primary care physician. Many are still seeking primary care treatment at hospital emergency … Continue reading

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I-66 HOT Lanes Working Better This Year

During the Q&A at a presentation I gave in June, a questioner cited $40 tolls on the I-66 (inside the Beltway) high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes as an example of what driving would be like if tolling were more widely used. … Continue reading

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Labor Force Participation Decline Might Be A Telling Story

The jobless rate is at historic lows and certainly is an important economic barometer. But looking at the labor force participation rate might be a more telling story. That rate, which calculates the number of people employed or unemployed looking … Continue reading

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Remembering Mike Thompson

The Thomas Jefferson Institute has lost its Founder. Mike Thompson, Founder, Chairman and Past President of the Thomas Jefferson Institute, passed away at Johns Hopkins the evening of September 7, surrounded by those he always knew were the most important … Continue reading

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