Arizona Capitol Times Your Inside Source for Arizona Government, Politics and Business

Restoring the emergency dental benefit for adults brings an infectious disease approach to oral health, something we’ve long needed. Take care of the parent’s mouth, and the odds greatly increase that the child will have healthy teeth and gums.

As it stands, the AHCA would cut $839 billion in federal funds that help states, including Arizona, make sure that our most vulnerable citizens get the health care and long-term services and supports that they need.

We have less than 90 days to communicate to our federal elected officials in the U.S and in Mexico about the potential “modernization” of NAFTA. In a worst-case scenario, the erection of new trade barriers could disrupt key U.S. and Mexican industries for years to come and force consumers to pay more for big-ticket items.

Most legislation comes from citizens, businesses, organizations and associations who are confronted by a specific problem that needs redress. They look at their options at the state and political subdivision level. They look at their legal opportunities and whether court action might address the issue. And frequently they decide that fixing a perceived statutory deficiency is their best option.

There have been a lot of opinions about the impact that the American Health Care Act, passed from the U.S. House a couple weeks ago, will have on our country. Much has been made about the impact it will have on coverage, the marketplace, and on the cost of care. But, what impact will the legislation, in its current form, have on the citizens of Arizona, on our patients and on the health care delivery system we have all come to rely upon?

It is easy to see the political allure of “cheap drugs,” but what is often ignored by advocates of market distorting price controls is the long-term impact such policies will have on medical innovation and access.

The annual knife fight over available revenues in the state budget is often an exercise in directing dollars toward a specific constituency. $38 million dollars into the base for K-12 education is swallowed by the enormity of the $10 billion system and is lost in the rounding.

The budget I signed this week makes significant new investments in K-12 education, with a focus on teacher salaries, making our best schools available to more students and providing added resources in low-income areas to help close the achievement gap.

If the success of supply side economics is so obvious, why doesn’t the research show it? We know the bias of the university research community – over 80 percent of their campaign contributions go to Democrats. The expression of this bias in the pages of research journals has been non-stop.

The defense bar consists of attorneys dedicated to justice for their clients and the system. They are as interested in just laws, and fairness within the justice system, as prosecutors may be. Defaming us is not going to deter us from meeting obligations to clients and the criminal justice system.