March 9, 2022 10:02AM 

# Price Gouging? Or Paying Nurses What They’re Worth? 

By [Michael F. Cannon](https://www.cato.org/people/michael-f-cannon) 

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Here is a poor, unsuccessful letter I sent to the editor of *Health Affairs*.

> Kudos to Y. Tony Yang and Diana J. Mason \[“[COVID-19’s Impact On Nursing Shortages, The Rise Of Travel Nurses, And Price Gouging](https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/forefront.20220125.695159),” Jan. 28\] for shining a light on the growing problem of hospitals recognizing the value of nurses and paying them accordingly.
> 
> Congratulations also to Minnesota, Illinois, and Massachusetts for enacting legislation to ban this practice.
> 
> Without such advocacy on behalf of hospital administrators, nurses might start getting funny ideas about their worth.

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