Research and Commentaries

Legislation introduced in the Oregon House of Representatives would safeguard reliable electric power in the Beaver State so that it is not subject to blackouts and brownouts. The bill stipulates that the Public Utility Commission “may not authorize or approve a plan by an electric company to retire an electric power generating facility that provides […]

Tennessee lawmakers are considering legislation to remove Certificate of Need (CON) requirements for health care services across the state. Tennessee SB 853 and HB 970 would eliminate the certificate of need requirement for all health care facilities except for nursing homes. The bills are currently under consideration in the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee and […]

Indiana lawmakers are considering legislation that would add a work requirement for enrollees in the state’s Medicaid expansion group. SB 2 would require able-bodied, mentally fit enrollees above the federal poverty level to work an average of 20 hours per week or meet other requirements to retain eligibility for Medicaid in the Healthy Indiana Program (HIP), which expanded Medicaid coverage to them under provisions in the Affordable Care Act of 2010.

Wisconsin lawmakers are considering legislation establishing that direct primary care agreements are not insurance. Combined with high-deductible, low-cost insurance against catastrophic health problems, direct primary care provides low-cost, high-quality, personalized care while the separate insurance provides protection from financial disaster. The main barrier to DPC is the complicated regulations imposed by state bureaucracies and consumer protection authorities that regulate insurance companies.

Senate Bill 2 would benefit Indiana Medicaid recipients by slowing the program’s movement toward insolvency as skyrocketing Medicaid costs threaten to devour all discretionary spending in the state. Nearly two million people in Indiana were enrolled in Medicaid at the end of 2024, in a state of just under seven million people. Indiana ran a Medicaid budget shortfall of more than $1 billion in 2023 and is still struggling to recover. The cost of Medicaid in the state increased by more than $5 billion in the last four years. Medicaid is forecast to cost Indiana taxpayers $10 billion over the next two years.

Tennessee lawmakers are considering legislation that would remove Certificate of Need (CON) requirements for acute care centers. Enactment of this legislation would increase Tennesseans’ access to acute care hospitals and raise the quality of care. The legislation is currently under consideration in the House Health Subcommittee and the Senate Health and Welfare Committee.

Texas lawmakers are considering legislation that would prevent state Medicaid administrators from automatically renewing recipients without contacting them to make sure that they qualify for the program. Senate Bill 921 would benefit Texas Medicaid recipients by slowing the program’s movement toward insolvency. More than four million Texans are currently enrolled in Medicaid. Skyrocketing Medicaid costs threaten […]

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden on August 16, 2022, but the contents of the legislation are contradictory to its stated purpose. The real point of the IRA is the creation of an enormous renewable energy slush fund, paid for by deficit spending. The […]

HB 3015 would allow workers’ direct primary care fees to count toward insurance deductibles in coverage under the state’s Employees Retirement System. More than 548,000 people were enrolled in these plans in 2024.

This week, the Tennessee House Public Service Subcommittee conducted a hearing on House Bill 132, legislation that reforms Tennessee’s gubernatorial emergency powers. HB 132 ensures that all actions taken by a governor during a time of emergency would not violate the rights of Tennessee citizens as granted by the Constitution of Tennessee and the U.S. Constitution’s […]

This week, the Tennessee House Public Service Subcommittee conducted a hearing on House Bill 324, legislation that reforms Tennessee’s emergency powers of the governor to ensure that all actions taken comport with the Constitution of Tennessee. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many Americans saw their respective governors wield unprecedented power with seemingly unlimited emergency declarations. This overnight […]

The Tennessee Senate is considering a minimum wage increase with House Bill 1216, legislation that would increase Tennessee’s minimum wage from $7.25 to $20 per hour. It is not uncommon for some state lawmakers to advocate for quick “fixes” in response to perilous economic situations, such as minimum wage hikes. However, minimum wage increases in any state typically […]

South Carolina lawmakers are considering legislation establishing that direct primary care agreements are not insurance. ... Freeing direct primary care from insurance regulations is important because such agreements are not insurance. DPC practices provide routine health services, not insurance against expensive, catastrophic conditions.

Legislation in the West Virginia House of Delegates, the Farmer Protection Act (FPA), which would combat environmental, social and governance (ESG) scoring systems and ensure West Virginia’s farmers are not discriminated against by financial institutions based on environmental policy. ESG scores are essentially a risk assessment mechanism increasingly being used by investment firms and financial institutions […]

CON laws are intended to reduce costs and improve access to health care by controlling the availability of medical facilities through state-based regulation. Unfortunately, CON laws decrease health care access, raise costs, lower quality, and stifle innovation by giving competing health care providers veto power over the construction or improvement of facilities or other capital improvements such as advanced imaging devices.

The Oklahoma Senate is considering Senate Bill 35, legislation that would raise the minimum wage in Oklahoma from $7.25 per hour to $15.00 per hour, to be effective November 1, 2025.  It is not uncommon for some state lawmakers to advocate for quick “fixes” in response to perilous economic situations, such as minimum wage hikes. However, minimum […]

Legislation in the Kansas Senate would combat environmental, social and governance (ESG) scoring systems and ensure Kansans are not discriminated against for ideological reasons by financial institutions based on their exercise of speech, political activity, religious views, or their occupation. ESG scores are essentially a risk assessment mechanism increasingly being used by investment firms and financial […]

The Oklahoma Senate is considering multiple minimum wage increase bills, one of which is Senate Bill 55. SB 55 would raise the minimum wage in Oklahoma from $7.25 per hour to $13.00 per hour, with an increase of $0.50 per year over a five-year period after the effective date of the bill. It is not uncommon for […]

Arizona House Bill 2527 aims to safeguard reliable electric power in Arizona so that it is not subject to blackouts and brownouts. HB 2527 is straightforward. The bill stipulates that the Arizona Corporation Commission may not authorize the retirement of an electric generation facility unless there is a new generation facility with equal or greater power generation […]

This week, the Tennessee Senate Committee on State and Local Government conducted a hearing on Senate Bill 27, legislation that reforms Tennessee’s emergency powers of the governor to ensure that all actions taken comport with the Constitution of Tennessee. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many Americans saw their respective governors wield unprecedented power with seemingly unlimited emergency […]

The West Virginia Senate has introduced a bill that would remove certificate of need (CON) requirements for virtually all health care services and providers in the state. If passed, the bill would also ensure that all prior CON decisions have “no force and effect” by 2026. CON laws are intended to reduce costs and improve […]

Legislation introduced in the Nebraska Legislature would create a universal education savings account (ESA) program with no funding or enrollment caps open to all Nebraska families beginning with the 2026–27 school year. These accounts would cover tuition, fees, and curricula for eligible children at private and parochial schools, as well as textbooks, software, private tutoring […]

After resisting for 14 years, Texas lawmakers are considering Medicaid expansion under the proposed bills SB 637 and HB 2939. Texas is one of 10 states that have not expanded Medicaid. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) allows states to expand Medicaid coverage to people with incomes up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level, currently $40,187.50 […]

After resisting for 14 years, Kansas lawmakers are considering Medicaid expansion under the proposed Healthcare Access for Working Kansans (HAWK) Act, SB 257 and HB 2375.