Research and Commentaries

Legislation making its way through the Texas Legislature would establish a universal education savings account (ESA) program open to all children in the Lone Star State. These accounts would cover tuition, fees, and curricula for eligible children at private and parochial schools, as well as textbooks and uniforms, private tutoring services, transportation costs, and educational therapies. […]

Legislation making its way through the Texas Legislature would establish a universal education savings account (ESA) program open to all children in the Lone Star State. These accounts would cover tuition, fees, and curricula for eligible children at private and parochial schools, as well as textbooks and uniforms, private tutoring services, transportation costs, and educational therapies. […]

When a less expensive drug is available and comparable to a more expensive one, corporations and government purchasers have developed policies that force the patient to try the cheaper drug first by requiring prior authorization (PA) to skip to a more expensive alternative. This has pulled cost out of the system, but also has delayed […]

One-in-five (about 30 million) Americans are bound by noncompete agreements. Noncompete agreements are routinely executed to prevent valuable, and sometimes proprietary information from traveling with employees when they change jobs. Technology companies thrive in a highly competitive environment where the coin of the realm is novelty, so it is understandable that many such employers ask […]

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is considering House Bill 1427, legislation that would raise the minimum wage in the Keystone State to $15 per hour, beginning January 1, 2024. Furthermore, beginning January 1, 2025, HB 1427 would increase the minimum wage by an annual cost-of-living adjustment calculated by the secretary using the percentage change in the […]

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is considering House Bill 1500, legislation that would raise the minimum wage in the Keystone State to $15 per hour, by January 1, 2026. The legislation would incrementally raise the minimum wage beginning with an increase to $11 per hour beginning January 1, 2024. Then increasing to $13 per hour beginning […]

The South Carolina Senate is considering Senate Bill 291, legislation that would raise the minimum wage in the Palmetto State to $15 per hour, immediately effective upon the passage of the legislation. Also known as the “South Carolina Minimum Wage Act” this bill would bring forth a substantial increase from South Carolina’s current minimum wage of […]

The South Carolina House of Representatives is considering House Bill 3805, legislation that would raise the minimum wage in the Palmetto State to $17 per hour, immediately effective upon the passage of the legislation. Also known as the “South Carolina Minimum Wage Act,” this bill would bring forth a substantial increase from South Carolina’s current minimum […]

The South Carolina Legislature is considering House Bill 3526, new legislation that would eliminate the imposition of the income tax on individuals, estates, and trusts in the Palmetto State.  Throughout recent legislative sessions, many elected officials have turned their sights towards state revenue and budgets. Legislative sessions have been particularly unique following the COVID-19 economic […]

The Oklahoma House of Representatives is considering House Bill 1986, legislation that would raise the minimum wage in the Sooner State to $13 per hour by January 1, 2026. This would be a substantial increase from Oklahoma’s current minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.  HB 1986 would raise the minimum wage incrementally beginning with an increase […]

The Oklahoma Senate is considering Senate Bill 156, legislation that would raise the minimum wage in the Sooner State to $10 per hour by January 1, 2026. This would be a substantial increase from Oklahoma’s current minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.  SB 156 would raise the minimum wage incrementally beginning with an increase to $8.25 […]

The Oklahoma Senate is considering Senate Bill 163, legislation that would raise the minimum wage in the Sooner State to $13 per hour. This would be a substantial increase from Oklahoma’s current minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.  SB 163 would raise the minimum wage incrementally by $0.50 per year over a five-year period after the […]

Direct Primary Care (DPC) is a way of connecting health care providers and patients in a retainer-based service agreement. Under DPC, providers and patients agree on a fee to be paid to cover routine health care services. It does not replace health insurance and it must not be defined as insurance. The main barrier to […]

Skyrocketing Medicaid costs were already threatening to overpower every other priority in state budgets before the pandemic. As COVID-19 spread, national Medicaid enrollment ballooned from 23 million people to 95 million as eligibility requirements were relaxed. States were given enhanced funding from the federal government to load more people onto Medicaid while simultaneously being unable […]

Telemedicine has benefited from a steep COVID-19 learning curve. After restrictions on telemedicine were eased or eliminated to allow virtual treatment as a temporary replacement for in-person office visits during the pandemic, most patients are returning to in-person consults. However, as the formal pandemic emergency ends, public health officials are allowing many COVID-19 emergency rules […]

Certificate of Need (CON) laws were intended to reduce costs and improve access to health care by controlling the availability of medical facilities through state-based regulation. In the 1960s, policy makers began to worry that the free market would concentrate an oversupply of lucrative medical services in some areas, while creating an undersupply of services […]

Connecting doctors and their patients across state lines has become commonplace, thanks to the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, which now includes 37 states, the District of Colombia, and Guam. By allowing physicians to practice in multiple states, the compact has significantly increased access to doctors, particularly in rural areas. However, access to care gaps continue […]

Suffering patients deserve more access to investigational treatments. In Iowa, HF225 would expand access to drugs and therapies that have not yet been completely approved by the FDA, but could help patients who have no other options. Iowans are currently restricted to limited expanded use of investigational drugs to only those patients who are near […]

Before the COVID-19 pandemic upended the delivery of health care in America and throughout the world, states were realizing that skyrocketing Medicaid costs threatened to devour all discretionary spending. During the pandemic, Medicaid enrollment ballooned by 23 million people to 95 million as eligibility requirements were relaxed and states were given enhanced payments to load […]

The Texas House of Representatives is considering House Bill 169, legislation that would raise the minimum wage in the Lone Star State from its current $7.25 per hour to $15 per hour, beginning September 1, 2023. Historically, some state lawmakers have advocated for quick “fixes” in response to perilous economic situations. However, minimum wage increases almost […]

The Texas House of Representatives is considering House Bill 1126, legislation that would raise the minimum wage in the Lone Star State from its current $7.25 per hour to $15 per hour, beginning January 1, 2025. HB 1126 would incrementally raise the minimum wage beginning with an increase to $12.50 per hour for the remainder of […]

The Texas House of Representatives is considering House Bill 1919, legislation that would raise the minimum wage in the Lone Star State from its current $7.25 per hour to $17 per hour, beginning January 1, 2025. HB 1919 would initially increase the minimum wage to $13.50 per hour for the year 2024, before moving onto the […]

The Texas Legislature is considering HCR 50, a concurrent resolution that would implore Congress to raise the federal minimum wage from its current $7.25 per hour, to $15 per hour. HCR 50 also requests that the Texas Secretary of State forward official copies of the resolution to the president, leader of the Senate, Speaker of the […]

The Texas House of Representatives is considering House Bill 737, legislation that would raise the minimum wage in the Lone Star State from its current $7.25 per hour to $15 per hour, beginning September 1, 2023. Historically, some state lawmakers have advocated for quick “fixes” in response to perilous economic situations. However, minimum wage increases almost […]