Publications
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- Health Care News
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Medicare Advantage ‘Coding’ Loopholes Targeted in New Bill
Publication -Responding to criticisms lodged against an otherwise popular program among seniors, Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) introduced a bill to improve the way Medicare Advantage (MA) providers determine patients’ health risks, to eliminate overpayment. The bipartisan No Unreasonable Payments, Coding, and Diagnoses for the Elderly (No UPCODE) Act aims at saving […] -
Research & Commentary: New Index Shows Mississippi Falling Well Behind Neighboring States on Education Choice
Publication -Research and Commentaries -A new report shows Mississippi is falling behind in a nationwide education movement still building momentum. According to the 2025 EdChoice Friedman Index—a new measuring system released in April by the titular education reform organization, which is designed to measure how much educational choice families in a particular state actually have— Mississippi only has an index […] -
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Senate Considers Ending More-Expensive Hospital Rates Under Medicare
Publication -The U.S. Senate is considering legislation that would mandate “site-neutral” reimbursement in Medicare, eliminating the rule that pays hospitals more for services that can often be provided at a lower cost elsewhere. The Congressional Budget Office estimates implementing site-neutral payments for hospital outpatient departments could save taxpayers roughly $157 billion over 10 years. Over that […] -
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New Iowa Law Reins in Pharmacy Benefit Managers
Publication -A new law in Iowa requires pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to reimburse pharmacies based on average state or national drug prices instead of negotiated rates and stops PBMs from favoring a specific pharmacy to fill a prescription. Gov. Kim Reynolds of Iowa signed the bill on June 11, saying it was necessary to improve accountability […] -
Research & Commentary: Report Finds BlackRock in Violation of Lone Star State’s Anti-ESG Law
Publication -Research and Commentaries -A new report from the American Energy Institute (AEI) and Consumers’ Research (CR) finds that the multinational investment behemoth BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, is in violation of a Texas anti-environment, social, governance (ESG) scoring law that prohibits financial institutions from taking any action that penalizes a company involved in fossil fuel production for […] -
Research & Commentary: CAE Report Details the Environmental, Ecological, and Cost Concerns of Headlong Rush into Increased ‘Renewable’ Energy Generation
Publication -Research and Commentaries -A report released in June by the Center of the American Experiment (CAE) details the myriad environmental and ecological downsides of the push to transform the American energy sector via the widespread adoption of “renewable” technologies such as wind and solar. In Shattered Green Dreams: The Environmental Costs of Wind and Solar, CAE demonstrates the […] -
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CVS Faces Lawsuits for Using Patient Database to Evade PBM Law
Publication -Pharmacy giant CVS is facing several lawsuits over allegedly sending text messages to customers in its prescription database to stop the state of Louisiana from enacting a law that would have threatened the company’s pharmacy benefit management (PBM) business. House Bill 358 would have banned ownership of a pharmacy and a PBM by the same […] -
Research & Commentary: New Index Shows Iowa in the Vanguard of the Education Choice Movement, but Work Still Needs to Be Done
Publication -Research and Commentaries -A new report shows Iowa is among the leaders in a nationwide education movement still building momentum. According to the 2025 EdChoice Friedman Index—a new measuring system released in April by the titular education reform organization, which is designed to measure how much educational choice families in a particular state actually have—Iowa takes the sixth overall […] -
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HHS Cracks Down on Removing Organs from Patients Declared Brain Dead
Publication -HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy announced a move to tighten oversight of the practice of removing vital organs from neurologically impaired patients. In a July 21 news release, Kennedy announced a “major initiative” toward reforming the organ transplant system. “Our findings show that hospitals allowed the organ procurement process to begin when patients showed signs […] -
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AMA Rejects Doctor-Assisted Suicide Despite More State Approvals
Publication -With several states having approved physician-assisted suicide, the American Medical Association (AMA) staked out a firm position opposing the practice. Reaffirming its long-held position at the annual meeting of its House of Delegates, which took place from June 6 to 11 in Chicago, the AMA “overwhelmingly rejected” a proposed change in policy, according to the […] -
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Medicaid Cuts Would Cause Thousands of Deaths, Study Claims
Publication -While the U.S. Senate was debating the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine projected cuts to Medicaid could lead to 16,642 premature deaths. Researchers from Harvard Medical School and the City University of New York based their projections on an estimate from the Congressional Budget Office […] -
Research & Commentary: New Index Shows West Virginia in the Vanguard of the Education Choice Movement, but Work Still Needs to Be Done
Publication -Research and Commentaries -A new report shows West Virginia is among the leaders in a nationwide education movement still building momentum. According to the 2025 EdChoice Friedman Index—a new measuring system released in April by the titular education reform organization, which is designed to measure how much educational choice families in a particular state actually have—West Virginia takes the […] -
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Mental Health Counseling Student Exposes Sexualized Course Content
Publication -A graduate student in marriage and family therapy at Santa Clara University is facing difficulty graduating after she requested an alternative class assignment requiring a “comprehensive sexual autobiography” that would be uploaded online and graded. “What began as a simple accommodation request in a required course called Human Sexuality turned into a case study in […] -
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New Rule Curtails Improper ACA Enrollment to Keep Costs Down
Publication -In keeping with its pledge to rein in the soaring cost of health care in the United States, the Trump administration issued a new rule to clamp down on improper enrollment in Obamacare. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued “The 2025 Marketplace Integrity and Affordability Final Rule” on June 20. The rule will […] -
Research and Commentary: New Hampshire Right to Try Legislation
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Suffering patients deserve access to investigational treatments. In New Hampshire, HB 701 would expand access to drugs, biologics, and devices that have not yet been fully approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) but could help patients who have no other options. HB 701 would release doctors and health care providers from potential lawsuits, prosecution, or regulatory action for giving such treatments with the informed consent of the patient or guardian. -
Research & Commentary: Annually Updated EdChoice Report Collects Overwhelming Empirical Evidence of the Benefits of Education Choice Programs
Publication -Research and Commentaries -EdChoice, one of the national leaders in education choice advocacy and research, has released a new, updated “in-depth review of the available research on private school choice programs in America.” The 123s of School Choice, originally published in 2019 and updated this June, gathers information from 203 empirical studies on choice programs—including vouchers, education savings accounts (ESAs), […] -
Research & Commentary: New Index Shows Arkansas in the Vanguard of the Education Choice Movement, but Work Still Needs to Be Done
Publication -Research and Commentaries -A new report shows Arkansas among the leaders in a nationwide education movement still building momentum. According to the 2025 EdChoice Friedman Index—a new measuring system released in April by the titular education reform organization, which is designed to measure how much educational choice families in a particular state actually have—Arkansas takes the second spot, just […] -
Research & Commentary: EIA Again Finds Natural Gas at the Forefront in Decline of U.S. Carbon Dioxide Emissions
Publication -Research and Commentaries -The latest release of the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) annual U.S. Energy-Related Carbon Dioxide Emissions report has found, once again, that natural gas continues to be at the forefront in the decline of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in the United States. According to the report, power sector carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions remained near their […] -
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Investigation Heats Up After Biden Revealed Late Stage Prostate Cancer
Publication -The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has expanded its investigation of the cover-up of former President Joe Biden’s health, prostate cancer, and mental decline. On June 4, Chairman James Comer subpoenaed five former senior White House aides to appear for transcribed interviews in addition to Biden’s physician, Kevin O’Connor, M.D. In May, Biden […] -
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Trump Administration Pressures Insurers to Streamline Prior Authorization
Publication -The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has secured a pledge from insurers to streamline the companies’ practice of requiring prior authorizations before covering a claim. “Americans shouldn’t have to negotiate with their insurer to get the care they need,” said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in a June 23, 2025, news release. “Pitting patients […] -
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Supreme Court Decision Allows Task Force to Mandate HIV Prevention Drugs
Publication -The U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the legality of a provision in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) requiring insurers to cover preventative care services without cost sharing, including services that employers may find objectionable. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force determines what services should be covered. The plaintiffs in Kennedy, Sec. of H&HS v. Braidwood Management […] -
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‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ Will Test Value of Medicaid, ACA
Publication -Congress and President Donald Trump moved to cut the exploding costs of government-sponsored health-care programs, as part of the $3.4 trillion One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) budget package Trump signed into law on Independence Day. Ballooning enrollment in Medicaid and subsidized Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans has put increasing pressure on the federal budget. […] -
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Health Savings Account Expansion Survives in ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’
Publication -After nearly a month of debate, the U.S. Senate sent its version of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) to the U.S. House for final passage, in time to land on President Donald Trump’s desk by July 4. The House version of the budget reconciliation bill passed on May 22 included provisions to expand […] -
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Health Coverage Is Not the Only Measure of Success – Commentary
Publication -In evaluating the success of Obamacare in general and Medicaid expansion in particular, reporters and commentators have tended to focus on a single measure: health coverage, the increase in the number of people with health insurance. At the same time, in evaluating the health consequences of the House Republican reconciliation measure, almost all the focus […]