Publications

Medicaid issued approximately $1.1 trillion in improper payments over the past decade, double the agency’s stated amount, the Paragon Health Institute estimates. “Cracking down on improper payments is a necessary first step that could provide hundreds of billions of dollars in Medicaid savings for federal taxpayers,” states the March 3 policy brief based on examination […]

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 […]

In his welcoming remarks at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told the agency’s employees it is time for a new era of “radical transparency” in dealing with the public. Newly confirmed by a 52-48 Senate vote, Kennedy embraced the spirit of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) […]

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 […]

Offering people money instead of social programs and market regulations can help lawmakers get health care budgets under control without a huge political fight, said panelists during a public forum on February 12. “Who is the best judge of value? People,” said David Hyman, M.D., J.D., a Cato scholar and law professor at Georgetown University […]

As Congress grapples with how to cut health care spending by $880 billion in the next budget, one move that could permanently bring down costs in both the public and private sectors is to decouple Medicare from Social Security, says Twila Brase, president, and co-founder of the Citizens Council for Health Freedom. Brase spoke with […]

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.

A limited outbreak of measles in Texas has received nearly daily media attention, with 200 cases confirmed as of March 10 and one child and one adult having died with the disease. Alarm grew after a case not associated with the Texas outbreak was confirmed in Maryland. The patient had recently traveled internationally through Washington […]

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.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says the current winter presented unusually high flu risk. The winter was “classified as a high severity season overall and for all age groups (children, adults, older adults) and is the first high severity season since 2017-2018,” the agency of the Department of Health and Human Services […]

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.

Attorneys general from 17 states are preparing to take legal action against Dr. Anthony Fauci for his conduct during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a February 5 letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), the state AGs offered their cooperation in further investigations of the nation’s response to COVID-19 […]

By John Droz Jr. on the history of vaccine policy. On March 2, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. issued a “call to action” after the death of a child with measles in Texas. Kennedy urged parents to consult with their physicians about the MMR vaccine, which covers mumps, measles, and rubella, […]

A much-anticipated February 20 meeting between President Donald Trump and representatives of the pharmaceutical industry ended without the companies getting a firm commitment from the new administration that it will scale back provisions of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) that force manufacturers to negotiate lower prices for certain widely used prescription drugs. The president […]

President Donald Trump issued an executive order (EO) establishing a commission to “Make America Healthy Again.” The February 13 order identifies multiple areas for reform and directs the creation of a panel of agencies to enact research and policy plans. The order directs the government to “aggressively combat the critical health challenges facing our citizens, […]

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 Trump administration signaled Medicare drug price negotiations under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) signed in 2022 by former President Joe Biden may undergo a reexamination to add greater transparency and possibly other reforms.  A 125-word news release on January 29, 2025, stated that lowering drug prices is a “top priority” for President Trump, who […]

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.