Publications
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- Health Care News
France Criminalizes Opposition to mRNA Injections
Publication -France enacted a controversial new law in February that critics say could be used against anyone opposing injections with mRNA vaccines or other treatments recommended by the state and based upon current medical knowledge. The law aims to combat religious violence, but under one section, criticism of therapeutic treatments when mandatory or recommended by the […] -
Research & Commentary: Hawaii Bill Would Clarify Gubernatorial and Mayoral Power During a State of Emergency
Publication -Research and Commentaries -The Hawaii Legislature is attempting to elucidate the extent of gubernatorial powers during a state of emergency with House Bill 2581. Under current law, during a state of emergency, the governor maintains the power to suspend electronic media transmission. HB 2581 considers how broad and vague the verbiage is in the current statutes and would […] -
- Health Care News
Texas Collects More than $700 Million from Medicaid Fraud Probes
Publication -Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced that his office has recovered more than $200 million in improper or fraudulent payments to medical providers, suppliers, and drug companies by the state’s Medicaid system in fiscal year 2023. The findings of the AG’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) and Civil Medicaid Fraud Division, and the Texas Health […] -
- Health Care News
Health Professionals Dodge Abortion Bans Using Telemed ‘Shield’ Laws
Publication -Health care professionals are not waiting for the U.S. Supreme Court to decide whether it is constitutional to send abortion pills through the mail. Beginning in the summer of 2023, blue-state doctors have used a backdoor method to provide abortions to women in red states that have ostensibly banned or heavily restricted abortion procedures and […] -
Research & Commentary: States Learn from Missouri in Granting ‘Assistant Physician’ Licenses to Unmatched Medical School Graduates
Publication -Research and Commentaries -An aging and declining population throughout rural America is creating a double whammy for those tasked with providing health care. A recent study found that of the 1,810 rural hospitals operating in the United States, 50 percent were operating at a loss and 410 risk closure. As workforce shortages continue to worsen this trend, states […] -
- Health Care News
Legislation Aims to Protect Drug Research for Rare Diseases
Publication -U.S. House members introduced bipartisan legislation to reverse sanctions on small-molecule medicines in early February, providing new hope for people with rare diseases. Proposed by Reps. Greg Murphy, M.D. (R-NC), Don Davis (D-NC), and Brett Guthrie (R-KY), the Energy and Commerce Committee Health Subcommittee chairman, the Ensuring Pathways to Innovative Cures (EPIC) Act would reverse […] -
- Health Care News
Georgia Moves Certificate of Need Reform
Publication -Georgia moves Certificate of Need (CON) reform legislation that restricts most proposed medical facilities, reducing competition. By Matt Dean Certificate of Need (CON) restrictions prohibit most proposed medical facilities in Georgia. Diagnostic imaging facilities, surgical centers, nursing homes, birthing centers, and hospitals require burdensome CON approvals before a permit to build is even considered. Hospitals and […] -
- Health Care News
Food and Drug Administration to Remove Anti-Ivermectin Posts in Settlement
Publication -Food and Drug Administration to remove anti-ivermectin posts from the Internet in a settlement with doctors who sued the agency. By Debra Heine The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reportedly settled a lawsuit brought by three doctors who who accused the health regulator of interfering with their ability to practice medicine and prescribe Ivermectin to treat […] -
- Health Care News
Teens Home Alone, Using Drugs
Publication -More than half of adolescents misusing prescription drugs are doing so in isolation, increasing the risk of overdose deaths, according to a new study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC reviewed data from 15,963 self-assessments of 13- to 18-year-olds who were screened for drug abuse treatment during the period […] -
- Health Care News
John Stossel: ’15 Days to Slow the Spread’
Publication -Four years ago, government officials told us, “Stay home!” We have “15 days to slow the spread.” Days turned into months and then years, while officials chipped away at our freedoms. I have long been wary of politicians, but even I was surprised at how authoritarian many were eager to be. Some demanded police to […] -
- Health Care News
Expensive Cancer Therapies Put Mandatory Treatment Laws to the Test
Publication -The Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS) issued a bulletin reminding health insurance companies they are bound by Michigan law to cover all approved cancer drugs, even if treatments cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and may be ineffective. The DIFS issued the bulletin after an article describing how an insurance company, Priority […] -
Research & Commentary: States Not Waiting for Federal Ban on Noncompete Agreements in Health Care
Publication -Research and Commentaries -One-in-five (about 30 million) working 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 […] -
Georgia moves to reform Certificate of Need (CON) legislation
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Certificate of Need (CON) restrictions prohibit new most proposed medical facilities in Georgia. Diagnostic imaging facilities, surgical centers, nursing homes, birthing centers, and hospitals require burdensome CON approvals before a permit to build is even considered. Hospitals and doctors to go through a governmental approval process, costing time and money. Beginning in 1964 with […] -
- Health Care News
White House Pressured Amazon to Ban Books on COVID-19 as ‘Misinformation’
Publication -U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) revealed documents showing the White House pressured Amazon to censor books related to the COVID-19 vaccine in early 2021, on February 5. Andrew Slavitt, a senior adviser on Biden’s COVID-19 response team, led the effort to pressure Amazon to ban “misinformation” books. “Who can we talk to about the high […] -
- Health Care News
Georgia Senate Passes Certificate of Need Reforms
Publication -Georgia Senate passes certificate of need reform measure that would increase access to facilities by expanding exemptions to CON law. By T.A. DeFeo (The Center Square) — The Georgia Senate has passed a measure to reform Georgia’s certificate of need laws. Lawmakers passed House Bill 1339 by a 43-11 margin. The House overwhelmingly passed the measure last month, […] -
- Health Care News
Doctors Challenge AMA’s Push on Vaccines
Publication -The COVID-19 public health emergency, during which the government put a heavy emphasis on the technology of vaccines, was a pivotal moment in government overreach, says Jane Orient, M.D., executive director of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS). AAPS filed an amicus curiae brief in Murthy v. Missouri, a case challenging collusion between […] -
- Health Care News
Supreme Court Hears Arguments on Social Media Censorship Laws
Publication -The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in February regarding Florida and Texas laws designed to stem big tech bias against conservatives. The laws, both passed in 2021, would limit the rights of social media giants such as Meta, TikTok, X, and YouTube to curate or moderate content posted by their users. The cases have implications […] -
- Health Care News
To Save Medicare, Build on What Works – Commentary
Publication -By Joe Albanese (From the Washington Examiner) Politicians usually avoid proposing changes to Medicare in an election year, but the program’s rising costs and expected insolvency within the next five to 10 years will demand attention in the next presidential term. The question will be how to reduce spending while preserving benefits for seniors. The best approach is to build […] -
- Health Care News
Misunderstood, Maligned Medical Advantage – Commentary
Publication -A missed phone call costs a Medicare Advantage plan $190 million. When does the failure to answer a phone call in 8 seconds cost the company receiving the call $190 million? When the caller is a spy working for the agency that runs Medicare and the receiving entity is a private insurance company. One Missed […] -
Revising Article 8 of the Uniform Commercial Code to Protect Americans’ Property Rights
Publication -Policy Tip Sheets -Important provisions in Article 8 of the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) contain highly problematic elements that undermine Americans’ individual rights and threaten the stability of the U.S. economy. This Tip Sheet will provide a brief description of those troubling areas of the UCC and propose a set of related concrete policy solutions for lawmakers. The […] -
- Health Care News
Medicare Advantage Plans Face Payment Cuts
Publication -The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that it is changing the method it uses to calculate payments to Medicare Advantage (MA) plans, on January 31, potentially compounding the effects of coverage reductions in discouraging seniors from enrollment. In 2023, CMS eliminated 2,000 diagnostic codes for MA, “which meant less coverage for seniors […] -
- Health Care News
Congress Mulls Tackling Abuses of 340B Drug Discount Program
Publication -A bipartisan group of U.S. Senators is seeking feedback on a controversial program that requires drug makers to sell discounted drugs to hospitals and clinics serving low-income areas. A “discussion draft” of the SUSTAIN 340B Act, unveiled on February 2, aims to clarify provisions of the drug discount program that critics say are riddled with […] -
- Health Care News
Did Discounted Drugs Under 340B Prompt Hospital to Cancel Independent Doctors?
Publication -A group of cancer doctors is considering its next legal step in a case that sheds more light on the 340B government drug program created to help the needy. In September, Jefferson-Health Northeast (Jefferson) revoked the hospital practice privileges of physicians with Alliance Cancer Specialists (Alliance). Jefferson is one of the largest hospital systems, and […] -
- Health Care News
Clinicians Demand Gender Care Textbook Be Withdrawn
Publication -Expressing “grave concerns,” a group of over 6,000 clinicians, scientists, and researchers signed an open letter calling on the American Psychiatric Association (APA) to withdraw its new textbook on gender care. The textbook, Gender-Affirming Psychiatric Care (GAPC), edited by Teddy G. Goetz, M.D., M.S., and Alex S. Keuroghlian, M.D., was released in November. According to […]