Publications
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Responses to CLIMATE CHANGE “GOTCHA” QUESTIONS
Publication -Q. Is climate change real? A. The Earth’s climate is always changing. Any assertion of a climate crisis, however, is a sham. Q. What if you are wrong? A. If the science starts to turn, we can and will quickly react. In the meantime, climate alarmism is killing millions of people, impoverishing millions more, and […] -
Research and Commentary: Bill Would Cut Red Tape for Oklahomans and Their Doctors
Publication -Research and Commentaries -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 […] -
Research & Commentary: States Not Waiting for Federal Ban on Noncompete Agreements in Health Care
Publication -Research and Commentaries -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 […] -
Research & Commentary: Minimum Wage Hike Would Be a Bad Move for Pennsylvania
Publication -Research and Commentaries -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 […] -
Research & Commentary: Another Minimum Wage Proposal in Keystone State
Publication -Research and Commentaries -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 […] -
Research & Commentary: Minimum Wage Hike Would Be a Bad Move for South Carolina
Publication -Research and Commentaries -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 […] -
Research & Commentary: Minimum Wage Hike Would Be a Bad Move for South Carolina
Publication -Research and Commentaries -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 […] -
Research & Commentary: South Carolina Could Provide Income Tax Relief with New Legislation
Publication -Research and Commentaries -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 […] -
Research & Commentary: Minimum Wage Hike Would Be a Bad Move for Oklahoma
Publication -Research and Commentaries -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 […] -
Research & Commentary: Minimum Wage Hikes Are Not Viable Solutions for Oklahoma
Publication -Research and Commentaries -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 […] -
Research & Commentary: Senate Bill 163 Proposes Ill-Timed Minimum Wage Hike for Sooner State
Publication -Research and Commentaries -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 […] -
Texas Considers Expanding Direct Primary Care
Publication -Research and Commentaries -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 […] -
Texas Senate Bill 745 Would Expand Medicaid Fraud Recovery and Prosecution
Publication -Research and Commentaries -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 […] -
South Carolina Bill Expands Interstate Counselors Compact
Publication -Research and Commentaries -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 […] -
South Carolina Bill Proposes Sweeping Repeal of Antiquated Certificate of Need Laws
Publication -Research and Commentaries -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 […] -
Ohio Bill Considers Prior Authorization Reform
Publication -Two people who are suffering from the same curable condition may need the same drug. One will get it, while the other may be prescribed something less effective. The insurance you have determines which drug you are prescribed because your insurer may require prior authorization (PA) for certain treatments. PA reform is taking shape in […] -
Patients Deserve More Access to Potential Treatments
Publication -In 2018, President Trump signed Right to Try legislation, which allows terminally ill and untreatable patients with the right to try medicines that are deemed safe, but have not yet gained final approval from the FDA. This year, states are taking the next step to allow more patients access to more potential treatments. While Right […] -
Ohio Considers Health Care Price Transparency
Publication -In 2021, a federal rule came into effect that requires hospitals to post prices so that patients can know what they are being charged for their medical services. In 2019, President Trump issued executive order 13877 to “increase the transparency of health care price and quality information on negotiated rates and for common or shoppable […] -
Ohio Considers Creating Interstate Physician Assistants Licensure Compact
Publication -Research and Commentaries -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 […] -
“Right to Treat” Iowa Bill Expands Right to Try Legislation
Publication -Research and Commentaries -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 […] -
Iowa Bill Puts Focus on Medicaid Fraud
Publication -Research and Commentaries -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 […] -
Research & Commentary: Minimum Wage Hikes Will Only Hurt Small Businesses in Texas
Publication -Research and Commentaries -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 […] -
Research & Commentary: Texas Economy Does Not Need Minimum Wage Hikes
Publication -Research and Commentaries -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 […]
