Publications
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Research and Commentary: Texas Medicaid Expansion
Publication -Research and Commentaries -After resisting for 14 years, Texas lawmakers are considering Medicaid expansion under the proposed bills SB 637 and HB 2939. Texas is one of 10 states that have not expanded Medicaid. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) allows states to expand Medicaid coverage to people with incomes up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level, currently $40,187.50 […] -
Research and Commentary: Kansas Medicaid Expansion
Publication -Research and Commentaries -After resisting for 14 years, Kansas lawmakers are considering Medicaid expansion under the proposed Healthcare Access for Working Kansans (HAWK) Act, SB 257 and HB 2375. -
Research and Commentary: South Carolina Medicaid Expansion
Publication -Research and Commentaries -After resisting for 14 years, South Carolina lawmakers are considering Medicaid expansion under House Bill 3109. South Carolina is one of 10 states that have not expanded Medicaid. -
Research & Commentary: The Time is Now for Universal Education Choice in the Lone Star State
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Legislation introduced in the Texas House of Representatives 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, uniforms, private tutoring services, transportation costs, and educational therapies. Funds […] -
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Texas Medical Board Director Resigns After Conflict-of-Interest Surfaces
Publication -The medical director of the Texas Medical Board (TMB) resigned after proceedings against a Texas doctor revealed he also worked for Planned Parenthood of South Texas. Robert Bredt, M.D., a pathologist, had been employed by the TMB since 2012, while also working part-time since 2011 as medical director of the Planned Parenthood laboratory in San […] -
- Health Care News
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Texas Medical Board ‘Conflict’ Goes Deeper, Legislator Says
Publication -The departure of Robert Bredt, M.D. as medical director did not resolve the issues with the Texas Medical Board (TMB), state Rep. Brian Harrison (R-Midlothian) told Health Care News. “We are a pro-life state, and it is unbelievable that an executive branch agency hired a Planned Parenthood official to help regulate Texas doctors and the […] -
Research & Commentary: Minimum Wage Hikes Are Ill-Timed For Montana
Publication -Research and Commentaries -This week, the Montana House Business and Labor Committee conducted a hearing on House Bill 484, legislation that would raise the minimum wage in Montana from $10.55 per hour to $12.06 per hour with a cost-of-living adjustment conducted annually based on consumer price index (CPI) data. It is not uncommon for some state lawmakers to advocate for […] -
Research & Commentary: Idaho Senate Legislation Would Protect Gem Staters from ESG De-Banking Discrimination
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Legislation in the Idaho Senate would combat environmental, social and governance (ESG) scoring systems and ensure Idahoans are not discriminated against for ideological reasons by financial institutions based on their exercise of speech, political activity, religious views, or their occupation. -
- Health Care News
- Health Care
Trump Opponents Get Ready to Pounce on Medicaid Cuts
Publication -With the Trump administration aiming for large cuts to the federal budget to eliminate waste, the federal portion of the Medicaid program is shaping up as a primary budgetary battleground. Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-TX), chair of the House Budget Committee, has circulated a proposal for mandatory spending cuts to various programs, including Medicaid. Senate Democrats […] -
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Australian Doctors Pledge to Oppose Future Pandemic Crackdowns
Publication -Health care professionals from Australia across the globe are expanding grassroots efforts to end censorship in the practice of medicine. In Australia, freedom-seeking physicians and health care professionals formed the Cape Byron Lighthouse Declaration in response to what they characterize as tyrannical measures in the name of disease control, such as those implemented during the […] -
Research & Commentary: Indiana House Legislation Would Protect Hoosiers from ESG De-Banking Discrimination
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Legislation in the Indiana House of Representatives would combat environmental, social and governance (ESG) scoring systems and ensure Hoosiers are not discriminated against for ideological reasons by financial institutions or utility companies based on their exercise of speech, political activity, religious views, or their occupation. Environmental, social and governance (ESG) scores are essentially a risk assessment mechanism […] -
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Software Tool Helps Parents, Patients Navigate Immunization Maze
Publication -A software developer has enhanced an online platform to help parents make more personalized decisions about vaccines for their children. Software designer Chris Downey introduced VaxCalc in November 2023, and this February he incorporated AI into the service with a tool he calls VaxBot. VaxCalc promises to “simplify vaccine decisions with tools you can trust,” […] -
Research and Commentary: Mississippi Bill Proposes Easing of Certificate of Need Laws
Publication -Research and Commentaries -The Mississippi House of Representatives has passed a bill to remove Certificate of Need (CON) requirements for many health care services and increase the amount a provider can spend before having to get permission from the state. The bill would also provide a faster appeal process for when proposals are denied approval. -
- Health Care News
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Ohio Becomes First State to Require Hospitals to Publish Prices
Publication -Ohio hospitals must now comply fully with the federal price transparency rule that went into effect on January 1, 2021, but was only loosely followed by the nation’s hospitals and not strongly enforced. Gov. Mike DeWine signed H.B. 49 on January 3, legislation passed unanimously by both chambers on December 18, 2024 and supported by […] -
Research & Commentary: Farmer Protection Act Would Provide Protection from ESG for North Carolina’s Agriculture Sector
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Legislation in the North Carolina House of Representatives, the Farmers Protection Act, would combat environmental, social and governance (ESG) scoring systems and ensure North Carolina’s farmers are not discriminated against by financial institutions based on environmental policy. ESG scores are essentially a risk assessment mechanism increasingly being used by investment firms and financial institutions that forces […] -
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Trump Blocks Gender Treatments for Children
Publication -President Donald Trump signed an executive order (EO) on January 28 blocking gender treatment for children in the United States. The order, “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation,” defunds government research and grants involving “chemical and surgical mutilation of children,” authorizes action against Medicare or Medicaid providers who participate in such treatments, stops the […] -
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AI Needs Continuing Education, Too – Commentary
Publication -Humans aren’t the only health care providers requiring continuing education to maintain their competency. Artificial intelligence (AI) also needs a regular reboot. This is a factor many people overlook when they get excited about AI, especially after the announcement of the $500 billion investment in Project Stargate and President Donald Trump’s Removing Barriers to American […] -
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Controversial Brain Death Diagnoses Under Fire
Publication -Recent dubious brain death diagnoses have some calling for an end to the controversial protocol. Brain-Death Declaration A prominent recent case involved a 23-year-old Jamaican woman who admitted herself to Montefiore Hospital in the Bronx, New York, for elective surgery on July 30, 2024. In February, Amber Ebanks, a business student attending school in New […] -
Research & Commentary: Georgia Senate Legislation Would Protect Georgians from ESG De-Banking, Utility Discrimination
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Legislation in the Georgia Senate would combat environmental, social and governance (ESG) scoring systems and ensure Georgians are not discriminated against for ideological reasons by financial institutions or utility companies based on their exercise of speech, political activity, religious views, or their occupation. Environmental, social and governance (ESG) scores are essentially a risk assessment mechanism increasingly being […] -
- Health Care News
- Health Care
U.S. Supreme Court to Decide Fate of Planned Parenthood Medicaid Funding
Publication -The U.S. Supreme Court will soon decide whether states can block Medicaid eligibility from health care providers who offer abortions, such as Planned Parenthood. The high court agreed on December 18 to hear Kerr v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, in which the regional chapter of Planned Parenthood and an individual plaintiff sued South Carolina Health […] -
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Gain-of-Function Research Funding Ends, EcoHealth Alliance Out
Publication -In the advent of President Donald Trump’s second term, four significant actions related to the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath took place in quick succession. First, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under President Joe Biden banned gain-of-function research and debarred EcoHealth Alliance and its former president, Peter Daszak, from receiving federal grants […] -
Carbon Capture and Storage Projects: The Threat To Property Rights
Publication -Policy Tip Sheets -Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is one of the latest methods climate activists are using to combat greenhouse gases and achieve “net-zero” carbon dioxide emissions. Government-funded CCS companies manage projects that capture CO2 emissions at their source and condense carbon dioxide into a liquid-like “supercritical” state. The liquified CO2 is then transported through pipelines or […] -
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Gig Workers, Too, Deserve HSAs – Commentary
Publication -By Joel White, David A. Hyman, and Ge Bai Approximately 59 million Americans currently participate in the gig economy. For most, this is a part-time way to make money, but 17 million people derive all their income from contracted opportunities. Gig workers are found in various industries, including transportation (for example, Uber, DoorDash, and InstaCart), freelancing (Upwork), e-commerce […] -
Streamlined: Reforming Tennessee’s Private School Regulatory Environment
Publication -Policy Studies -Executive Summary Early in the 2025 legislative session, the Tennessee General Assembly finally acceded to the request of Governor Bill Lee and passed a universal education savings account program that would provide all Tennessee parents with state funding to choose the educational model that best meets their learning needs of their children. The program established, […]