Publications
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- Health Care News
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Shakedown Lawsuits, Not Safety, Explain Drug Shortages – Commentary
Publication -U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) called on U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Robert Califf, M.D. to take “appropriate actions to investigate and recall products with unacceptable levels of benzene.” In a letter to Califf on October 31, 2023, Blumenthal alleged an “independent quality assurance company,” a fancy phrase for a lab, found “unacceptable” […] -
Research & Commentary: Virginia Senate Legislation Would Protect Virginians from ESG De-Banking Discrimination
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Legislation in the Virginia Senate would combat environmental, social and governance (ESG) scoring systems and ensure Virginians are not discriminated against for ideological reasons by financial institutions 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 used by investment […] -
- Health Care News
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$1 Million Prize at Stake in Debate on Safety, Effectiveness of COVID-19 Shots
Publication -A businessman is offering $1 million to anyone who can prove the mRNA COVID-19 inoculations did not kill more people than they saved. Entrepreneur, vaccine critic, and alternative therapy advocate Steven Kirsch, the inventor of the optical mouse and founder of Infoseek, Frame Technology Corp, Abaca, and OneID, issued the challenge during the COVID-19 crisis. […] -
- Health Care News
- Health Care
Report: Child Died During Clinical Trial of COVID-19 Shots
Publication -Concerns about the safety and efficacy of mRNA COVID-19 shots have increased after a January 3 report that drug maker Moderna failed to inform the U.S. government of the death of a child during clinical trials of its vaccine, as required by law. “A preschool-aged child died of cardio-respiratory arrest after getting a booster shot […] -
Research and Commentary: Missouri’s Big Tech Policy
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Protections Against Big Tech Censorship Are Integral in Missouri’s Next Legislative Session Legislation that would protect Missourians’ free speech on social media platforms is an integral and timely policy goal that should be considered in 2025. States around the nation have introduced legislation with the same objective in mind since the peak of blatant censorship […] -
Research & Commentary: Universal Freedom Scholarship Program Would Put Wyoming in the Education Freedom Vanguard
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Legislation recently introduced in the Wyoming House of Representatives would change the name of the state’s Education Savings Accounts Program to the Wyoming Freedom Scholarship Program and also universalize it, opening the program up to all Wyoming families. Currently, the Education Savings Account Program, just launched last year, is only open to Wyoming families whose household […] -
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Lockdowns Caused Changes in Teen Brains, Study Finds
Publication -The COVID-19 lockdowns caused significant changes in adolescents’ brains, a scientific study has found. Researchers at the University of Washington in Seattle used MRI data to show the normal thinning of the cortex that happens during adolescence was accelerated in teens during the lockdowns. The effect was greater in female brains than in male brains, […] -
Research & Commentary: Farmer Protection Act Would Provide Protection from ESG for South Carolina’s Agriculture Sector
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Legislation in the South Carolina House of Representatives, the Farmer Protection Act, which would combat environmental, social and governance (ESG) scoring systems and ensure South Carolina’s farmers are not discriminated against by financial institutions based on environmental policy. Environmental, social and governance (ESG) scores are essentially a risk assessment mechanism increasingly being used by investment firms and […] -
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- Health Care
What the FDA Gets Wrong About Drug Ads – Commentary
Publication -There are only two countries in the world where drug manufacturers are allowed to advertise their products directly to consumers: the United States and New Zealand. Drug companies in the United States spend $4 billion a year on TV ads alone. The typical TV drug ad these days usually touts the benefits of a drug—maybe with a lot of […] -
Research & Commentary: Push to Universalize New Hampshire’s Educational Freedom Accounts is Appropriate and Timely
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Legislation recently introduced in the New Hampshire House of Representatives would universalize the state’s Education Freedom Accounts Program (EFA), an education savings account (ESA) program, for low- and middle-income students, and open the program up to all New Hampshire families. Access to the EFA Program, launched in 2021, is currently only open to students whose […] -
- Health Care News
- Health Care
Where to Draw the Line on Outrageous Health Care Prices – Commentary
Publication -I often write about high prices in health care. Some gene therapy drugs cost more than $1 million for a one-time treatment. The latest oncology drugs are especially expensive. Danyelza (for neuroblastoma) and Kimmtrak (uveal melanoma) cost $1.2 million and $1.1 million, respectively. The average annual cost of a new cancer drug is more than $250,000. […] -
Research & Commentary: Wyoming Legislation Would Combat ESG and Ensure Cowboy State Funds Invested Appropriately
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Legislation in the Wyoming House of Representatives would combat environmental, social and governance (ESG) scoring systems and ensure state pension funds are invested solely to achieve the maximum return on investment for pensioners, rather than advancing social or political causes that may likely lead to lower returns and financial underperformance. ESG scores are essentially a risk assessment mechanism […] -
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Spending, Not Coverage, Is Biggest Problem in Health Care – Commentary
Publication -By Douglas Holtz-Eakin Roughly a decade ago, on October 1, 2013, the ignominious launch of the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) healthcare.gov website signaled the end of an era. The years leading up to the passage of the ACA featured two pressing national health policy issues: covering more (or all) Americans with health insurance, and the […] -
Carbon Capture & Property Rights: There Is No Justification for Using Carbon Capture and Storage Projects to Abrogate Property Rights
Publication -Policy Studies -Carbon capture and storage projects pose an immense threat to private property rights, among other significant problems. CCS can and should be opposed at both the state and federal levels of government. -
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States Differ in Responses to 340B Program Abuse
Publication -Widespread and longstanding abuse of a federal program designed to provide prescription drugs to low-income patients has prompted lawmakers in Minnesota and Michigan to try to rein in the 340B program in the absence of significant reforms by the federal government. Minnesota recently enacted a law requiring covered entities to begin providing annual reports with […] -
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Report: Hospital Executives Are Getting Paid Millions of Dollars a Year
Publication -Crain’s Detroit Business published a list of the 25 highest-paid hospital executives in Michigan, and all received compensation in seven figures, based on data from 2022. Philip Incarnati of McLaren Health Care topped the list at $10,783,705 a year, a 9 percent increase in 2022, which happened at the tail end of the COVID-19 restrictions […] -
Research & Commentary: Educational Empowerment Accounts Would Transform Public Education in South Dakota for the Better
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Legislation recently introduced in the South Dakota House of Representatives would establish an “educational empowerment account,” a type of education savings account (ESA) program, in the Mount Rushmore State. These accounts would cover tuition, fees, and curricula for children at private and parochial schools, as well as textbooks, educational therapies, online courses, computer software, and […] -
- Health Care News
- Health Care
There is a Way to Avoid Paying for Other People’s Health Care – Interview
Publication -As health care spending soars (see page 20) and health insurers increasingly delay or deny claims (see pages 7, 17), consumers are retreating to indemnity-style insurance protection, which pays a cash benefit for adverse health events. Indemnity-style health insurance is a feature of Plan for America (PFA,) a voluntary private savings proposal designed to rescue […] -
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Consumers Seek Solutions to Health Insurance Shortcomings
Publication -Consumers are looking for ways to safeguard themselves financially in the event of a catastrophic illness or injury when health insurance runs out or an insurer denies coverage. Insurance denials are up, according to recent reports, and this year new limitations on short-term, limited-duration health insurance (STLDI) policies go into effect. The use of supplemental […] -
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Why are So Many People Angry at Health Insurers? – Commentary
Publication -The public reaction to the fatal shooting of health insurer UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson has been nothing short of shocking. A post on X wishing that the killer would never be caught racked up 95,000 likes. UnitedHealthcare’s own bereavement message online was cruelly mocked by 77,000 laughing responses. What causes that kind of reaction? Before delving into what’s wrong […] -
- Health Care News
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Health Insurers Denying, Delaying More Claims
Publication -The murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on December 3 focused national attention on the denial of coverage claims by health insurers, purportedly a motive for the killing. After Thompson’s death, patients and doctors aired their personal stories on social media, while others posted vitriolic comments about insurers, and Thompson’s alleged assassin became a media […] -
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What Health Insurance Should Be, But Isn’t – Commentary
Publication -By William M. Briggs Now that a health insurance guy has been whacked by an assassin, it’s useful to review why health insurance is such a mess now. Here is an expanded version of a thread I did on Twitter—which is all a repeat of (ignored) arguments I made back when Obamacare was being discussed. […] -
- Health Care News
Increasing Number of Parents Waive Vaccines for Children
Publication -An increasing number of parents are foregoing vaccinations for their children, citing distrust of drug producers, distributors, and health care providers, while health care organizations point the finger at misinformation. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show a decline in vaccination rates in more than 30 states in the 2023-2024 school […] -
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Is Vaccine Hesitancy Causing a Surge in Infectious Diseases?
Publication -An uptick in mentions of measles in 2024 online discussions and forums shows many people are wondering whether vaccine hesitancy contributes to recent increases in the incidence of the disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 284 cases of measles were reported in 32 states and the District of Columbia in […]