Charlie Katebi and John Birbari discuss the budget crisis' impending impact on Medicaid and how patient-centered reforms can give Medicaid patients greater control over their healthcare and deliver better value for taxpayers. 

by Charles Katebi Liberals frequently claim that Medicaid expands healthcare options to the less fortunate. But without major reforms, Medicaid will become a major barrier for patients seeking care. Medicaid's looming threat to patients stems from its wasteful reimbursement regime. The program pays most doctors, hospitals, and clinics on a fee-for-...

by Charles Katebi Wyoming originally opted into Medicaid to help low-income individuals access medical care. But unless this entitlement undergoes systemic reforms, patients will find it harder than ever to get healthcare. At Wyoming's Joint Labor, Health, and Social Services Committee meeting in Casper, the Department of Health announced it will c...

In Wyoming, some politicians are looking high and low for ways to take your money, especially if they can make it look like someone else is slipping his hand into your pocket. One way that popped up during a recent Revenue Committee meeting is a tax on Internet retail sales. Proponents justify this tax grab in two ways. First, the need for more tax...

by Charles Katebi Governor Matt Mead's critics rightly chastised his plan to expand Medicaid without any foreseeable way of paying for new patients. Now it turns out we can't even afford totake care of patients already on Medicaid. In April, Wyoming's Consensus Revenue Estimating Group (or CREG) reported that the state will take in $110 to $130 mil...

Charlie Katebi and Gary Freeman on KGAB discuss the Department of Health's plans to cut $200 million from state healthcare programs, including Medicaid. They also dicuss how these cuts will make it harder for patients to see doctors and how Wyoming should reform Medicaid. 

by Charles Katebi Welfare was originally created as a safety-net of last resort for those unable to help themselves. But all too often it traps otherwise productive individuals in government dependency, sapping their potential and life prospects. According to a report by the Cato Institute titled The Work Versus Welfare Tradeoff, low-income individ...

by Stephen Klein In the Fall of 2013, I attended a presentation from the Cheyenne Police Department on marijuana enforcement in the city after Colorado's enactment of its recreational marijuana law the previous year. Chief Brian Kozak was matter-of-fact, and was not there to advocate but to simply update the audience. This was not, however, the pos...

by Wyoming Liberty Group Staff On Thursday April 28 the Bureau of Economic Analysis released its advance estimate of GDP growth for the first quarter of 2016: Real gross domestic product -- the value of the goods and services produced by the nation's economy less the value of the goods and services used up in production, adjusted for price changes ...

Coming soon to a theater near you: Marc Morano's film describing the climate change scam: Climate Hustle. This will be a US premiere on Monday, May 2nd.  If you follow the climate debate at all, you know Marc Morano as the hard hitting, outspoken voice of the Climate Depot web site. Morano's hard factual and sometimes humorous approach serves ...

by Benjamin Barr More discontent emerges out of Wyoming's Democratic Party caucuses, where Hillary Clinton obtained most of the state delegates even after losing the popular vote to Bernie Sanders. This newest wave of anger and confusion over caucuses and primaries is part of a national trend. Last month, Donald Trump threatened a lawsuit when, aft...

by Stephen Klein In two important rulings from the Texas Supreme Court on April 15, the court assured the effectiveness of the state's Citizens Participation Act (TCPA), which was enacted in 2011. These cases, AgendaWise v. Abraham and Sullivan v. Abraham, affirmed the dismissal of two defamation actions brought by a public figure against an activi...

Charlie Katebi and Gary Freeman on KGAB discuss Medicaid's tragic impact on mentally ill patients and why Medicaid expansion won't provide them better healthcare access.  

Charlie Katebi and Chuck Gray on KVOC discuss UnitedHealth's departure from Obamacare's health insurance exchanges and what it means for patients and President Obama's healthcare law. 

by Charles Katebi In the eyes of progressives, Obamacare provides for all of society's needs: It creates jobs! It heals the sick! It balances state budgets! Now the Obama Administration claims it expands healthcare access to patients with mental illnesses. According to a report from the US Department of Health and Human Services, 1.9 million low-in...

Charlie Katebi and Chuck Gray on KVOC discuss recent efforts by Arkansas lawmakers to roll back Obamacare's Medicaid expansion and why Wyoming was right to reject it. 

by Stephen Klein The U.S. Department of Justice recently resumed the Equitable Sharing Program, which allows state police agencies to collect civil asset forfeiture funds under federal instead of state law by cooperating with federal drug enforcement. All too often, civil forfeiture laws allow for the government to seize and permanently keep allege...

by Charles Katebi In March of 2010, Congress rushed to pass a massive unread bill titled, "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act," aka Obamacare. Now at the sixth anniversary of Obamacare we ask, "Has this legislation in fact protected patients, and has it proved to be affordable?" Here are six examples of promises Obamacare has broken: 1) Oba...

by Stephen Klein In the 2015 Wyoming General Session, a bill to limit use of drones—or unmanned aerial surveillance—by the law enforcement failed in the Senate Judiciary Committee after passing the House. The bill was sponsored by the Joint Judiciary Committee following the 2014-15 interim, but underwent amendments on its journey through the legisl...

by Charles Katebi In civics 101, we learn how government works. Voters elect legislators, legislators pass bills, and bills become law. This side of government is transparent and accountable. But there is another side of government that is far less accountable. Once a bill becomes law, it's up to an agency to enforce it. Sometimes they effectively ...