by Charles Katebi Testimony before the Wyoming Labor, Health, and Social Services Committee, August 25, 2016 My name is Charlie Katebi. I'm a policy analyst with the Wyoming Liberty Group. I'd like to thank the Department of Health for researching and bringing greater attention to Wyoming's lack of healthcare transparency, and why we need greater c...

We read frequently about employers who desperately want to hire and put people to work. And we often read about how young people are desperate to find jobs "with a living wage." So why aren't they teaming up and living happily ever after? Where's the disconnect? It's in basic skills. Employers routinely report that people they interview don't have ...

Wyoming has been paying a ton of money for K-12 education since 2005. The reason for the heavy spending? It was a major Wyoming Supreme Court/Legislative overhaul of the way our schools were being funded to equalize spending among students. Now we find that the consultants, on whose advice the spending was largely based, criticize the system for we...

by Charles Katebi Since Obamacare became law, patients have seen their health insurance choices disappear. There are fewer insurers selling fewer plans with narrower networks than ever before. And now Obamacare's architects want to snuff out the few remaining private options and replace them with government rationing and substandard healthcare. Pre...

CHEYENNE, WY: The Wyoming Liberty Group released its Taxpayer Protection poll question results today, showing that 65 percent of respondents are more likely to vote for a candidate who has signed a pledge promising to not raise state taxes. "The people of Wyoming are sensible so of course are more likely to vote for candidates who commit to voting ...

Charlie Katebi and Glenn Woods discuss the debate over Medicaid expansion in Wyoming and why it threatens the health of vulnerable and low income patients. 

by Charles Katebi There's no question that Wyoming needs reforms that make healthcare more affordable, accessible, and responsive to the needs of patients. Expanding Medicaid under Obamacare is not one of them. Instead, the program crowds out private insurance, underpays doctors, and delivers terrible outcomes to patients. For starters, Medicaid ex...

In this short video, Charlie Katebi explains why Medicaid can't afford to take care of Wyoming's most vulnerable patients. It's time for something new. 

by Charles Katebi Every year, Wyoming taxpayers spend hundreds of millions of dollars on Medicaid. Yet we have little to say in its management. The federal government mandates who Medicaid covers, what it pays for, and how it pays doctors. Because of all these mandates, Medicaid has grown too large and cumbersome to ensure patients have reliable ac...

We often point to the third-party payer problem as the cause of the explosion in health care costs. Insurers pay doctors who provide services to patients. This separation of payer and patient means the patient has little incentive to question the cost or even the quality of service. Now imagine what would happen if a big part of a state's spending ...