Doctor, Patient, and AI
AI in health care promises greater efficiency, but only if it balances the objective knowledge of the physician with the subjective wisdom of the patient.
October 5, 2026 | By Brent Orrell
Commentary
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COSM’s commentary page is home to timely analysis of pressing topics.
Can’t Afford a House? Try Getting Married.
From right and left, we keep hearing how hard it is to afford a home. “A lot of young people are saying, ‘Housing is way too expensive,'” Vice President JD Vance has said. He blamed illegal immigration and a failure to build “enough new houses to begin with, even for…
October 2, 2026 | By Arthur Gailes and Brad Wilcox
Governor Sanders’ Medicaid Ad Is Realistic
Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders released an ad this week about “Brad,” a fictional character who “has turned relaxing into a full-time profession,” that is, snacking in front of the television and playing video games. In the ad, Governor Sanders suggests that it is unfair to ask hardworking taxpayers to…
October 1, 2026 | By Kevin Corinth
SNAP and Americans’ Health
In 1964, when Congress passed the Food Stamp Act, the country faced a problem of inadequate nutrition among low-income Americans due to insufficient food. In response, the Food Stamp Program—today known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)—was created. Sixty years later, the nation faces a very different challenge. While…
September 29, 2026 | By Angela Rachidi
Understanding the Downbeat Coverage of Encouraging Poverty Data
Last week’s annual Census Bureau poverty report offered encouraging news about growing US incomes and declining poverty in 2025. As the Bureau’s press release highlighted, real median household income reached “$87,460 in 2025, the highest on record dating back to 1967.” Meanwhile, according to the nation’s official poverty measure (OPM)…
September 23, 2026 | By Matt Weidinger
The Brewing Revolution in Public Housing
A new Department of Housing and Urban Development rule gives directors of public housing authorities hope that they will be able to aid their tenants through the dignity of work.
September 17, 2026 | By Howard Husock
Don’t Count on Those $5,000 Trump Dividend Checks
Trump's dividend check announcement is set to be one of many in a long line of failed benefit promises.
September 17, 2026 | By Matt Weidinger
The Medicaid Work Requirement’s Gambling Loophole
Medicaid work requirements go into effect across the country on January 1, 2027. Work requirements have previously been applied to cash welfare and food assistance programs. But with the exception of a couple of demonstration programs, they have not previously been applied to Medicaid, a much larger program providing health…
September 15, 2026 | By Kevin Corinth
The Empty Threat That States Will Stop Operating SNAP
Last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) gave states a choice: Either limit improper payments in their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, the program formerly known as food stamps) or start sharing in the cost of paying for those benefits, which were previously covered entirely by the federal government….
September 15, 2026 | By Matt Weidinger and Angela Rachidi
How Fixing SNAP’s Payment Error Rate Formula Would Change State Cost Shares
For the first time in the history of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), starting in FY2028 states will be liable for a share of SNAP benefit costs. Each state’s cost share will range from 0% to 15% and will depend on its payment error rate. However, as I pointed…
August 19, 2026 | By Kevin Corinth
Latest Updates
Doctor, Patient, and AI
October 5, 2026 | Brent Orrell
AI in health care promises greater efficiency, but only if it balances the objective knowledge of the physician with the subjective wisdom of the patient.
How Helpful Are Cash Payments to New Mothers Really?
October 4, 2026 | Angela Rachidi
Michigan has become an unlikely testing ground for debates over universal basic income programs. Since 2024, new mothers participating in Rx Kids can receive up to $7,500 in unconditional cash payments during pregnancy and throughout the first year after childbirth. Supporters of such programs should expect meaningful improvements in the...
Can’t Afford a House? Try Getting Married.
October 2, 2026 | Arthur Gailes and Brad Wilcox
From right and left, we keep hearing how hard it is to afford a home. “A lot of young people are saying, ‘Housing is way too expensive,'” Vice President JD Vance has said. He blamed illegal immigration and a failure to build “enough new houses to begin with, even for...
Governor Sanders’ Medicaid Ad Is Realistic
October 1, 2026 | Kevin Corinth
Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders released an ad this week about “Brad,” a fictional character who “has turned relaxing into a full-time profession,” that is, snacking in front of the television and playing video games. In the ad, Governor Sanders suggests that it is unfair to ask hardworking taxpayers to...