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Health Care Cannot Be a Math-Free Zone
Last week, I went to the House floor to say something simple. We cannot keep pretending health care is a feelings-based debate while the numbers are screaming.
On the Affordable Care Act, we are now talking about subsidies on top of subsidies to insurance companies. Last year, 41% of people receiving the enhanced subsidies paid no premium. No skin in the game. That is not what Americans were promised. We have also shown in our work that only about one-third of that roughly $35 billion to $40 billion a year in “subsidies on subsidies” actually reaches health care. Another third of enrollees never made a claim, and we are finding rampant fraud, including people signed up by brokers who did not even know they had coverage.
Then Congress is asked to extend it again. The updated CBO estimate puts three years at about $80 billion, and once you account for interest, the cost is roughly $111 billion. That is not reform. That is financing dressed up as compassion.
Here is the alternative. Stop treating health care like a subsidy pipeline and start lowering the actual cost. Legalize the innovations that can expand access and crush chronic disease costs. Utah is piloting AI tools that can renew routine prescriptions using patient data. Wearables and new models can help predict risks and catch problems earlier. But Washington’s rules still block modern care delivery because too many entrenched interests like the status quo.
If we want affordability, we need competition, accountability and technology. Not another round of debt-funded subsidies that mostly never reach patients.
Venezuela and the Case Against Nation-Building
Last Wednesday on 12News, I talked about Venezuela and why I have intense concern anytime Washington starts drifting into nation-building. It has not gone well when we have tried it, and it has been extraordinarily expensive.
Right now, we are spending about $1.43 for every $1 we collect. We do not have the bandwidth, or the taxpayer capacity, to prop up another country. That does not mean we look away. It means we use pressure and leverage that actually works.
On Venezuela, there have been criminal sanctions spanning multiple administrations. There was also a bounty that reached as high as $50 million. The right approach is targeted pressure, strong enforcement and clear consequences, not an open-ended commitment that lands on your mailbox.
Recognizing Some Amazing Constituents of AZ-01!
Saturday, I had the chance to spend time with Arizona’s Teenage Republicans, and it genuinely took me right back. I started as a Teenage Republican at Saguaro High, and those early days of knocking doors, asking questions, and learning how the real world works shaped a lot of what I still believe today.
That’s why I’ve been glad to support these young leaders for years. Their energy is real, their curiosity is refreshing, and their willingness to step up gives me a lot of hope for the future of our state.
New Tax Deductions: What to Know Before You File
Congress’ One, Big, Beautiful Bill (passed in July 2025) created several new deductions that could lower taxable income and, for some taxpayers, increase refunds. The four provisions drawing the most attention are: a deduction for seniors, no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, and no tax on car loan interest.
If you plan to claim any of these, the IRS says you should use Schedule 1-A and follow the related instructions. A few practical reminders as tax season approaches:
Start with IRS.gov if you have questions. The IRS has a “Help” page, an Interactive Tax Assistant (ITA), and a Forms page with the newest forms and guidance, including Schedule 1-A.
Publication 17 is still the best plain-English walkthrough of tax law basics.
Set up an IRS Online Account if you haven’t already. It’s the fastest way to check account info, payments, notices, and refund status.
Use direct deposit for refunds. The IRS is phasing out paper refund checks, and direct deposit is faster and more reliable.
Bottom line: these changes could meaningfully affect your return, so it’s worth taking a few minutes now to understand what applies to your household before you file.
What I'm Reading and Why it Matters
Artificial intelligence begins prescribing medication in Utah
Utah is running a first-in-the-nation pilot that lets AI renew certain routine prescriptions for patients with chronic conditions, with no doctor visit required. Partnering with health-tech startup Doctronic, the state is testing a simple idea with huge upside: use technology to lower costs, reduce medication lapses, and expand access, especially where providers are stretched thin.
This is the kind of modernization patients actually feel. Fewer hoops, faster refills, more continuity of care, and a pathway for entrepreneurs to build the next generation of health tools. |