Research Library

Concerned about high medical bills, uninsured Texans are twice as likely as the insured to delay or forgo health care. That’s one of the findings of a new survey released today by Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and the Episcopal Health Foundation.

Tele-health in schools may be the answer to limited resources and a need to increase health care access for children.

The 10th in a series of reports on the implementation of the ACA analyzes the costs and coverage of marketplace plans in Texas.

Although there are enormous potential benefits for Mexico's energy sector in the future, there are also important challenges the country must overcome to fully realize its energy potential. One of them has to do with the land ownership and land use regime in Mexico. As the legislative debate on the new Ley de Petróleos and the Ley de la Comisión Federal de Electricidad (Petroleum Act and Federal Electric Utility Act) proceeded in the summer of 2014, the Mexican Congress anticipated potential land-related conflicts associated with exploration and production activities related to hydrocarbons and new energy-related infrastructure projects. These potential conflicts stem from the fact that all of these projects will necessarily require the right of way to access and work on the resources in the subsoil of privately owned as well as on so-called “socially owned” lands in regions targeted for energy development. Thus, the Mexican Congress sought to avoid land-related conflicts by including language related to land ownership and use in the new energy legislation. The legislation, however, may not be able to prevent such conflicts.

More Texans found talking to the call center more helpful than using healthcare.gov to get information or enroll for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, according to a new study released by the Baker Institute Health Policy Forum and the Episcopal Health Foundation.

The cost of monthly premiums for health insurance plans under the Affordable Care Act can vary hundreds of dollars depending on a Texan’s income and the level of coverage chosen, according to a report released Sept. 23.

This issue brief proposes a framework for awarding bids in a public tender for exploration blocks. The context for the proposal is Mexico’s energy reform of 2013-2014.

Under proposed legislation to implement Mexico’s energy reforms, Pemex will remain a privileged state operator supporting exploration and production in most of the country's proven onshore and shallow water fields. It is not known if energy reform will effectively turn Pemex into a firm able to compete without policy bias against private investors.

Mexico’s 2013–2014 energy reform promises to bring the country’s economic drivers and regulatory institutions in line with the global practices of free market democracies. If successful, this development would be a 180-degree turn. The accomplishment of such realignment is hardly assured, however.