The Universal Service Fund (USF), originally designed to increase connectivity, has evolved into an $8 billion annual expenditure, resulting in a nearly 40% increase in phone bills for American consumers.

With calls to expand USF contributions to include tech services and broadband providers, there is a growing concern that such a "tech tax" would stifle innovation in digital health therapeutics, including FDA-approved apps for conditions like hypertension and diabetes, as well as AI-powered healthcare solutions.

Critics argue that instead of seeking new revenue streams, policymakers should focus on auditing existing programs and cutting wasteful spending within the USF, especially given its questionable effectiveness in bridging the digital divide in rural areas, which technology is already addressing.

Jan Himebaugh, president and CEO of the Washington Retail Association, discusses Washington state's approach to regulating chemicals in cookware, including PFAS and lead. She shares retailers' concerns about compliance costs, product availability, and affordability, arguing for measurable standards and greater alignment with federal requirements.

Tony LoSasso, a professor of health economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, discusses the unexpected phenomenon of silver plans costing more than gold plans in many Affordable Care Act marketplaces. He explains that this is a result of a tangled policy design, specifically the federal government ceasing direct cost-sharing subsidies in 2017. Insurers responded by inflating silver plan premiums to cover these costs, which in turn inflated premium tax credits for all enrollees, creating an expensive and distorted market. LoSasso proposes a fix: funding cost-sharing subsidies directly and restructuring premium tax credits to delink them from plan prices, thereby encouraging real competition among insurers and ensuring long-term market stability.