Justin Leventhal

Senior Policy Analyst at The American Consumer Institute.

[Washington Times Opinion @WashTimesOpEd]

@JustinLeventhal Continue reading @consumerpal: https://t.co/QZZeFL5QrJ

[Washington Times Opinion @WashTimesOpEd]

“With TrumpRx exposing competing prices across the country and allowing patients to shop around, insurers can no longer hold consumers captive inside opaque pricing systems,” @JustinLeventhal writes.

[American Consumer Institute @consumerpal]

State-by-state food ingredient laws are creating a costly regulatory patchwork that could raise grocery prices, reduce consumer choice, and complicate interstate commerce.

The FRESH Act of 2026 would establish a uniform federal framework for ingredient oversight while preempting conflicting state rules. That’s a meaningful step toward reducing compliance burdens and protecting consumers from higher costs caused by 50 different food-rule regimes.

At the same time, the bill should avoid replacing state overreach with unnecessary federal bottlenecks. Oversight should focus on evidence, transparency, and real risk—not politics or paperwork for its own sake.

A smarter national standard can protect both food safety and affordability.

Read more by @JustinLeventhal here: https://t.co/n7YvBFNAfM

[Washington Times Opinion @WashTimesOpEd]

“When patients can see real prices, compare options and buy medicine without unnecessary middlemen, competition starts working again,” @JustinLeventhal argues.

[Washington Times Opinion @WashTimesOpEd]

@JustinLeventhal Keep reading @consumerpal: https://t.co/QZZeFL5QrJ

[Washington Times Opinion @WashTimesOpEd]

“Patients can use TrumpRx to locate the lowest-priced pharmacy in their neighborhood. And if they want a better option, they can order discount prescriptions online and receive them at their homes in two days or less,” @JustinLeventhal explains.

[Commitment To Seniors @commit2seniors]

PBMs pocket rebates and hide behind opaque practices, leaving seniors paying more and local pharmacies closing. Seniors can't wait until 2028 for a fix. Patients deserve transparency NOW, not 2 years down the road. @JustinLeventhal @RealClearHealth https://t.co/9NxUP7qpRm

[CASE @CASE_forAmerica]

Patients don't need price caps — they need access. MFN threatens that by importing failed pricing models that delay Rx launches, reduce R&D, and leave patients with fewer medicines. Competition is the real solution. @JustinLeventhal @RealClearMarkets
https://t.co/K5DzO10lP8

[Commitment To Seniors @commit2seniors]

An MFN drug pricing model would restrict seniors' access to lifesaving treatments. "Lowering prices without undercutting innovation requires restoring competitive pressure, not imposing artificial ceilings," says @JustinLeventhal. @rc_markets https://t.co/UHMMdZFTrB

[American Consumer Institute @consumerpal]

What if opening a hospital required proving there aren’t already “too many”?

In much of the U.S., that’s reality.

Certificate of Need (CON) laws force healthcare providers to get government approval before opening, expanding, or even upgrading equipment—regardless of patient demand.

The result is a system that protects incumbents while patients face higher prices and fewer options.

Read more by @JustinLeventhal: https://t.co/qbXfcn5zJD

[American Consumer Institute @consumerpal]

Healthcare access isn’t just a workforce issue—it’s a competition issue.

When APRNs and physician assistants are allowed to practice independently:
• Patients get more options
• Wait times shrink
• Costs come down

Expanding scope of practice changes that dynamic—bringing more providers into the system and forcing improvements in price and service.

Read more from @JustinLeventhal: https://t.co/aCz01mrp15

[American Consumer Institute @consumerpal]

What if you knew the cost of your care before treatment?

That’s not radical—it’s how markets are supposed to work.

The U.S. already requires hospital price transparency. But most providers still don’t make prices accessible when patients actually need them.

Prices shouldn’t come after the bill. They should come before the care.

Read more from @JustinLeventhal's Op-Ed: https://t.co/UL65k3heVd

[American Consumer Institute @consumerpal]

Red tape is holding back cheaper medicines. Costly requirements, confusing naming rules, and limited interchangeability are discouraging biosimilar development. Smarter regulation could unlock real competition and lower prices for patients.

Read more from @JustinLeventhal's latest Op-Ed: https://t.co/CbLvmtdKnN

[American Consumer Institute @consumerpal]

The reform also requires PBMs to pass through 100% of rebates and discounts to plans and patients—ending incentives to favor high-priced drugs with bigger rebates. That’s a win for consumers. The downside? Implementation is delayed until 2028. Transparency postponed is relief delayed—but once in effect, these reforms will put downward pressure on drug prices and restore accountability to the system.

[American Consumer Institute @consumerpal]

After years of stalled reform, Congress has finally taken on one of the biggest drivers of high drug prices: pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). The new Consolidated Appropriations Act brings long-overdue transparency to a market where middlemen have operated in the shadows—retaining rebates and controlling pricing information. Markets require transparency. When patients, employers, and insurers can see the true costs, competition works and prices fall.

Read more from @JustinLeventhal here: https://t.co/Po1caiAmVE

[American Consumer Institute @consumerpal]

Stay up-to-date on our latest content by subscribing to our newsletter!

https://t.co/BjFeDgWDra

[Justin Leventhal @JustinLeventhal]

(7) Policy reform should be simple: remove barriers to DTC sales, protect manufacturers from PBM retaliation, and let them compete directly for patients’ dollars. Do that, and you don’t need MFN. Prices fall organically. Access improves. Innovation survives. Patients win.

[Justin Leventhal @JustinLeventhal]

(1) Direct-to-consumer (DTC) pharmaceutical sales are the most promising drug-pricing reform in years. They cut out middlemen, expose real prices, and let patients buy medicine like consumers—not pawns in a rebate game. It works so well the government is getting in with TrumpRX.

[Justin Leventhal @JustinLeventhal]

(6) The real enemy of affordable drugs isn’t list prices—it’s the opaque PBM system that blocks DTC and penalizes manufacturers who sell directly to patients at lower prices.