The Benjamin Rush Institute (BRI) is an organization promoting free-market health care policies with the intention of protecting the direct doctor-patient relationship by encouraging a direct pay model. BRI brings together medical students, faculty, health care professionals, and free market healthcare advocates to promote its ideas via lectures, educational conferences, and its online offerings which include a blog, videos, and other free market resources. ¹

The Benjamin Rush Institute is an associate member of the State Policy Network. ²

Activity

The Benjamin Rush Institute (BRI) aims to remove government regulations from health care in order to protect the doctor-patient relationship and encourages a direct-payment model of health care fee payments. As an organization promoting free-market health care policies, BRI brings together medical students, faculty, health care professionals, and free-market-aligned health care advocates to promote its ideas via lectures, educational conferences, and its online offerings which include a blog, videos, and other resources. ³

BRI believes that. ⁴ BRI has established 29 campus chapters promoting free market medicine in the U.S. so that medical students can learn about free-enterprise health care policy as part of their medical education, with seven more chapters pending as of late 2020. Additionally, BRI has three international chapters and six “residency and nursing” chapters in the U.S. ⁵

BRI offers scholarships to its “student leaders” to attend medical and policy conferences hosted by organizations like the Free Market Medical Association, Docs 4 Patient Care, and the Cato Institute, among others. Additionally, BRI claims that it can help its student leaders “obtain highly coveted internships.” ⁶

Funding

The Benjamin Rush Institute is funded by individual donations, medical student memberships, and grants from organizations. Notable donations have come from Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, which contributed between 2014 and 2018. Prior to BRI gaining non-profit status in 2013, the Bradley Foundation funded BRI through donations to the Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy, between 2011 and 2013. ⁷ Additionally, the Physicians Foundation donated  in 2016,⁸ and the Searle Freedom Trust contributed  between 2013 and 2018. ⁹

People

Staff

Richard Walker is the executive director of BRI and former chief operating officer of the National Center for Policy Analysis. ¹⁰

Rebecca Kiessling is the director of programs of BRI and former founding leader and spokesperson for Smart Girl Politics, a conservative women’s group. Kiessling served as deputy director of coalitions for the Rudy Giuliani Presidential Committee and deputy youth director for the McCain 2008 Presidential Campaign. ¹¹

Database and program support manager Robbie Ellis formerly worked at the National Center for Policy Analysis. ¹²

Board of Directors

Board chair Sally Pipes is the founder of BRI. Pipes works as the president and CEO of the Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy and formerly was the assistant director of the Fraser Institute. Pipes sits on the boards of the California Association of Scholars and the State Policy Network. ¹³

Beth Haynes sits on the executive board of the Dr. Joseph Warren Institute and is the founder and president of the Black Ribbon Project. She previously worked as senior health policy analyst and executive board member for Docs4PatientCare, and as national co-chair of Doc Squads. ¹⁴

Robert Hertzka serves on the executive committee of the Council on Medical Service and formerly served as president of the California Medical Association and as chair of the American Medical Association’s political action committee (AMPAC). ¹⁵

Former U.S. Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) served on the board until his death in 2020. ¹⁶

Other members of the board include Jan Breslow, senior physician at the Rockefeller University Hospital; Jack Brown, president of Web Marketing, Inc.; and Juliette Madrigal. ¹⁷

1. “Home.” Benjamin Rush Institute, 2017. Accessed October 16, 2020. https://www.benjaminrushinstitute.org/.
2. “The Network: California.” State Policy Network, 2020. Accessed October 16, 2020. https://spn.org/directory/#CA.
3. “Home.” Benjamin Rush Institute, 2017. Accessed October 16, 2020. https://www.benjaminrushinstitute.org/.
4. “About BRI.” Benjamin Rush Institute, 2017. Accessed October 16, 2020. https://www.benjaminrushinstitute.org/about/.
5. “Chapters List.” Benjamin Rush Institute, Accessed October 16, 2020. https://www.benjaminrushinstitute.org/about/chapters-2-2/.
6. “Chapters.” Benjamin Rush Institute, Accessed October 16, 2020. https://www.benjaminrushinstitute.org/about/chapters-2/.
7. The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, Inc., Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2011-2018, Part XV, Line 3.
8. The Physicians Foundation, Inc., Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990), 2016, Schedule A, Part I, Line 12g.
9. The Searle Freedom Trust, Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2013-2018, Part XV, Line 3.
10. “Leadership and Staff.” Benjamin Rush Institute, 2017. Accessed October 16, 2020. https://www.benjaminrushinstitute.org/about/leadership/.
11. “Leadership and Staff.” Benjamin Rush Institute, 2017. Accessed October 16, 2020. https://www.benjaminrushinstitute.org/about/leadership/.
12. “Leadership and Staff.” Benjamin Rush Institute, 2017. Accessed October 16, 2020. https://www.benjaminrushinstitute.org/about/leadership/.
13. “Leadership and Staff.” Benjamin Rush Institute, 2017. Accessed October 16, 2020. https://www.benjaminrushinstitute.org/about/leadership/.
14. “Leadership and Staff.” Benjamin Rush Institute, 2017. Accessed October 16, 2020. https://www.benjaminrushinstitute.org/about/leadership/.
15. “Leadership and Staff.” Benjamin Rush Institute, 2017. Accessed October 16, 2020. https://www.benjaminrushinstitute.org/about/leadership/.
16. “Leadership and Staff.” Benjamin Rush Institute, 2017. Accessed October 16, 2020. https://www.benjaminrushinstitute.org/about/leadership/.
17. “Leadership and Staff.” Benjamin Rush Institute, 2017. Accessed October 16, 2020. https://www.benjaminrushinstitute.org/about/leadership/.