Paragon Health Institute

What Paragon Health Institute does

Paragon Health Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit healthcare policy research organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., founded in late 2021 by Brian Blase. The organization explicitly does not accept industry funding and does not conduct lobbying, positioning itself as an independent conservative-leaning think tank that produces evidence-based policy research targeted at federal and state policymakers, Congressional committees, CMS/HHS, and state Medicaid administrators.

Its product portfolio consists of policy research initiatives and publications rather than commercial technology products. Core offerings include the Health Care AI Initiative (led by Kev Coleman, focused on AI-driven cost reduction, waste minimization, and patient outcomes), the State Health Reform Initiative (led by Niklas Kleinworth, focused on Medicaid integrity, managed care accountability, and state-level reform), and an extensive library of research reports covering ACA enrollment fraud, hospital funding reform (including site-neutral payments and certificate-of-need repeal), and AI's potential to lower U.S. healthcare costs. The organization analyzes large structured healthcare expenditure and enrollment datasets, including published figures such as $4.5 trillion in 2022 U.S. healthcare spending, 24.3 million ACA enrollees, and an estimated $15–26 billion in fraudulent ACA spending for 2024.

The business model is donor-funded non-profit operation with no commercial revenue, no pricing model, and no disclosed donor base. Its go-to-market is thought-leadership driven: it distributes research via its website, PR Newswire press releases, earned media in healthcare policy publications, and direct Congressional and committee engagement. With 1–10 employees, Paragon operates as a lean, high-leverage policy shop whose "value proposition" is measured in citations, media presence, and policy influence rather than revenue.

Name

Paragon Health Institute

Legal name

Paragon Health Institute

Website

https://paragoninstitute.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Paragon Health Institute is a Washington, D.C.-based 501(c)(3) non-profit think tank founded in 2021 that produces independent, non-industry-funded healthcare policy research and recommendations for federal and state policymakers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Healthcare Policy Research

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720), Political Organizations (813940)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Think Tanks, Policy Research & Public Policy Institutes (BPAGAFAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Policy, Regulatory & Public Affairs Research (BPAHALAF), Public Health Policy, Planning & Governance (BPAIAJAB)

Keywords

• Healthcare policy research
• Nonprofit think tank
• Policy reform analysis
• Healthcare economics research
• Regulatory policy advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Non-profit funding: As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in late 2021 by Brian Blase, Paragon Health Institute operates on non-industry funding. The organization explicitly states it does not accept industry funding and does not conduct lobbying activities, suggesting reliance on grants, donations from foundations, or individual supporters aligned with conservative healthcare policy views.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Paragon Health Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit policy research think tank that produces evidence-based research reports and policy recommendations focused on US healthcare reform, including free-market policy agendas on ACA enrollment fraud, hospital pricing, Medicaid program integrity, and AI applications in healthcare. The organization distributes its work through publications, direct engagement with federal and state policymakers, and media outreach. It does not accept industry funding and does not conduct lobbying activities, operating as a donor-funded independent research and thought-leadership body.

Product overview

Paragon Health Institute is a conservative policy research think tank organized as a 501(c)(3) non-profit, founded in late 2021 by Brian Blase. The organization does not accept industry funding and does not conduct lobbying activities. Its product portfolio consists primarily of policy research initiatives and publications, including the Health Care AI Initiative focused on AI policy and cost reduction, the State Health Reform Initiative for state-level Medicaid and healthcare reform, and various research reports on ACA enrollment fraud, hospital policy reform, and AI-driven healthcare cost optimization. These offerings are interconnected as part of a coordinated free-market healthcare policy agenda.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Health Care AI Initiative: An initiative promoting research and policies leveraging artificial intelligence to reduce costs, minimize waste, accelerate access to innovations, and improve patient outcomes in American health care.
• State Health Reform Initiative

Products and services

• Health Care AI Initiative A policy research initiative led by Kev Coleman that promotes research and policy recommendations leveraging artificial intelligence to reduce costs, minimize waste, accelerate access to innovations, and improve patient outcomes in American healthcare. Targeted at federal and state healthcare policymakers and AI policy audiences.
• State Health Reform Initiative A program led by Niklas Kleinworth that helps US states reduce fraud, lower healthcare costs, and protect vulnerable populations through evidence-based, free-market policies, with four strategic priorities around Medicaid program integrity, managed care accountability, supply expansion, and patient choice. Targeted at state lawmakers and Medicaid administrators.
• ACA Enrollment Fraud Research Reports Policy research publications documenting extensive fraudulent enrollment in Affordable Care Act health insurance exchanges, estimating 4-5 million fraudulent enrollees and $15-26 billion in fraudulent spending for 2024, with analysis of system vulnerabilities exploited through special enrollment periods and Enhanced Direct Enrollment features. Targeted at federal and state policymakers and ACA program integrity stakeholders.
• Hospital Policy Reform Research Research arguing that US hospitals are not in financial distress and that government subsidies and regulations have artificially inflated hospital prices, presenting a 12-point policy agenda for restructuring hospital funding, including site-neutral Medicare payments, restrictions on hospital supplemental payments, and repeal of certificate of need laws. Targeted at federal and state policymakers, hospital industry stakeholders, and healthcare policy media.
• AI Healthcare Cost Reduction Policy Paper A policy paper examining AI's potential to lower US healthcare costs, identifying three pathways for AI-driven savings — productivity gains, quality improvements, and autonomous self-service care — and recommending regulatory flexibility for autonomous AI medical devices and intellectual property reforms. Targeted at federal healthcare regulators, AI policy stakeholders, and healthcare policy researchers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Improper ACA spending reduced by eliminating phantom enrollees and strengthening income verification
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature2 records

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Heritage Foundation: Large conservative think tank with an extensive healthcare policy program (including federal transition planning); shares ideological overlap with Paragon on free-market healthcare reform but operates at vastly larger scale and budget.
• American Enterprise Institute: Large center-right think tank with a dedicated health policy program covering ACA, hospital economics, and Medicare; competes with Paragon on conservative-leaning healthcare research at substantially larger scale.
• Manhattan Institute: Center-right policy research organization with health policy work on Medicaid, drug pricing, and insurance markets; comparable conservative-leaning policy approach with a broader issue portfolio and bigger research staff.
• Pacific Research Institute: West Coast free-market think tank with a long-running health policy program focused on patient-centered reform and ACA alternatives; shares Paragon's ideological and methodological approach at similar size.
• Cato Institute: Libertarian think tank with a healthcare policy program covering Medicare, drug pricing, and ACA alternatives; comparable free-market and limited-government orientation with significantly larger research staff.
• Mercatus Center: Academic-affiliated free-market research center with healthcare and regulatory reform programs; shares Paragon's evidence-based, data-driven approach and Congressional engagement style at significantly larger operating scale.

Direct peers

• Galen Institute: Conservative health policy research organization focused on free-market healthcare reform, patient choice, and ACA alternatives; mirrors Paragon's ideological stance, non-profit donor model, and target audience of federal and state policymakers.
• Foundation for Government Accountability: State-focused conservative policy organization working on Medicaid integrity, welfare reform, and program accountability; directly overlaps with Paragon's State Health Reform Initiative priorities and 50-state engagement strategy.
• Kaiser Family Foundation: Major non-profit health policy research organization producing independent analysis for federal and state policymakers and journalists; competes with Paragon for share-of-voice in healthcare policy coverage despite a different ideological posture.
• Commonwealth Fund: Independent health policy research foundation publishing widely cited reports on healthcare cost, quality, and access; competes with Paragon as a citation source for Congressional staff and journalists.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Paragon_Inst
• Facebookfacebook.com/ParagonHealthInstitute
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/about

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Paragon Health Institute