Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has piled bad new ideas on top of bad old ideas with her plan to try to lower prescription drug prices in America. Her proposals to rein in prescription drug costs involve forcing pharmaceutical companies to meet a government quota for investing in research, denying companies tax breaks for consumer advertising, and capping out-of-pocket … [Read more...] about Clinton drug plan would backfire on patients
Archives for September 2015
A Bad-Actor, Not A Pharmaceutical Innovator, Causes Outrage Over Drug Prices
A profiteer masquerading as a pharmaceutical company executive has set the Internet afire with his 5,000% price increase for a rare but important drug used by AIDS and some cancer patients. Martin Shkreli, a 32-year-old former hedge fund manager, cornered the market on Daraprim, a drug used to treat a life-threatening parasitic infection. His start-up company, Turing Pharmaceuticals, bought … [Read more...] about A Bad-Actor, Not A Pharmaceutical Innovator, Causes Outrage Over Drug Prices
70 Changes to ObamaCare…So Far
70 changes so far to ObamaCare(PDF) By our count at the Galen Institute, more than 70 significant changes have been made to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, at least 43 that the Obama administration has made unilaterally, 24 that Congress has passed and the president has signed, and three by the Supreme Court. Changes By Administrative Action 1.) Employee reporting: The IRS … [Read more...] about 70 Changes to ObamaCare…So Far
First Biosimilar Medicine Launches; Price Disappoints Those Hoping For Deeper Discount
Pharmaceutical prices are dominating public concerns about health care, according to a recent poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation that shows three-quarters of Americans support limiting how much drug companies can charge for high-cost drugs. So it’s especially disappointing to see that the first imitators of a new generation of biologic cancer drugs approved for the U.S. market will be started … [Read more...] about First Biosimilar Medicine Launches; Price Disappoints Those Hoping For Deeper Discount
Letter to Congress Re: Co-Ops
Joel C. White, president of the Council for Affordable Health Coverage, and Grace-Marie Turner, president of the Galen Institute, have written to members of Congress seeking oversight of the Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan (co-op) program. All but one of the 22 co-ops created under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) have produced negative net income, despite $2.4 billion in … [Read more...] about Letter to Congress Re: Co-Ops
Highmark Health Shifts to Narrow Network Plans Due to ObamaCare Costs
According to a Sept. 3 report by Anna Wilde Mathews of the Wall Street Journal, Pittsburgh-based Highmark Health announced it will cut back its range of plans offered through the ObamaCare marketplaces. The nonprofit company currently covers around 380,000 marketplace enrollees in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and West Virginia. During the first six months of 2015, Highmark recorded a loss of $318 … [Read more...] about Highmark Health Shifts to Narrow Network Plans Due to ObamaCare Costs