Americans understandably want to pay less for medicines, and they are demanding government action. More than three in four Americans want government to cap what drug companies can charge for certain medicines, according to a poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Fully 83 percent want the federal government to negotiate prices for drugs for Medicare patients. But more government involvement … [Read more...] about Should Drug Prices Be Capped?
Archives for December 2015
Some ObamaCare Relief for Consumers In ‘Taxibus’ Legislation
Some of my colleagues are blasting the Republican leadership for delaying three of ObamaCare’s taxes as part of the $1.14 trillion end-of-the-year tax extender and spending package scheduled for a House vote on Friday. The legislation provides a two-year delay in the “Cadillac” tax on high-cost health insurance policies that labor unions were pleading to repeal; a two-year delay in the medical … [Read more...] about Some ObamaCare Relief for Consumers In ‘Taxibus’ Legislation
Proposed IRS Rule Would Place Undue Burden on Nonprofits, Discourage Donations
The Galen Institute has submitted comments about a proposed Internal Revenue Service regulation that would give nonprofits the option of asking donors for their Social Security numbers to substantiate donations of more than $250. We strongly oppose this rule that would provide a “voluntary” path to collect and report not only the Social Security numbers but also the names, addresses, and other … [Read more...] about Proposed IRS Rule Would Place Undue Burden on Nonprofits, Discourage Donations
The Folly of Targeting Big Pharma
An unfortunate refrain among Democratic presidential hopefuls is that rapacious pharmaceutical and biotech companies are driving up the cost of essential medications, bankrupting the health-care system, and depriving sick Americans of treatment. Hillary Clintonhas honed her message to a nice sound bite: Drug companies that charge excessively high prices “are making a fortune off of people’s … [Read more...] about The Folly of Targeting Big Pharma
Top CMS Official Questioned on Lack of Oversight of State ObamaCare Exchanges
“Woefully sloppy and willfully ignorant” is how Chairman Tim Murphy (R-PA) described the oversight of the state-run health insurance exchanges at an Energy & Commerce oversight hearing Tuesday. Andy Slavitt, Acting Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), testified before the subcommittee on the use of federal funds provided to establish state-based … [Read more...] about Top CMS Official Questioned on Lack of Oversight of State ObamaCare Exchanges
Congress Must Stop the Flow of Corporate Welfare to Insurers
This could be a very merry Christmas for Blue Cross and Blue Shield (BCBS) of Texas. The Obama administration wants to stuff its stocking with $257,172,917.34 – at your expense – to compensate the company for losing scads of money last year selling Obamacare policies in the Lone Star State. That would bring that single company’s total corporate welfare haul for the 2014 plan year to $843.3 … [Read more...] about Congress Must Stop the Flow of Corporate Welfare to Insurers
Using Better Data to Produce Better Patient Outcomes
The next big challenge in the pharmaceutical sector is not going to be producing breakthrough treatments for once-deadly illnesses. The industry is on track to accomplish that with 3,400 medicines in development today in the United States alone, an increase of 40% since 2005.[1] Forty-one new drugs were approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2014, the most in 18 years.[2] Instead, the … [Read more...] about Using Better Data to Produce Better Patient Outcomes