The Biden administration issued its guidance last week to explain how it plans to implement price controls on pharmaceuticals, per the so-called “Inflation Reduction Act,” and it is even more outrageous than the law itself. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released its first list of 27 drugs it will target for government price … [Read more...] about Freezing Innovation
Gimmicks won’t work
President Biden’s proposals to put Medicare on a sustainable path are being panned by experts who understand the program and its plight, from Biden’s dishonest bookkeeping gimmicks to big tax increases. Neither of which will address the fundamental causes of Medicare’s looming insolvency. “None other than President Barack Obama said in 2011 that ‘if you look at the numbers, then … [Read more...] about Gimmicks won’t work
Switch Gears
Political control of the health sector has taken root over the last half century, mostly with passage of massive spending to draw more people into government programs. Federal spending on health programs now constitutes 30% of outlays. But Americans increasingly see its risks and dangers—with the scandalous difficulty Medicaid patients have in getting appointments, to the ultra-narrow … [Read more...] about Switch Gears
Modernize Medicare by Covering Anti-Obesity Medications
Medicare pays for expensive bariatric surgery as well as treatments for more than 200 comorbidities linked to obesity—including heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers—but not for new medicines that scientists have developed that can address the disease itself. This is bad public health policy, it is harmful to patients, and it is inconsistent with a focus on care … [Read more...] about Modernize Medicare by Covering Anti-Obesity Medications
Medicare Hypocrisy
President Biden is previewing his 2024 campaign platform to accuse Republicans of making plans to decimate Medicare, saying in his State of the Union address last week, “If anyone tries to cut Medicare, I will stop them.” Mr. Biden needs to take a look in the mirror first because he is doing exactly that in real time, building on his long record of making deep cuts to Medicare. A … [Read more...] about Medicare Hypocrisy
Pockets of Progress
Liberals have one big idea in health care: Find new ways to spend taxpayer money and expand government authority over health care. This week was no exception in President Biden’s State of the Union speech—with calls for added pressure on states to expand Medicaid, to yet more COVID funding, and making the enhanced Obamacare subsidies permanent. The bigger government-funded … [Read more...] about Pockets of Progress
Government-Run Chaos
Health systems around the world are still struggling to recover from the Covid lockdowns. “British ‘single-payer” health care program is cratering,” Bob Moffit of The Heritage Foundation writes in the Washington Examiner. “According to the BBC, there are 7.2 British citizens awaiting medical care, or almost 11% of the population. “People suffering a heart attack face an average … [Read more...] about Government-Run Chaos
It’s Time
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy plans to focus the floor debate next week on COVID recovery, beginning with a joint resolution to terminate the national emergency that has been in effect for nearly three years. With even President Biden declaring last year that “The pandemic is over,” it’s time to make it official. We are in a very different place now in understanding … [Read more...] about It’s Time