The Good: Yes, we should celebrate the Supreme Court’s decision yesterday that OSHA does not have the power to force employers to force 84 million Americans who work for them to get Covid vaccines. But the decision is on narrow grounds, and it didn’t protect 10 million other Americans. The court’s decision involving the Biden administration’s employer vaccine mandate … [Read more...] about The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Priorities
Independent physician practices have been under attack for decades, with government using its payment and regulatory powers to exert control. Today, more and more physicians are being forced to sell their practices to hospitals or join mega-practice groups to survive. Others sadly close shop. A 2020 survey by The Physicians Foundation found that 12% of all U.S. doctors … [Read more...] about Priorities
Galen’s 25th anniversary
The Build Back Bureaucracy bill blessedly has stalled in the Senate, ending President Biden’s plans for a vote before Christmas. Sen. Lindsey Graham said Wednesday he thinks the bill is “dead forever, and let me tell you why: because Joe Manchin has said he's not going to vote for a bill that will add to the deficit." Sen. Graham, the ranking Republican on the Senate Budget … [Read more...] about Galen’s 25th anniversary
Another Devastating Blow
The announcement today that inflation has hit 6.8%, the highest since 1982, puts a deep crimp in Senate plans to finish work on the big government give-away bill before Christmas. Sen. Joe Manchin has repeatedly said he wants to press pause on the tax-and-spend Build Back Better bill, largely over his serious and very legitimate concerns about inflation. Pouring … [Read more...] about Another Devastating Blow
Don’t Destroy Future Drug Development
Forbes | December 8, 2021 | With support faltering for the massive big-government blowout Congress is trying to jam through by Christmas, Senate leaders would be wise to take a more efficient, bi-partisan approach to solving problems and modernizing hide-bound government programs. How about a new approach…Build Back Bipartisanship. Take, for example, the drug pricing provisions in the … [Read more...] about Don’t Destroy Future Drug Development
Crying Wolf
Our friend Joel White, who heads the Council for Affordable Health Coverage, has a terrific piece today in The Wall Street Journal comparing the historic success and efficiency of Operation Warp Speed to the massive and destructive government tax-and-spend “Build Back Better Bill” now before the Senate. (Unfortunately full access requires a subscription so I’ll … [Read more...] about Crying Wolf
It’s not over yet
House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy pulled a rare all-nighter, speaking from the House floor for a record eight hours and 32 minutes and managing to delay the vote on the Democrat’s Build Back “Bureaucracy” bill until this morning. Mr. McCarthy kept the House in session until 5 a.m., providing great detail about what’s in the 2,000-plus page bill and the impact it will have on … [Read more...] about It’s not over yet
A Tipping Point
West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin says he will oppose a gimmick-filled social welfare bill that hides trillions in spending behind the pretense that the new entitlement programs would be “temporary.” And on Wednesday, Manchin said Congress should cool its heels and wait until next year lest the spending further fuel inflation that is now growing faster than it has in 30 … [Read more...] about A Tipping Point