The United States has long had the world’s most effective and competitive system for discovering and developing new drugs—and for more than a half century, there has been a bipartisan consensus that there are two reasons for that success: First, the federal government provides robust funding for scientific research, mostly through the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Second, the U.S. system … [Read more...] about Why Life-Sciences Innovation Is Politically ‘Purple’
100 Years of Government’s “Managed” Health Care
The term “managed care” entered the common lexicon in the 1990s, when contracted arrangements between physicians and hospitals on the one hand, and insurance entities on the other, became standard means to try to control healthcare expenditures. The origin of the concept is frequently credited to Dr. Paul Ellwood and his influential Jackson Hole Group, who introduced the idea in the early … [Read more...] about 100 Years of Government’s “Managed” Health Care
Major Companies Band Together to Control Health Care Costs
Twenty of the nation’s largest corporations have formed a coalition to create a more cost-efficient way of delivering health benefits to their employees. The Health Transformation Alliance (HTA), an initiative conceived by the American Health Policy Institute, wants to open the health care black box by increasing transparency of health care costs. The Institute is headed by Tevi Troy, a former … [Read more...] about Major Companies Band Together to Control Health Care Costs
70 Changes That Make Obamacare A Very Different Law Than Congress Passed
One reason why the anger over Obamacare has subsided somewhat could be that more than 70 significant changes have been made to the law since it was enacted in 2010—delaying, weakening, and eliminating some of its more onerous and burdensome provisions. The law that is being implemented is not the one Congress passed. By our updated count at the Galen Institute, at least 43 of the changes to the … [Read more...] about 70 Changes That Make Obamacare A Very Different Law Than Congress Passed
Are Certificate-of-Need Laws Barriers to Entry? How They Affect Access to MRI, CT, and PET Scans
Abstract Certificate of need (CON) laws in 21 states restrict acquisition of imaging equipment, including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), and positron emission tomography (PET) scans. We compare the effect of CON regulations for imaging services provided by hospitals and other providers to determine whether CON laws affect use of imaging services across provider types. … [Read more...] about Are Certificate-of-Need Laws Barriers to Entry? How They Affect Access to MRI, CT, and PET Scans
4 Principles to Guide Health Care Reform
Last month, Congress provided temporary relief from two taxes that would hamper America’s middle class: the Cadillac tax, which could have affected employees in up to 23 percent of insurance plans, and the medical device tax, which would curb critical medical research and drive up health care costs. With the House of Representatives poised to pass a reconciliation bill that includes the repeal … [Read more...] about 4 Principles to Guide Health Care Reform
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