Is there a magic wand—one thing that the government could do to control the Covid pandemic and help us safely return to work and school? Yesterday’s approval by an FDA-panel of Pfizer’s miraculously rapid development and production of its Covid-19 vaccine is vital. “This is a triumph,” wrote Dr. Eric Rubin, a Harvard immunologist in the New England Journal of Medicine, where he is … [Read more...] about Rapid testing now!
Newsletter
A Welcome Boost
You can imagine our delight when the lead editorial in The Wall Street Journal on Monday gave a timely nod to the Consensus Group’s Health Care Choices 20/20 proposal. Entitled “Can Republicans Regroup on Health Care?” the editorial wonders, “How many elections will the party lose before coming up with a potent political argument on health care? “For all the Republican successes in Senate and … [Read more...] about A Welcome Boost
Progress!
We awoke to terrific news this morning that Pfizer is asking the FDA for an emergency use permit to begin distributing its Covid-19 vaccine, a Godsend to help fight the pandemic. Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech will be the first companies to seek authorization for a coronavirus vaccine in the United States. Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said this is a “light … [Read more...] about Progress!
So Much For That
Republican candidates were pummeled with ads during their campaigns this fall, with opponents warning of the the dark and foreboding consequences of “stripping health coverage away from millions of people” who also would lose their pre-existing condition protections if the latest challenge to Obamacare were to succeed. The issue was front and center in Senate confirmation … [Read more...] about So Much For That
Next Steps
We will continue to advance patient freedom in health care, whatever outcome the election eventually produces. Our newly released Health Care Choices 2020 proposal contains a wealth of recommendations—many of which could garner bipartisan support—to do just that. American Action Forum president Doug Holtz-Eakin wrote in his daily newsletter this week that the Consensus … [Read more...] about Next Steps
A victory for consumers
The Trump administration yesterday finalized a rule requiring health insurers to disclose price and cost-sharing information, a rule which economists estimate could help families save up to $11,000 a year in health costs. Galen Senior Fellow Brian Blase, who helped shepherd the price transparency rule through the bureaucratic maze when he was a senior adviser to the … [Read more...] about A victory for consumers
It’s Live!
The full 45-page Health Care Choices 2020 proposal is finally live, representing months of work to develop and refine ideas to lower costs, increase choices, and better protect the vulnerable. The Health Care Choices 2020 proposal was scored by the American Action Forum showing the plan would indeed decrease the cost of premiums in the private individual market, increase the … [Read more...] about It’s Live!
Answering Challenges
First, a programming alert: I will be on C-SPAN's Washington Journal tomorrow (Saturday) morning starting at 8:45 a.m. EDT to talk about the Affordable Care Act and the Trump Administration’s achievements on health care.In a nice coincidence of timing, I had a commentary published today at The Hill on Health Care Reform that Works.I explained that GOP candidates … [Read more...] about Answering Challenges