Wayne Winegarden

Commentary

An Effective Treatment for Alzheimer’s, But Only if ICER Allows It

Three days before Christmas, the Institute for Clinical & Economic Review (ICER) is scheduled to publish a draft assessment of two promising treatments for Alzheimer’s disease. Unfortunately for the millions of Americans living with this fatal illness, it is likely that ICER will be giving lumps of coal, not gifts, ...
Business & Economics

Activist Investors Are Putting Ideology Before Shareholder Value

Under the leadership of Gary Gensler, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is empowering activist investors to pursue their preferred politics and social causes at the expense of investors’ interests. According to a November 3, 2021 SEC staff memo Staff will no longer focus on determining the nexus between a policy issue ...
Business & Economics

Governor Newsom’s ESG Errors

California Gov. Gavin Newsom this week released a lengthy commentary defending so-called ESG investing, which he wrote has “proven results.” His defense requires fact checking and context. Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) is the latest investing trend that claims investors can earn higher returns while also “doing good” on important social issues ...
Blog

Congress Needs to Look Beyond Green Energy

Current U.S. energy policy continues to subsidize uneconomical and inefficient sources of politically preferred energy while punishing the production and generation of reliable and cheap energy sources. As taxpayers, workers, and consumers we are paying a steep price for these irrational policies. Starting with the policies that punish domestic energy ...
Drug Innovation

NEW BRIEF: Promoting Transparency and Competition in the Drug Market

DOWNLOAD THE BRIEF   BY WAYNE WINEGARDEN AND CELINE BOOKIN In addition to the reforms to the health insurance system, which will help address the problems of drug affordability, reforms tailored to the pharmaceutical sector are necessary. These reforms should eliminate drug supply chain inefficiencies and include:   fostering a ...
Commentary

The Regulatory Threat From Payment Do-Overs And Un-Economical Reimbursements

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued an update to the home health payment system on June 22nd. This proposed rule, rife with legalese and sheer complexity, should be held up as Exhibit A for why socialized healthcare schemes such as Medicare for All will never work.   The proposal’s obsessions with “aggregate ...
Blog

‘Housing First’ puts lofty goals above real-world results

Proponents of housing first claim that housing is a basic human right, and a permanent and stable home is the best platform from which to help people overcome the challenges that led to their homelessness, including the problems of mental illness and addiction.   As a result of this premise, ...
Commentary

Reducing Access To Home Healthcare Services Will Raise Costs And Worsen Outcomes

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recent decision on home healthcare services, if implemented, will increase overall healthcare expenditures and decrease the quality of services received by patients. CMS’ overarching goal is praiseworthy – the agency is trying to maintain budget neutrality while changing its payment system rates. ...
Blog

Replacing White Bagging Mandates With Market Competition Will Improve Patient Outcome

Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) deploy numerous anticompetitive actions, which have not gone unnoticed. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has launched an inquiry to examine whether PBMs have adverse impacts “on the access and affordability of prescription drugs.” The government’s probe is welcome news. But there are many detrimental PBM practices that are ...
Featured

NEW BRIEF: Biosimilars Save Patients Over $11 Billion Annually, Fixing Broken System Would Help Patients Save More

SACRAMENTO – Biosimilars competition saves patients and the health care system over $11 billion annually and could generate even more savings if the broken drug pricing system were reformed, finds a new issue brief released today by the Center for Medical Economics and Innovation at the nonpartisan Pacific Research Institute. ...
Commentary

An Effective Treatment for Alzheimer’s, But Only if ICER Allows It

Three days before Christmas, the Institute for Clinical & Economic Review (ICER) is scheduled to publish a draft assessment of two promising treatments for Alzheimer’s disease. Unfortunately for the millions of Americans living with this fatal illness, it is likely that ICER will be giving lumps of coal, not gifts, ...
Business & Economics

Activist Investors Are Putting Ideology Before Shareholder Value

Under the leadership of Gary Gensler, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is empowering activist investors to pursue their preferred politics and social causes at the expense of investors’ interests. According to a November 3, 2021 SEC staff memo Staff will no longer focus on determining the nexus between a policy issue ...
Business & Economics

Governor Newsom’s ESG Errors

California Gov. Gavin Newsom this week released a lengthy commentary defending so-called ESG investing, which he wrote has “proven results.” His defense requires fact checking and context. Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) is the latest investing trend that claims investors can earn higher returns while also “doing good” on important social issues ...
Blog

Congress Needs to Look Beyond Green Energy

Current U.S. energy policy continues to subsidize uneconomical and inefficient sources of politically preferred energy while punishing the production and generation of reliable and cheap energy sources. As taxpayers, workers, and consumers we are paying a steep price for these irrational policies. Starting with the policies that punish domestic energy ...
Drug Innovation

NEW BRIEF: Promoting Transparency and Competition in the Drug Market

DOWNLOAD THE BRIEF   BY WAYNE WINEGARDEN AND CELINE BOOKIN In addition to the reforms to the health insurance system, which will help address the problems of drug affordability, reforms tailored to the pharmaceutical sector are necessary. These reforms should eliminate drug supply chain inefficiencies and include:   fostering a ...
Commentary

The Regulatory Threat From Payment Do-Overs And Un-Economical Reimbursements

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued an update to the home health payment system on June 22nd. This proposed rule, rife with legalese and sheer complexity, should be held up as Exhibit A for why socialized healthcare schemes such as Medicare for All will never work.   The proposal’s obsessions with “aggregate ...
Blog

‘Housing First’ puts lofty goals above real-world results

Proponents of housing first claim that housing is a basic human right, and a permanent and stable home is the best platform from which to help people overcome the challenges that led to their homelessness, including the problems of mental illness and addiction.   As a result of this premise, ...
Commentary

Reducing Access To Home Healthcare Services Will Raise Costs And Worsen Outcomes

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recent decision on home healthcare services, if implemented, will increase overall healthcare expenditures and decrease the quality of services received by patients. CMS’ overarching goal is praiseworthy – the agency is trying to maintain budget neutrality while changing its payment system rates. ...
Blog

Replacing White Bagging Mandates With Market Competition Will Improve Patient Outcome

Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) deploy numerous anticompetitive actions, which have not gone unnoticed. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has launched an inquiry to examine whether PBMs have adverse impacts “on the access and affordability of prescription drugs.” The government’s probe is welcome news. But there are many detrimental PBM practices that are ...
Featured

NEW BRIEF: Biosimilars Save Patients Over $11 Billion Annually, Fixing Broken System Would Help Patients Save More

SACRAMENTO – Biosimilars competition saves patients and the health care system over $11 billion annually and could generate even more savings if the broken drug pricing system were reformed, finds a new issue brief released today by the Center for Medical Economics and Innovation at the nonpartisan Pacific Research Institute. ...
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