Health Care
Business & Economics
Product Liability Law, FDA Pre-Emption, and Public Opinion
On December 3, the U.S. Supreme Court began to hear Wyeth v. Levine, which will determine whether the FDA’s regulations governing the labels of prescription drugs “pre-empt” state tort laws. I’ve already discussed the details of the case, wherein Wyeth (the manufacturer) claims that the Vermont state court had no ...
Commentary
Health Plans Belly Up to SCHIP Trough
For those of us who believe that American families should control our health-care dollars, instead of government, employers, or other 3rd parties, the recent behavior of health-care lobbyists in DC is disturbing. A key insight of the political philosophy of “public choice” theory is that it is impossible for politicians ...
Business & Economics
Court ruling could curb medical research
Wyeth properly warned doctors and patients about the risks associated with administering Phenergan (“FDA pre-emptive rule to be challenged,” Nov. 2). The FDA-approved label contained prominent warnings: “Extreme care should be exercised to avoid … inadvertent intra-arterial injection. Reports compatible with inadvertent intra-arterial injection … suggest that pain, severe chemical ...
Commentary
Government Health Care: Let the Rationing Continue
Imagine if a private health plan, Blue Cross or Blue Shield, for example, issued a news release like this: “Due to our deficit, our health plan will no longer cover optometry, dentistry, podiatry, or psychology.” You would go ballistic! Indeed, you’d probably sue, especially if these services were mandated by ...
Commentary
State government keeps health insurance from Tar Heels
U.S. Census officials just revealed that 17.2 percent of North Carolinians went without health insurance between 2006 and 2007, up 2.1 percentage points from the preceding two years. That’s greater than the national average and translates to about 1.5 million uninsured Tar Heels. These statistics are unfortunate, but they’re not ...
Commentary
ObamaCare Attacks Communities’ Ability To Regulate Locally
I’ve spent much of the day considering the consequences of Sen. Obama’s victory in the presidential election to health reform efforts in the states. I regret to say that it does not look good. I wrote an analysis of Sen. McCain’s and Sen. Obama’s health plans before the election. Whatever ...
California
Too Little, Too Late? Business’ Big Guns Attack Healthy San Francisco
The Golden Gate Restaurant Association, the lone battler in the struggle against “Healthy San Francisco”, has found a couple of bigger friends to fight back against the City & County of San Francisco’s bullies. The National Business Group on Health (NBGH) and the ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC) have just announced ...
Business & Economics
Gov. Schwarzenegger’s veto traps California in obsolete medical research
Eureka Reporter, November 4, 2008 Sacramento Union, November 12, 2008 SACRAMENTO – Last month Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger proclaimed September 25 “Stem Cell Awareness Day.” That news got by many Californians, who remain unaware of how California is locked into paying for obsolete research, certain to consume billions of dollars but ...
Agriculture
Preventionitis: American Health Care’s Chronic Utopian Delusion
Chronic illness is often identified as a culprit responsible for high health costs. By chronic illness, we usually mean diabetes, heart disease, etc. It’s time to add another chronic ailment to the list: “preventionitis”. This is the utopian delusion that investment in “prevention” – eating better, exercising more, quitting smoking, ...
California
State off course on ‘personal genomics’
California officials recently ordered two “personal genomics” firms to cease and desist operations within the state. The companies eventually were allowed to continue operations – with a few more regulatory conditions – but why did the state demand that they shut down in the first place? The Silicon Valley startups, ...
Product Liability Law, FDA Pre-Emption, and Public Opinion
On December 3, the U.S. Supreme Court began to hear Wyeth v. Levine, which will determine whether the FDA’s regulations governing the labels of prescription drugs “pre-empt” state tort laws. I’ve already discussed the details of the case, wherein Wyeth (the manufacturer) claims that the Vermont state court had no ...
Health Plans Belly Up to SCHIP Trough
For those of us who believe that American families should control our health-care dollars, instead of government, employers, or other 3rd parties, the recent behavior of health-care lobbyists in DC is disturbing. A key insight of the political philosophy of “public choice” theory is that it is impossible for politicians ...
Court ruling could curb medical research
Wyeth properly warned doctors and patients about the risks associated with administering Phenergan (“FDA pre-emptive rule to be challenged,” Nov. 2). The FDA-approved label contained prominent warnings: “Extreme care should be exercised to avoid … inadvertent intra-arterial injection. Reports compatible with inadvertent intra-arterial injection … suggest that pain, severe chemical ...
Government Health Care: Let the Rationing Continue
Imagine if a private health plan, Blue Cross or Blue Shield, for example, issued a news release like this: “Due to our deficit, our health plan will no longer cover optometry, dentistry, podiatry, or psychology.” You would go ballistic! Indeed, you’d probably sue, especially if these services were mandated by ...
State government keeps health insurance from Tar Heels
U.S. Census officials just revealed that 17.2 percent of North Carolinians went without health insurance between 2006 and 2007, up 2.1 percentage points from the preceding two years. That’s greater than the national average and translates to about 1.5 million uninsured Tar Heels. These statistics are unfortunate, but they’re not ...
ObamaCare Attacks Communities’ Ability To Regulate Locally
I’ve spent much of the day considering the consequences of Sen. Obama’s victory in the presidential election to health reform efforts in the states. I regret to say that it does not look good. I wrote an analysis of Sen. McCain’s and Sen. Obama’s health plans before the election. Whatever ...
Too Little, Too Late? Business’ Big Guns Attack Healthy San Francisco
The Golden Gate Restaurant Association, the lone battler in the struggle against “Healthy San Francisco”, has found a couple of bigger friends to fight back against the City & County of San Francisco’s bullies. The National Business Group on Health (NBGH) and the ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC) have just announced ...
Gov. Schwarzenegger’s veto traps California in obsolete medical research
Eureka Reporter, November 4, 2008 Sacramento Union, November 12, 2008 SACRAMENTO – Last month Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger proclaimed September 25 “Stem Cell Awareness Day.” That news got by many Californians, who remain unaware of how California is locked into paying for obsolete research, certain to consume billions of dollars but ...
Preventionitis: American Health Care’s Chronic Utopian Delusion
Chronic illness is often identified as a culprit responsible for high health costs. By chronic illness, we usually mean diabetes, heart disease, etc. It’s time to add another chronic ailment to the list: “preventionitis”. This is the utopian delusion that investment in “prevention” – eating better, exercising more, quitting smoking, ...
State off course on ‘personal genomics’
California officials recently ordered two “personal genomics” firms to cease and desist operations within the state. The companies eventually were allowed to continue operations – with a few more regulatory conditions – but why did the state demand that they shut down in the first place? The Silicon Valley startups, ...
