Commentary

Commentary

FDA Has Problems, But Too-Fast, Too-Lenient Reviews Aren’t Among Them

In its international edition on April 25, the New York Times ran a blatantly anti-Semitic political cartoon that portrayed a blind President Trump wearing a yarmulke being led by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was depicted as a dog wearing a collar with a star of David. It was, ...
California

High-Speed Alternatives to High-Speed Rail

On the campaign trail, California governor Gavin Newsom expressed support for the state’s high-speed rail project, but he’s been more reticent since taking office earlier this year. In February, he proposed to cut back on the plan because it “would cost too much and . . . take too long,” ...
California

California Is Moving to Ban Disposable Plastic Statewide

More than a half-century ago, in one of the most famous movie lines of all time, Dustin Hoffman character Benjamin Braddock, fresh out of college, received some unsolicited career advice. “I want to say one word to you. Just one word,” Mr. McGuire told young Benjamin. “Plastics. There’s a great ...
Commentary

Pharmaceutical Rebates — Keeping The Right Score

Sometimes the important reforms are those that address the mundane details. The Administration’s proposed changes to how pharmaceutical rebates are paid fall into this category. While far from a panacea, this reform could meaningfully improve the pharmaceutical market. For this reason, the Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO) just released “budget score“ on ...
Commentary

US Congress mandates silliness, USDA complies

By Henry I. Miller and Drew L. Kershen An editorial, “Label without a cause[i],” on these pages almost five years ago was prescient. Its subtitle read, “Mandatory labeling of GM [genetically modified] food in the United States will not only make all food more costly but also bamboozle consumers.” Well, ...
Commentary

Resurrecting Obamacare’s most hated provision

Since Congress effectively ended the unpopular requirement that all Americans obtain health coverage by zeroing out the fine for noncompliance as of the first of this year, three states and the District of Columbia have enacted mandates of their own. The mandate that Massachusetts imposed in 2006 is now back ...
Commentary

Price Controls by Another Name

The costs of medicines continue to dominate the headlines, attracting the attention of Congress and the Trump Administration. Reforms are necessary, but many of the reforms under consideration will make the situation worse. Indexing U.S. prices to the prices in other countries that use price controls, or using third-party arbitration ...
Agriculture

The Brave Old World of Genetic Engineering

By Henry I. Miller, M.S., M.D. and Rob Wager A Washington Post article, “The Future of Food,” discussed the methods we use to breed food crops but suffered from a shortcoming we see often: “pseudo-balance” — the seeking out of clueless commentators to contradict advocates of superior modern genetic modification ...
Commentary

Single-Payer Will Fracture Democrats’ 2020 Coalition

Earlier this month, Senator Bernie Sanders released a new version of his plan for “Medicare for All.” Four of his competitors for the Democratic presidential nomination — Kirsten Gillibrand, Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, and Cory Booker — quickly signed on as co-sponsors. They all think Medicare for All is their ...
Commentary

Say No To Canadian Drug Imports

Lawmakers in the Sunshine State are looking to our northern neighbor to help them reduce drug prices. The Florida House of Representatives recently passed a bill that would allow the importation and sale of prescription drugs from Canada, where prices are generally lower because the government forcibly controls them. Florida isn’t the ...
Commentary

FDA Has Problems, But Too-Fast, Too-Lenient Reviews Aren’t Among Them

In its international edition on April 25, the New York Times ran a blatantly anti-Semitic political cartoon that portrayed a blind President Trump wearing a yarmulke being led by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was depicted as a dog wearing a collar with a star of David. It was, ...
California

High-Speed Alternatives to High-Speed Rail

On the campaign trail, California governor Gavin Newsom expressed support for the state’s high-speed rail project, but he’s been more reticent since taking office earlier this year. In February, he proposed to cut back on the plan because it “would cost too much and . . . take too long,” ...
California

California Is Moving to Ban Disposable Plastic Statewide

More than a half-century ago, in one of the most famous movie lines of all time, Dustin Hoffman character Benjamin Braddock, fresh out of college, received some unsolicited career advice. “I want to say one word to you. Just one word,” Mr. McGuire told young Benjamin. “Plastics. There’s a great ...
Commentary

Pharmaceutical Rebates — Keeping The Right Score

Sometimes the important reforms are those that address the mundane details. The Administration’s proposed changes to how pharmaceutical rebates are paid fall into this category. While far from a panacea, this reform could meaningfully improve the pharmaceutical market. For this reason, the Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO) just released “budget score“ on ...
Commentary

US Congress mandates silliness, USDA complies

By Henry I. Miller and Drew L. Kershen An editorial, “Label without a cause[i],” on these pages almost five years ago was prescient. Its subtitle read, “Mandatory labeling of GM [genetically modified] food in the United States will not only make all food more costly but also bamboozle consumers.” Well, ...
Commentary

Resurrecting Obamacare’s most hated provision

Since Congress effectively ended the unpopular requirement that all Americans obtain health coverage by zeroing out the fine for noncompliance as of the first of this year, three states and the District of Columbia have enacted mandates of their own. The mandate that Massachusetts imposed in 2006 is now back ...
Commentary

Price Controls by Another Name

The costs of medicines continue to dominate the headlines, attracting the attention of Congress and the Trump Administration. Reforms are necessary, but many of the reforms under consideration will make the situation worse. Indexing U.S. prices to the prices in other countries that use price controls, or using third-party arbitration ...
Agriculture

The Brave Old World of Genetic Engineering

By Henry I. Miller, M.S., M.D. and Rob Wager A Washington Post article, “The Future of Food,” discussed the methods we use to breed food crops but suffered from a shortcoming we see often: “pseudo-balance” — the seeking out of clueless commentators to contradict advocates of superior modern genetic modification ...
Commentary

Single-Payer Will Fracture Democrats’ 2020 Coalition

Earlier this month, Senator Bernie Sanders released a new version of his plan for “Medicare for All.” Four of his competitors for the Democratic presidential nomination — Kirsten Gillibrand, Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, and Cory Booker — quickly signed on as co-sponsors. They all think Medicare for All is their ...
Commentary

Say No To Canadian Drug Imports

Lawmakers in the Sunshine State are looking to our northern neighbor to help them reduce drug prices. The Florida House of Representatives recently passed a bill that would allow the importation and sale of prescription drugs from Canada, where prices are generally lower because the government forcibly controls them. Florida isn’t the ...
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