Commentary
Commentary
Trump’s Drug Pricing Order Is A Costly Mistake
On Sunday, September 13, President Trump signed a “most-favored-nation” executive order to reduce U.S. drug prices. It instructs federal officials to set pharmaceutical reimbursements under Medicare Parts B and D equal to the lowest prices paid in other developed countries, including Canada, the United Kingdom, and France. The high cost of medications is a ...
Sally C. Pipes
September 15, 2020
Commentary
California should not get into the drug manufacturing business
In an attempt to lower Californians’ prescription drug costs, lawmakers just passed a bill that would allow the state government to contract with pharmaceutical manufacturers to produce generic drugs. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature is all but guaranteed before the end of the month. Golden State politicians aren’t the only ones ...
Sally C. Pipes
September 14, 2020
Commentary
Medicare for none – these are the reforms we need to keep program solvent
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is proposing to expand Medicare by lowering the eligibility age from 65 to 60. But the program can’t afford the bill for its existing crop of beneficiaries, much less the $100 billion that would be required to enroll 22 million more under Biden’s plan. That’s among the conclusions to draw from a ...
Sally C. Pipes
September 14, 2020
Commentary
Blanket lockdowns for coronavirus are poor policy
Hundreds of health professionals recently urged government leaders to “hit the reset button” on Covid-19 by shutting the country down a second time. These blanket lockdowns pose a greater health risk to most people than the virus itself. Many Americans are so scared of Covid-19 they’ve stopped seeking medical care ...
Sally C. Pipes
September 12, 2020
California
Keep the government out of pharmaceutical drug manufacturing
Earlier this month, the California legislature passed a bill that would make the Golden State the first in the nation to establish its own line of generic drugs. Gov. Gavin Newsom is expected to sign the bill into law by the end of the month. The measure’s architects argue that ...
Sally C. Pipes
September 12, 2020
Blackouts
Wildfires, Global Climate Change, And The Policy Environment
California is suffering from raging wildfires that, as of September 10th, have burned over 3.1 million acres, caused 12 fatalities, and destroyed over 3,900 structures. Residents are also enduring rolling electricity blackouts and unaffordable energy, yet California’s greenhouse gas emissions are now rising while the long-term national decline in emissions continues unabated. Connecting ...
Wayne Winegarden
September 11, 2020
Blackouts
Put a quarantine on California’s bad policy ideas
Los Angeles Times readers might think the first night of the Republican National Convention was nothing more than a non-stop attack on California. In its coverage of the first evening’s events, the paper posted the headline “RNC speakers paint California as a dangerous dystopia.” Missing from the report were rebuttals to ...
Kerry Jackson
September 11, 2020
Commentary
COVID-19 Vaccines Must Be Fully Vetted For Safety And Efficacy Before Release
There is widespread anticipation of the availability of vaccines to prevent COVID-19 infections so that Americans can get their lives back to some semblance of normal. About four dozen, made with a variety of technology platforms, are now in clinical trials, nine in large-scale safety/efficacy testing. It was hardly a ...
Henry Miller, M.S., M.D.
September 8, 2020
Commentary
Pharmaceutical Companies Ruin Prospects for COVID-19 Vaccine “October Surprise”. That’s a Good Thing.
There is widespread anticipation of vaccines to prevent COVID-19 infections so that Americans can get their lives back to some semblance of normal. About four dozen, made with a variety of technology platforms, are now in clinical trials, nine in large-scale safety/efficacy testing. Vaccines have also assumed unprecedented political importance. The ...
Henry Miller, M.S., M.D.
September 8, 2020
Commentary
Coronavirus lockdown benefits remain dubious as costs continue to mount
Roughly four in ten Americans report that they experienced reduced access to medical care because of COVID-19, according to a new survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The report is just the latest evidence that, from the standpoint of public health, the lockdowns that public officials have ...
Sally C. Pipes
September 8, 2020
Trump’s Drug Pricing Order Is A Costly Mistake
On Sunday, September 13, President Trump signed a “most-favored-nation” executive order to reduce U.S. drug prices. It instructs federal officials to set pharmaceutical reimbursements under Medicare Parts B and D equal to the lowest prices paid in other developed countries, including Canada, the United Kingdom, and France. The high cost of medications is a ...
California should not get into the drug manufacturing business
In an attempt to lower Californians’ prescription drug costs, lawmakers just passed a bill that would allow the state government to contract with pharmaceutical manufacturers to produce generic drugs. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature is all but guaranteed before the end of the month. Golden State politicians aren’t the only ones ...
Medicare for none – these are the reforms we need to keep program solvent
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is proposing to expand Medicare by lowering the eligibility age from 65 to 60. But the program can’t afford the bill for its existing crop of beneficiaries, much less the $100 billion that would be required to enroll 22 million more under Biden’s plan. That’s among the conclusions to draw from a ...
Blanket lockdowns for coronavirus are poor policy
Hundreds of health professionals recently urged government leaders to “hit the reset button” on Covid-19 by shutting the country down a second time. These blanket lockdowns pose a greater health risk to most people than the virus itself. Many Americans are so scared of Covid-19 they’ve stopped seeking medical care ...
Keep the government out of pharmaceutical drug manufacturing
Earlier this month, the California legislature passed a bill that would make the Golden State the first in the nation to establish its own line of generic drugs. Gov. Gavin Newsom is expected to sign the bill into law by the end of the month. The measure’s architects argue that ...
Wildfires, Global Climate Change, And The Policy Environment
California is suffering from raging wildfires that, as of September 10th, have burned over 3.1 million acres, caused 12 fatalities, and destroyed over 3,900 structures. Residents are also enduring rolling electricity blackouts and unaffordable energy, yet California’s greenhouse gas emissions are now rising while the long-term national decline in emissions continues unabated. Connecting ...
Put a quarantine on California’s bad policy ideas
Los Angeles Times readers might think the first night of the Republican National Convention was nothing more than a non-stop attack on California. In its coverage of the first evening’s events, the paper posted the headline “RNC speakers paint California as a dangerous dystopia.” Missing from the report were rebuttals to ...
COVID-19 Vaccines Must Be Fully Vetted For Safety And Efficacy Before Release
There is widespread anticipation of the availability of vaccines to prevent COVID-19 infections so that Americans can get their lives back to some semblance of normal. About four dozen, made with a variety of technology platforms, are now in clinical trials, nine in large-scale safety/efficacy testing. It was hardly a ...
Pharmaceutical Companies Ruin Prospects for COVID-19 Vaccine “October Surprise”. That’s a Good Thing.
There is widespread anticipation of vaccines to prevent COVID-19 infections so that Americans can get their lives back to some semblance of normal. About four dozen, made with a variety of technology platforms, are now in clinical trials, nine in large-scale safety/efficacy testing. Vaccines have also assumed unprecedented political importance. The ...
Coronavirus lockdown benefits remain dubious as costs continue to mount
Roughly four in ten Americans report that they experienced reduced access to medical care because of COVID-19, according to a new survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The report is just the latest evidence that, from the standpoint of public health, the lockdowns that public officials have ...