Medicare
Commentary
No time for Medicare for All
Earlier this week, Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal introduced the Medicare for All Act of 2021. The bill already has 112 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives. This isn’t Jayapal’s first bid for Medicare for All. She introduced a similar bill in 2019. This time around, her argument is that the ...
Commentary
California should wake up from its single-payer dreams
Single-payer health care has new life in California. State lawmakers just introduced AB1400, legislation that would launch a government takeover of the state’s health insurance system, effectively banning private coverage and enrolling every Californian in the same plan. One of the bill’s co-authors, Assemblymember Miguel Santiago, says that putting the ...
Commentary
Healthcare Price Controls Don’t Come For Free
America’s healthcare bill continues to rise. Our tab reached $3.8 trillion in 2019, nearly $11,600 per person, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Health care consumes some 17.7% of our nation’s gross domestic product. In recent months, two leading research organizations, the Rand Corporation and the Kaiser ...
Commentary
President Biden’s Bipartisan Opportunity to Reduce Patients’ Drug Costs
BY ROBERT POPOVIAN & WAYNE WINEGARDEN President Joe Biden should take advantage of a bipartisan opportunity to meaningfully reduce patients’ out-of-pocket spending on biopharmaceuticals. Seizing this opportunity requires the president to recognize that the drug cost problem exists because the current system inappropriately shifts too much of its expenditures to patients. Consider that ...
Commentary
Don’t Overreact to Rising Health Spending
U.S. healthcare spending has reached a new high, according to the latest federal data. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services estimate national health expenditures reached $3.8 trillion in 2019, an increase of 4.6 percent over the previous year. That’s just under 18 percent of the national economy. It’s more ...
Commentary
The FDA’s foot-dragging on the AstraZeneca vaccine is indefensible
There’s a COVID-19 vaccine currently saving lives all over the world—but not in the U.S. That vaccine, made by British drug company AstraZeneca, proved 100% effective at preventing hospitalizations and deaths in Phase III clinical trials. British regulators authorized it for use nearly two months ago. Since then, millions of people in the U.K. have been ...
Commentary
The 340B Prescription-Drug Swindle Has Gone on Long Enough
In a hearing on Tuesday, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra revealed just how unfit he is to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Becerra dismissed the need to reform the federal “340B” program, even though it has morphed from a good-faith effort to help low-income Americans access medicines ...
Commentary
Biden’s plan to subsidize COBRA is a waste of money
President Biden has repeatedly promised to build a fairer economy, one that “works for everyone.” But if his stimulus plan is any indication, the president has a funny definition of fairness. His $1.9 trillion proposal would force working-class Americans to cover health insurance premiums for people who have lost their ...
California
Xavier Becerra confirmation would be a dream come true for single-payer advocates
Tomorrow, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra will appear before the Senate for his confirmation hearing as President Biden’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. If Becerra’s career in public office is any indication, he’ll do everything in his power to exert greater government control over our ...
Commentary
President Biden, It’s Time To Admit Obamacare’s Flaws
Starting today, uninsured Americans will be able to sign up for health plans through the federal HealthCare.gov exchange during a new special enrollment period through May 15. Created by one of President Biden’s first executive orders, it’s intended to help “restore and strengthen Americans’ access to quality, affordable health care.” ...
No time for Medicare for All
Earlier this week, Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal introduced the Medicare for All Act of 2021. The bill already has 112 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives. This isn’t Jayapal’s first bid for Medicare for All. She introduced a similar bill in 2019. This time around, her argument is that the ...
California should wake up from its single-payer dreams
Single-payer health care has new life in California. State lawmakers just introduced AB1400, legislation that would launch a government takeover of the state’s health insurance system, effectively banning private coverage and enrolling every Californian in the same plan. One of the bill’s co-authors, Assemblymember Miguel Santiago, says that putting the ...
Healthcare Price Controls Don’t Come For Free
America’s healthcare bill continues to rise. Our tab reached $3.8 trillion in 2019, nearly $11,600 per person, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Health care consumes some 17.7% of our nation’s gross domestic product. In recent months, two leading research organizations, the Rand Corporation and the Kaiser ...
President Biden’s Bipartisan Opportunity to Reduce Patients’ Drug Costs
BY ROBERT POPOVIAN & WAYNE WINEGARDEN President Joe Biden should take advantage of a bipartisan opportunity to meaningfully reduce patients’ out-of-pocket spending on biopharmaceuticals. Seizing this opportunity requires the president to recognize that the drug cost problem exists because the current system inappropriately shifts too much of its expenditures to patients. Consider that ...
Don’t Overreact to Rising Health Spending
U.S. healthcare spending has reached a new high, according to the latest federal data. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services estimate national health expenditures reached $3.8 trillion in 2019, an increase of 4.6 percent over the previous year. That’s just under 18 percent of the national economy. It’s more ...
The FDA’s foot-dragging on the AstraZeneca vaccine is indefensible
There’s a COVID-19 vaccine currently saving lives all over the world—but not in the U.S. That vaccine, made by British drug company AstraZeneca, proved 100% effective at preventing hospitalizations and deaths in Phase III clinical trials. British regulators authorized it for use nearly two months ago. Since then, millions of people in the U.K. have been ...
The 340B Prescription-Drug Swindle Has Gone on Long Enough
In a hearing on Tuesday, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra revealed just how unfit he is to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Becerra dismissed the need to reform the federal “340B” program, even though it has morphed from a good-faith effort to help low-income Americans access medicines ...
Biden’s plan to subsidize COBRA is a waste of money
President Biden has repeatedly promised to build a fairer economy, one that “works for everyone.” But if his stimulus plan is any indication, the president has a funny definition of fairness. His $1.9 trillion proposal would force working-class Americans to cover health insurance premiums for people who have lost their ...
Xavier Becerra confirmation would be a dream come true for single-payer advocates
Tomorrow, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra will appear before the Senate for his confirmation hearing as President Biden’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. If Becerra’s career in public office is any indication, he’ll do everything in his power to exert greater government control over our ...
President Biden, It’s Time To Admit Obamacare’s Flaws
Starting today, uninsured Americans will be able to sign up for health plans through the federal HealthCare.gov exchange during a new special enrollment period through May 15. Created by one of President Biden’s first executive orders, it’s intended to help “restore and strengthen Americans’ access to quality, affordable health care.” ...
