As the American Medical Association’s (AMA) shrinking membership tilts further and further to the left, real questions need to be asked about the organization’s influence over the Medicare for All debate. After the AMA resisted Medicare in 1966, roughly 70 percent of doctors were registered members of the group. During the Clinton era, the AMA […]
On Wednesday, June 12, 2019, the House Ways and Means Committee held a hearing with the intent to give Republicans and Democrats the chance to discuss other proposals to expand universal health care. Generally universal coverage means government-run healthcare. This was the first time a House committee of jurisdiction had formally assembled to examine universal […]
The national debt stands at more than $22 trillion, with trillion-dollar deficits right around the corner. Entitlement spending continues to rise and is projected to make up 60 percent of spending for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020. Social Security will exceed its income in 2020 for the first time since 1982 and Medicare is set to […]
With all the focus on creating a nationwide fifth generation (5G) network, questions often arise about why it is important for the U.S. to lead in 5G development, the benefits of moving to 5G, and why is there a continual push for more spectrum to be made available for 5G. The first benefit of developing […]
In their never-ending quest to run roughshod and exert control over the research-intensive biopharmaceutical industry, socialists in Congress have introduced various price-control bills. For some reason they continue to think innovative drugs that cure cancer or other chronic diseases, such as hepatitis C, are whipped up in a back room with a 1970s-style “Mr. Wizard’s […]
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (OIG) admitted last week that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) hospital payment process is broken. The OIG’s report, “Significant Vulnerabilities Exist in the Hospital Wage Index System for Medicare Payments,” showed that from 2004 to 2017, CMS overpaid nearly […]
Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) was troubled and mystified when the Trump administration issued an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking that would change Medicare Part B reimbursement for outpatient drugs from the Average Sales Price (ASP) plus 6 percent to instead a reimbursement system based on what other countries pay for the same drugs. The […]
The Pharmaceutical Research Manufacturers Association (PhRMA), the trade association that represents the nation’s leading biopharmaceutical research companies, announced a new proposal on Monday regarding direct-to-consumer (DTC) television advertising. This voluntary agreement by PhRMA members would help patients access more useful information about the cost of their medicines. In 2006, the association adopted a series of […]
On Friday, May 11, President Trump released his report on what his administration will do to lower drug costs.
As the May 18 deadline for negotiating a modernized North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) looms, negotiators should consider closely how intellectual property (IP) rights will be treated between the countries involved. According to the Global Innovation Policy Center’s (GIPC) 2018 International IP Index, which measures 50 countries against 40 IP indicators, the U.S. ranked […]
