Bloomberg View columnist Caroline Freund has proposed a thoughtful grand bargain for brand-name pharmaceutical firms’ data exclusivity in international trade deals.
Unfortunately, the column confuses two related but different issues: Patent protection and data exclusivity. The former is available to anyone who invents a better mousetrap. It is an important type of intellectual property (IP), and the U.S. leads the world in protecting inventors’ IP.
Read the entire column at NCPA's Health Policy Blog.
Research and commentary from a former senior executive in the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Obamacare Versus the Affordable Care Act: Which Will Win?
In March 2010, Congress passed, and President Obama signed, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). The ACA was never implemented as written. The ACA authorizes subsidies to health insurers operating in state-established exchanges, but not the federal exchange. Some 37 states opted not to establish their own exchanges. Nevertheless, the Administration has been paying subsidies to insurers in those 37 states.
Yesterday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in King vs. Burwell. At stake is the Administration's payment of subsidies to health insurers operating in states which use the federal exchange.
On March 4, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in King vs. Burwell, which could eliminate the illegal subsidies. A decision to uphold the ACA, as written, will surely cause millions of people to stop paying premiums. Many assert that this will cause an immediate crisis that Congress and the President will have to resolve immediately. This is an overly dramatic reading of events.
Read the entire column at Forbes.
Yesterday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in King vs. Burwell. At stake is the Administration's payment of subsidies to health insurers operating in states which use the federal exchange.
On March 4, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in King vs. Burwell, which could eliminate the illegal subsidies. A decision to uphold the ACA, as written, will surely cause millions of people to stop paying premiums. Many assert that this will cause an immediate crisis that Congress and the President will have to resolve immediately. This is an overly dramatic reading of events.
Read the entire column at Forbes.
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Reduce Drug Prices by Solving Pharmaceutical R&D Crisis
A new NCPA study concludes that Congress must act to reduce the regulatory burden on pharmaceutical research and development.
Read more at NCPA's Health Policy Blog.
Read more at NCPA's Health Policy Blog.
The Kline-Ryan-Upton Republican Off-Ramp from Obamacare
Tomorrow is the day the Supreme Court hears oral arguments in King vs. Burwell, and all the talk is about what Congress will do if the Supreme Court directs the Administration to obey the law by not paying subsidies in the majority of states, which have declined to establish their own Obamacare exchanges and defaulted to the federal one.
The Wall Street Journal ran an op-ed (available by subscription) by John Kline, Paul Ryan, and Fred Upton, who chair committees of jurisdiction in the House of Representatives that will be tasked with proposing a Congressional response to this decision. Here’s what they write:
Read the entire column at NCPA's Health Policy Blog.
The Wall Street Journal ran an op-ed (available by subscription) by John Kline, Paul Ryan, and Fred Upton, who chair committees of jurisdiction in the House of Representatives that will be tasked with proposing a Congressional response to this decision. Here’s what they write:
Let people buy insurance across state lines. Stop frivolous lawsuits by enacting medical-liability reform. Let small businesses band together so they get a fair deal from insurance companies.There's a lot more, but these three items are unexciting.
Read the entire column at NCPA's Health Policy Blog.
Obamacare Subsidies Made Up One Fifth of Government Transfer Payments in January
January’s Personal Income and Outlays report from the Bureau of Economic Analysis shows how significant Obamacare’s subsidies are in the scheme of government transfer payments to households, accounting for 21 percent of the increase in government transfer payments in January:
Personal current transfer receipts increased $24.8 billion in January, compared with an increase of $13.8 billion in December. The January estimates of current transfer receipts reflected several special factors…… Other government social benefits to persons was boosted $5.3 billion, primarily reflecting health insurance premium subsidies paid in the form of tax credits to enrollees of the Affordable Care Act exchanges.Read the entire column at NCPA's Health Policy Blog.
The Fall of Government Unions and Slowing Health Costs
An op-ed in the Wall Street Journal about a recent legal decision on retiree health benefits shines the light on is a reason for optimism about the slow growth in health spending.
As readers know, I look pretty closely at the economic data from various government agencies, and they are starting to show an uptick in health spending and prices. However, a recent Supreme Court decision weakens the power of government unions to demand exorbitant retiree health benefits, according to Robert C. Pozen and Ronald J. Gilson.
Read the entire article at NCPA's Health Policy Blog.
As readers know, I look pretty closely at the economic data from various government agencies, and they are starting to show an uptick in health spending and prices. However, a recent Supreme Court decision weakens the power of government unions to demand exorbitant retiree health benefits, according to Robert C. Pozen and Ronald J. Gilson.
Read the entire article at NCPA's Health Policy Blog.
Monday, March 2, 2015
Health Technology Forum: DC March 11 - Third Speaker Announced. Join Us!
The Health Technology Forum: DC Meetup will meet on March 11 in Washington, DC. We have three great speakers announced already and more will be announced in the next few days.
More info and RSVP here.
More info and RSVP here.
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