Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Perspectives: House's Drug Plan Will Make A Difference, But It Still Doesn't Go Far Enough For The Uninsured
USA Today: My Son Died From Rationing Insulin. Democrats' Drug Pricing Plan Still Wouldn't Help Him.
My son Alec had just turned 26 when he died from rationing insulin in 2017. After his birthday, he was no longer eligible to be covered by my health insurance. The pharmacist told him he would have to pay $1,300 for his supplies. Within a month, I got a call that no parent wants to get. I wish everyone had the chance to meet Alec. He was loving, caring, goofy, compassionate, adventurous, generous and persistent. His hugs are one of the things I miss the most. But my son was not the only one. (Nicole Smith-Holt, 12/10)
Los Angeles Times: My Wife's Life Is Priceless, But Her Chemo Is Too Expensive
Doctors told my wife there was “very little chance” her breast cancer would return. But five years later, three months after Paula’s 51st birthday, I typed “prognosis of metastatic breast cancer” into my browser and through tears read the search results: “dismal prognosis,” “incurable,” “median survival of three years.” Paula’s doctors urged us not to despair — there were great new medicines available they hoped could slow down the tumor. And now, three years later, her cancer has not progressed. As a husband, I’m obviously ecstatic. (Peter Ubel, 12/6)
The Washington Post: Generic Drugs Are Cheap And Popular, But May Not Always Be As Safe As You Think
Generic prescription drugs have saved the United States about $1.7 trillion in the past decade. The Food and Drug Administration approved a record 781 new generics in 2018 alone, including generic versions of Cialis, Levitra and Lyrica. They join generic versions of blockbusters from yesteryear, such as Lipitor, Nexium, Prozac and Xanax. The elderly are the biggest buyers of generics, because they take the most medications and are on fixed incomes, but virtually everyone has taken a generic antibiotic or pain pill at one time. (C. Michael White, 12/8)
Stat: H.R. 3 Is The Wrong Path To Lower Drug Costs
Americans want health care to be less expensive. We also want our health care to be the most innovative in the world. The key to simultaneously achieving both of these goals is good public policy. Back in September, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) introduced H.R. 3, also known as the Lower Drug Costs Now Act of 2019, into the House of Representatives with 105 co-sponsors, all Democrats. The House is set to vote on the bill this week.H.R. 3 would adopt international reference pricing for the Medicare program in an effort to lower drug costs. In other words, it would impose foreign price controls on the U.S. market. This would indeed reduce prices, but at what cost to innovation? (Mike Guerra, 12/9)
