Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Perspectives: What President-Elect Biden Can Do About Drug Prices; Trumponomics Won't Go Away
The Washington Post: What A Biden-Harris Administration Should Prioritize On Its First Day
As Democrats celebrate the election of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala D. Harris, we need to have an important conversation about building a 50-state party that can win up and down the ticket. But with a hobbled economy, an international health crisis, a vanishing middle class and widespread racial inequities, we also need to answer another important question — how to deliver on our campaign promises and improve the lives of the American people. (Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., 11/11)
Pennsylvania Capital-Star: 7 Things That President-Elect Biden Can Achieve On Health Care
The U.S. pays substantially higher prices than the rest of the developed world for prescription drugs. This is primarily due to limited competition among drug companies and a patent system susceptible to gaming. Moreover, our regulatory apparatus has focused largely on drug safety while deemphasizing cost-effectiveness for new and existing drugs. The Trump administration’s recent proposal to fix the problem were limited. Congress should follow the German example, which reins in prices by 30 percentage points as compared with the U.S. and focuses on rewarding effective drugs. Pharmaceutical companies will vigorously fight to maintain their profits, but given the universal public disdain for high drug prices, a committed bipartisan coalition may bring some relief. (Simon F. Haeder, 11/17)
Bloomberg: Trumponomics Won’t Outlive Trump
Some Republican politicians are interpreting the election results as evidence that the future of the GOP is as the party of workers, not businesses elites. The GOP should put workers closer to the center of their policy agenda. But doing so would not be a continuation of Trump’s policies. His actual accomplishments for the working class are scant. He didn’t deliver on promises to reduce drug prices and strengthen healthcare. His promised manufacturing revival never materialized — his trade wars actually cost manufacturing jobs. (Michael R. Strain, 11/12)
Also —
Sandusky Register: No Relief From High Drug Prices
If you were hoping that this was going to be the year of government action to lower prescription drug prices, I’m here to say that is not going to happen — event hough the House of Representatives passed far-reaching legislation almost a year ago that would allow Medicare to begin negotiating drug prices for beneficiaries. (Trudy Lieberman, 11/16)
