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Morning Briefing

Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations

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Monday, Oct 7 2019

Full Issue

Perspectives: Everyone In America Needs To Be Able To Buy Prescription Drugs; Lessons On Solving Surprise Medical Bills

Editorial writers focus on these health care topics and others.

Campaigning recently in Berlin, N.H., I met a man who described being in line behind a woman at the pharmacy who was five dollars short to buy her prescription drugs. He spotted her the five dollars. But he told me, 鈥淚鈥檓 just worried about what鈥檚 going to happen to her next time.鈥 That shouldn鈥檛 be possible in this country. And yet we know that even for people who have insurance, the cost of health care and prescription drugs is out of control. (Pete Buttigieg, 10/7)

Surprise medical bills expose Americans to the high prices and occasional greed lurking in the heart of our health care system. Medical insurers typically provide some insulation from these bills by negotiating prices for their in-network patients. In its effort to fix surprise bills, Congress must not undermine this key lever for controlling hospital and doctor bills by instituting an arbitration solution, which is strongly backed by organized medicine, that is now working its way through several Congressional committees. (James Rickert, 10/7)

With impeachment in high gear, Democrats may not have time or interest to legislate. This is just as well on drug prices, where Nancy Pelosi has proposed price controls and President Trump cheered her on. Mrs. Pelosi鈥檚 legislation would direct the secretary of Health and Human Services to 鈥渘egotiate鈥 a 鈥渇air price鈥 with drug manufacturers for the most expensive 250 patent-protected brand drugs. The government would issue a take-or-leave-it offer with a tax sword hanging over drug makers. (10/4)

Every time President Trump appears intent on self-destruction, he scores a political win that reminds us that his election in 2016 was no accident.聽With the impeachment inferno consuming all political discourse and scorching those closest to the flames, Trump traveled to Florida recently to warn seniors that 鈥淢edicare for All鈥 would destroy Medicare as we know it. (Liz Peek, 10/4)

I'm a mom,聽two of my four children have a lifetime medical condition.聽I鈥檝e watched how鈥痗hildren鈥痩ike mine suffer in other countries with similar鈥痝overnment-run鈥痟ealth care鈥痵chemes. And it鈥痶errifies鈥痬e.鈥(Kristan Hawkins,10/7)

This is part of the Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.
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