For the past several years Congress has been debating a version of Ensuring Patient Access to Critical Breakthrough Products Act. The goal is to force Medicare to reimburse new medical device products that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) claims are breakthrough devices, without letting Medicare determine whether these new devices have any value.
Author: Devon Herrick
Should Medical Care Be a Consumer Good?
Republicans wisely want to inject more consumerism into the medical marketplace. Health savings accounts, high-deductible health plans, direct primary care, price transparency are all attempts to encourage patients to act more like consumers. Democrats, by contrast, seemingly want to remove every shred of consumer sovereignty from health care. Not to cast aspersions, but it is true. Obamacare is but one example.
White House Should Expedite Plans to Boost Access to OTC Drugs
President Trump released The-Great-Healthcare-Plan in January 2026. The plan was summarized on one page and illustrated the White House’s plans to restrain medical spending and increase access to care. Among the topics were lower drug prices, lower insurance premiums, holding big insurance companies accountable and maximizing price transparency. One subtopic stood out, and it is probably the one policy wonks will pay the least attention to. Yet it arguably has the most power to help achieve Trump’s goals of boosting access to care while holding costs down.
Pharmacists Can Do More Than Count Pills; They Can Treat Disease
Have you ever talked to your pharmacist about a treatment, a drug side effect, or a cheaper alternative drug? Pharmacists can do a whole lot more than count pills. There is an old saying that pharmacists are the most overeducated, underutilized health care professionals. They know far more about drugs and pharmacology than your doctor.