In the Summer of 2021 I wrote about a controversial new drug for Alzheimer’s Disease. The drug, Aduhelm, did not have a lot of evidence showing it worked. It did have plenty of data showing it came with an extensive list of nasty side effects, including brain swelling and brain bleeds. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved it despite the agency’s advisory panel of experts recommending against it. The decision was controversial, and several members of the advisory panel resigned in protest.
Category: Policy & Legislation
WSJ: PBMs and Drug Rebates Perpetuate the High Cost of Drugs
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) includes provisions to force down the price of medications paid for by Medicaid, Medicare and consumers. The mechanisms to force down drug prices are convoluted as one would expect, as are the strategies by drug companies, drug plan managers and health insurers to prevent losing profits.
Saturday Links
- The case against taxing the wealthy to save Social Security.
- AEI’s budget projection: “We project that debt-to-GDP will be 135 percent in 2032 and 268 percent in 2052, compared to CBO’s 112 percent and 177 percent, respectively.
- Drugs to treat obesity and diabetes: “We estimate that net prices received by drugmakers are 48–78 percent lower than list prices… faced by some consumers.”
- Diabetes contributed roughly $296 billion to excess health care spending in 2023.
- Social Security replaces about 54 percent of the pre-retirement earnings of an average wage worker. (This is higher than what Social Security tells us.)
Should Schools Shorten Medical Training to Expand Diversity, Equity and Inclusion?
I have met many doctors over the years and none of them appeared to be the type to purposely give anyone lower quality care due to race or ethnicity. The key word in my mind is purposely. Doctors are professionals who take their work seriously. Most of the racial bias in medicine is unintentional. I believe the key to reducing racial bias – or any other type of bias in medicine – is awareness. This is especially important in primary care.