PRI's Focus on Health Care

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President Biden’s Weak Vaccination Incentives Hurt Americans

Newsmax | Sally C. Pipes
April 7, 2021

In phase III clinical trials in Britain, the vaccine proved 100 percent effective at preventing death and hospitalization from Covid-19. It’s not only cheaper to produce than either Moderna or Pfizer’s vaccine; it’s considerably easier to store and transport, as it doesn’t need to be kept at super-low temperatures. In mid-March, there were 30 million doses of the vaccine sitting in storage in an Ohio warehouse.
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Want to Lower Drug Costs? End ‘Rebate Walls’

Real Clear Health | Wayne Winegarden and Dr. Madelaine A. Feldman
April 9, 2021

Rebate walls reduce patients’ adherence to their medicines, often resulting in worse health outcomes. A 2019 study showed that patients whose insurance plans required step therapy had roughly 20-25% lower odds of treatment effectiveness. Worse health outcomes raise costs overall, as sicker patients require treatment for their complications.
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Fund coronavirus research, not a climate change musical

The Washington Examiner | Henry Miller, M.S., M.D.
April 8, 2021

A few more doozies include the veiling-fashion industry in Turkey, Viking textiles in Iceland, the “social impacts” of tourism in the northern tip of Norway, and whether hunger causes couples to fight (using the number of pins stuck in voodoo dolls as a measure of aggressive feelings). The late Sen. (and physician) Tom Coburn released a landmark report, “NSF Under the Microscope,” which identified more projects that will make most shake their heads.

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‘Rescue’ package makes poor pay for rich’s health care

The Detroit News | Sally C. Pipes
April 7, 2021

Another wasteful provision in the American Rescue Plan is its 100% subsidy for laid-off workers’ COBRA premiums. Previously, unemployed people could stay on their employer-sponsored health plans if they covered both the employer and employee shares of the premium, plus a 2% administrative fee.
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Sanders Proposal Brings Medicare Closer To The Brink Of Collapse

Forbes.com | Sally C. Pipes
April 12, 2021

Sanders's proposal does just the opposite. By lowering the eligibility age to 55, it would add more than 42 million patients to the program's rolls. It also makes Medicare benefits more generous, and thus more expensive, by adding dental and vision coverage.
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