MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'baucus'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:45:20 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4975825&cid=t_246017_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fs2-Usb210eI%2F By Sallie JamesSen. Max Baucus (D-MT), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee,  Rep. Dave Camp (R-MI), chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, and the White House have just announced that they have made a deal to extend Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA, the program that extends extra unemployment and health care benefits to workers who lose their jobs because of globalization) until 2013, as part of a broader deal that would see passage of the three outstanding preferential trade agreements with Korea, Colombia, and Panama. The extension of TAA would be included in the legislation to implement the US-Korea Free Trade Agreement, “improved” (i.e., made less liberalizing) by the administration in December. Interestingly and alarmingly, because implementing the FTAs... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4975825 Tue, 28 Jun 2011 21:17:38 +0100 4975825 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4960331&cid=t_246017_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FIFoxZqamZN8%2F The US Senate Finance Committee is investigating Medtronic over reports that doctors with financial ties to the device maker were aware of serious problems with a widely promoted spinal fusion product, but never disclosed potential health complications in articles in medical journals. The probe is also initiated after revelations that some doctors received millions in payments, including royalties. The investigation extends long-running scrutiny of the controversial device maker and Infuse, which was approved by the FDA in 2002 and contains a genetically engineered version of a naturally occurring protein. Since then, Infuse has been implanted in more than 500,000 patients by more than 2,300 surgeons and racked up hundreds of millions of dollars in annual sales. But three years ago, concer... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4960331 Wed, 22 Jun 2011 11:43:21 +0100 4960331 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4684270&cid=t_246017_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FpKlx44gYfOU%2F By Daniel GriswoldTo no great surprise, the Obama administration announced today that it has cut a deal with the government of Colombia to address concerns about labor protections and to finally move toward enacting the long-stalled free-trade agreement between our two countries. This is welcome news for trade expansion and for strengthening our ties to a key Latin American ally. Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos is expected to arrive later this week in Washington to cement the deal. In exchange for the agreement, Colombia has reportedly agreed to expand its efforts to protect union members from violence and to more vigorously prosecute those responsible. As my Cato colleague Juan Carlos Hidalgo and I documented in a Cato study earlier this year, concerns about labor protections were ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4684270 Wed, 06 Apr 2011 17:54:59 +0100 4684270 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3290991&cid=t_246017_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FzmPNNoYg-CQ%2F Avandia is needlessly causing hundreds of cases of heart attacks and heart failure each month, according to confidential government reports, The New York Times writes. Moreover, if every diabetic taking Avandia were given Actos instead, about 500 heart attacks and 300 cases of heart failure would be avoided each month. The pill was linked to 304 deaths during the third quarter of 2009, and a report by the FDA’s David Graham and Kate Gelperin concludes the pill should be yanked (Graham said this in 2007 - look). Some FDA officials want Avandia withdrawn because they believe a safer alternative exists, the Times adds, noting others insist studies offer contradictory info and Avandia should remain an option. GlaxoSmithKline, which makes the pill, says it studied Avandia extensively and ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3290991 Sat, 20 Feb 2010 15:29:18 +0100 3290991 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3100777&cid=t_246017_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F4mhO-j_eh9Y%2F By Michael F. CannonThe Hill’s Congress Blog asks, “Will the Senate pass a health care reform bill before it adjourns for the year?” I answer: It’s not looking good – nor should it. The Reid bill becomes less popular with each passing day.  (So too does President Obama’s handling of health care.) CBS News is reporting that Reid wants to hold a vote before Christmas because he doesn’t want senators to go home and hear from their constituents. Reid has been systematically suppressing a complete cost estimate of his bill. Reid’s manager’s amendment will make unknown, countless, and dramatic changes to that 2,074-page bill – and Reid wants to vote on it before anyone knows what those changes are. Even Max Baucus admits that not a single senator understands the ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3100777 Fri, 18 Dec 2009 04:01:47 +0100 3100777 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3096839&cid=t_246017_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FaCbxPsbbYOI%2F By Michael F. Cannon So yes, enacting the Obama health plan would be an historic achievement.  But its supporters don’t know if it would be a good historic achievement or one of those bad historic achievements — like slavery, unequal suffrage, Jim Crow, etc. Oh, and they don’t care. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3096839 Wed, 16 Dec 2009 19:29:06 +0100 3096839 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2984781&cid=t_246017_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F4wEeiXfvpdk%2F My colleague Dan Griswold pointed out yesterday some unfortunate editing in the Washington Post. Here are a couple of other trade-related items in the news recently: Sen. Max Baucus (D, MT and Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee) has seemingly thrown his weight behind the idea of “border measures” (i.e., carbon tariffs).  After paying the semi-obligatory lip service to the United States’ obligations under international trade law — and I say only “semi-obligatory” because some U.S. lawmakers appear not to care about it at all – Baucus goes on to deliver this rhetorical gem: I think often the United States has to lead,” Baucus said, noting that what lawmakers come up could be used as a model for other countries to copy. So the U.S. wou... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2984781 Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:44:21 +0100 2984781 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2950992&cid=t_246017_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FYp1hnhtvkSA%2F The race between two drug makers to market a generic version of a blockbuster blood thinner has grown so intense that one company hired the Kroll detective and security firm, prompting an inquiry by two key senators, The Wall Street Journal reports. Both Amphastar Pharmaceuticals and Momenta Pharmaceuticals hired high-profile Washington lobbyists as they await FDA approval for generic versions of low-molecular-weight heparin. In 2007, the FDA told Amphastar its prototype chemically matched Lovenox - the only available version. But the FDA unexpectedly set added safety requirements for heparin. Both companies submitted more data. You may recall earlier this year, Amphastar filed a complaint with the FDA against its own Janet Woodcock, saying she had a conflict of interest over heparin due ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2950992 Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:13:07 +0100 2950992 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2901616&cid=t_246017_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fh0Cn5Ddx4Og%2F Max Baucus says every single Democratic senator will vote for all the taxes, all the private-sector mandates, all the inter-governmental mandates, all the Medicare spending cuts, and all the new private-insurance subsidies that he and Harry Reid are cobbling together.  What’s left to discuss? Baucus may know something I don’t.  But here’s what I do know. To subsidize Paul, Democrats need to rob Peter.  And Peter ain’t gonna like that, whether “Peter” is union members, small businesses, insurance companies, medical-device manufacturers, sick people, or the middle class broadly. Of course, the government already does a lot of Peter-robbing and Paul-paying in health care. Democrats could subsidize Paul #2 by cutting subsidies to Paul #1.  But again, Paul #1 — whether “he... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2901616 Fri, 16 Oct 2009 21:46:24 +0100 2901616 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2898925&cid=t_246017_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FZE8sgxC9zbI%2F Yes, you read that right.  And I had to do the same sort of double-take when I read David Broder’s op-ed in The Washington Post this morning. Broder writes, “Obama has steered the enterprise to the point that odds now favor a bill-signing ceremony.  But the hardest choices still lie ahead….”  Whaa??  How can the odds be better than 50-50 if the biggest fights haven’t even happened yet? Broder’s optimism continues, “Two things will be needed to reach [a majority in the House and 60 votes in the Senate]: first, a plausible plan for making affordable and comprehensive health insurance available to millions…. And second, a way of financing the coverage….”  But that’s been the whole challenge all along.  Is Broder actually ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2898925 Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:12:57 +0100 2898925 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2890625&cid=t_246017_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FMnmE0GBdNoI%2F The Senate Finance Committee votes today on Senator Max Baucus’ version of the health care bill. Cato health care experts have analyzed the bill thoroughly, and point out three vital components to the cost and reach of the legislation: 1) The real cost of the bill is in excess of $2 trillion. Chairman Max Baucus hoodwinked the CBO with a number of clever budgetary gimmicks, most notably by keeping about half of the cost off the federal books. The bill also assumes Congress will make cuts to Medicare payments, which has never once happened before. 2) The bill contains an enormous middle-class tax hike. The bill imposes a 40 percent excise tax on health insurance plans that offer benefits in excess of $8,000 for an individual plan and $21,000 for a family plan. Insurers would almost ce... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2890625 Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:57:40 +0100 2890625 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2879391&cid=t_246017_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FtFbCt2kUWlc%2F This week, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) blocked an attempt by Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) to move — without a recorded vote or CBO score – H.R. 3631, legislation to freeze Medicare Part B premiums. These premiums are automatically deducted from the Social Security checks of seniors, almost all of whom are enrolled in the Medicare Part B (Supplemental Medical Insurance) program. Social Security recipients will not receive a COLA increase in their monthly checks beginning January 2010 because inflation between October 2008 and September 2009 was negative. But if Part B premiums increase, the dollar amount of their Social Security checks will decrease beginning in January 2010. What would happen if the Part B premium were frozen for 2010? Seniors would get a double benefit. First they are gaining fr... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2879391 Fri, 09 Oct 2009 17:35:54 +0100 2879391 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2876016&cid=t_246017_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FX_v6kv5I570%2F Why? Just ask Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN): You can sort of see this coming. The savings from the pharmaceutical companies and the insurance industry, you can kind of count on that because they’re not very popular. The hospitals are a different story.  People, you know, like their hospitals; they tend to trust their hospitals. The hospitals have pledged big savings. I can easily forecast at some point in the not-too-distant future the hospitals coming in and saying, “You know what, this isn’t working exactly the way we expected. Please spare us from this,” and them getting a good hearing in [Congress]. The same thing goes for physicians. And the pharmaceutical companies. And the insurance industry. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2876016 Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:14:15 +0100 2876016 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2876017&cid=t_246017_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F5Sy2b92FtCI%2F To reassure us all that Baucus 2.0 would not increase the deficit, its author Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) included a “failsafe” provision: if the OMB director determines that the Baucus bill would increase the deficit in the following year, that determination would trigger automatic cuts in the bill’s health insurance subsidies. Sooooo, would those automatic cuts operate more like the failed Gramm-Rudman-Hollings automatic cuts, or the failed sustainable-growth-rate automatic cuts?  Automatic spending cuts never work because today’s Congress cannot bind future Congresses. The CBO estimates that, if the failsafe were to work, it would require 15-percent cuts in the bill’s new health insurance subsidies from 2015 through 2018.  But the agency essentially says the m... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2876017 Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:12:08 +0100 2876017 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2876020&cid=t_246017_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FE0X1L4H-IWA%2F Sen. Max Baucus’s (D-MT) health care overhaul would cost more than $2 trillion.  It would expand the deficit.  But he has carefully and methodically hidden those facts – so well that he has completely hoodwinked nearly all the major media. The media are reporting that the Baucus bill would reduce the deficit by $81 billion over 10 years.  Wrong. The Baucus bill assumes that Congress will allow the “sustainable growth rate” cuts in Medicare’s physician payments to occur beginning in 2012.  Yet Congress has routinely and repeatedly blocked those cuts, making Baucus’s assumption preposterous.  The CBO handled the issue delicately, but essentially said, “Sure, provided that the sun rises in the west in 2012, then yes, this bill would reduce the deficit.” That means Baucus ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2876020 Thu, 08 Oct 2009 16:34:44 +0100 2876020 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2876024&cid=t_246017_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fz3uyza6fyC4%2F The CBO report that said the health care bill won’t raise deficits makes it clear that the Baucus bill’s reduction in future budget deficits comes not from controlling government spending or reducing health care costs, but because of a rapid escalation in tax revenues. The bill imposes a 40 percent excise tax on health-insurance plans that offer benefits in excess of $8,000 for an individual plan and $21,000 for a family plan. Insurers would almost certainly pass this tax on to consumers via higher premiums. As inflation pushes insurance premiums higher in coming years, more and more middle-class families would find themselves caught up in the tax. In fact, overall, the tax increases in the bill are more than double the amount of deficit reduction. This isn’t a health care effici... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2876024 Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:55:32 +0100 2876024 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2828180&cid=t_246017_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FHFkWs3qR1Xo%2F Will Americans get “quality time” with proposed health care legislation before it passes? Some say no: The Senate Finance Committee recently turned back an effort to put Chairman Max Baucus’ bill online for 72 hours before the committee’s vote. The Committee is on the wrong side of history. Transparency shifts power away from the center, so it’s favored by those out of power. It’s no wonder that Republican representative John Culberson, a member of the minority party, is putting H.R. 3400 (a significant health care bill) online for comment, using a tool called SharedBook. Transparency won’t be a gift from government. It is something we have to take. That’s why I think the action lies in private efforts like OpenCongress, GovTrack, and (... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2828180 Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:43:28 +0100 2828180 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2823955&cid=t_246017_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F9d_QjFkWqlY%2F As Michael Cannon discussed in an earlier post, the White House is trying to claim that health care “reform” does not mean higher taxes. This is a two-pronged issue. First, there is a mandate to purchase health insurance. Second, there is a tax (the White House calls it a fee) on people who fail to purchase a policy. The White House claims this mandate is akin to state-level requirements for the purchase of health insurance, and that the newly-insured people will be getting some value (a health insurance policy) in exchange for their money. These assertions are defensible, but that does not change the fact that a tax is being imposed. It might be plausible to argue that the mandate is not a tax if the value of the insurance policy to the individual was equal to the cost. But ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2823955 Wed, 23 Sep 2009 16:45:48 +0100 2823955 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2807575&cid=t_246017_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FOR0nsVjEuGI%2F A new T-shirt for Senator Baucus: I worked for six months with half a dozen members of the Senate Finance Committee, and all I got was this lousy 223-page summary of what I hope the new health care bill will look like. Why should evidence even matter in education policy? I mean, we’re doing this for the children. Videos reveal tax-funded organization being used to help those who want to open a brothel and illegally bring underage girls into the United States as “sex workers.” Meet the two 20-something who exposed it. It’s time to narrowly define the mission in Afghanistan. “The United States does not have the patience, cultural knowledge or legitimacy to transform what is a deeply divided, poverty stricken, tribal-based society into a self-sufficient, n... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2807575 Thu, 17 Sep 2009 19:31:32 +0100 2807575 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2807576&cid=t_246017_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FRTUiZOekJUM%2F The Wall Street Journal notes that Sen. Max Baucus’s allegedly moderate health care plan “would increase the cost of insurance and then force people to buy it, requiring subsidies. Those subsidies would be paid for by taxes that make health care and thus insurance even more expensive, requiring even more subsidies and still higher taxes.” Other than that, it’s not so bad. The Journal also digs up a great graphic produced by the 2008 presidential campaign of a little-known Illinois senator named Barack Obama: And speaking of health care mandates and how much they’re going to cost young people, as the Washington Post was yesterday, I just had lunch with Clark Ruper, program manager for Students for Liberty, who told me he’d be on the Newshour with Jim Leh... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2807576 Thu, 17 Sep 2009 18:17:55 +0100 2807576 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2803887&cid=t_246017_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FUJEALC3pR_E%2F In their attempt to defeat Obamacare, Republicans have focused their criticism on the public option, painting it as the most objectionable feature of existing proposals. Senator Max Baucus, (D-Mont.), has now proposed a plan without the public option. This leaves the Republicans in an awkward position, especially since Baucus’s plan is projected to cost less than earlier proposals. If Republicans oppose the Baucus plan, they surely risk the ire of voters who will be told during the mid-term elections, “The Republicans blocked a plan that would have covered the uninsured and reduced the deficit.” The problem is, the public option was never the crucial issue; instead, it was the mandate to purchase insurance. Once government mandates insurance coverage, it gets to define wh... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2803887 Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:26:45 +0100 2803887 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2803890&cid=t_246017_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FMSF4xQlER04%2F Quantifying misery in Iran. Why sending more troops to Afghanistan would only weaken the authority of Afghan leaders and undermine the U.S.’s ability to deal with security challenges elsewhere in the world. Plus, an exit strategy for Afghanistan. Grading the Baucus health plan: The good, the bad and the ugly. Who’s really indoctrinating the nation’s schoolkids. Podcast: How to quietly tax the poor, anger a giant nation, and reward a labor union, all at the same time! (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2803890 Wed, 16 Sep 2009 21:43:49 +0100 2803890 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2734000&cid=t_246017_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fv%2FsM9KcAS5_K4%26amp%3Brel%3D1%26amp%3Bcolor1%3Dd6d6d6%26amp%3Bcolor2%3Df0f0f0%26amp%3Bborder%3D0%26amp%3Bfs%3D1%26amp%3Bhl%3Den%26amp%3Bautoplay%3D0%26amp%3Bshowinfo%3D0%26amp%3Biv_load_policy%3D3%26amp%3Bshowsearch%3D0 One of my favorite movies is 1776, the musical. In July 1776, Congress was working on the Declaration of Independence. A rather controversial undertaking with far reaching implications. In July 2009, Congress was tackling another controversial undertaking with far reaching implications. I am speaking of course about health reform. The parallels, and lessons learned, are striking. Today, health reform has its Gang of Six (Senators Max Baucus, Jeff Bingaman, Kent Conrad, Charles Grassley, Michael Enzi, and Olympia Snowe). Congress in 1776 appointed a Committee of Five (John Adams, Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert Livingston, and Roger Sherman) to assist with the drafting of the Declaration of Independence. President Obama observed that during July and August “everybody in Washington ... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2734000 Wed, 26 Aug 2009 11:56:51 +0100 2734000 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2517208&cid=t_246017_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FXg6FQFEC_JE%2F Senate Finance Committee chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) has announced that he has reached agreement on scoring a series of options that will reduce the cost of his health care reform bill to just $1 trillion over the next 10 years. Whew. Now we can all rest easy. Still, no agreement on the tax increases needed to pay that $1 trillion though. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2517208 Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:02:18 +0100 2517208 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2477532&cid=t_246017_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FNcxSvmpKpa8%2F Though it’s not yet available, word has it that a bill to revive the REAL ID Act has been introduced in the Senate. Its sponsors are an unlikely group: Senators Akaka (D-HI), Tester (D-MT), Baucus (D-MT), Carper (D-CT), and Voinovich (R-OH). REAL ID was dead in the water, but with a name change and a few burrs taken off, these five senators may just give it life once again. Watch this space for posts as I analyze the bill and the politics. I’ll examine closely the substance of the “PASS ID Act.” I’ll try to figure out how both Senators from Montana - a state that rejected REAL ID flat out - became leaders in the fight to revive it. More on the politics: As the stars lined up for repealing REAL ID outright, the Senate negotiated a compromise . . . with nobody. ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2477532 Tue, 16 Jun 2009 03:29:14 +0100 2477532 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2473202&cid=t_246017_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fsrb-41yebHw%2F Faced with rising opposition to a so-called “public option” in health care reform, some Democrats are floating the idea of establishing health insurance “co-operatives” as an alternative. Opponents of a government takeover of the health care system should not be fooled. A “co-op” can be defined as a business owned and controlled by its workers and the people who use its services, in this case presumably the people whom it insures. In that sense, government provision of some sort of legal framework or seed money to help establish health insurance co-ops seems relatively harmless but also relatively pointless. The U.S. already has some 1,300 insurance companies. Adding a few more would accomplish…what? It is suggested that the “co-ops” would be nonprofits, and therefore wou... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2473202 Fri, 12 Jun 2009 13:02:11 +0100 2473202 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2441164&cid=t_246017_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fbz5bpMFLQqA%2F Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) has begun circulating drafts of his proposed health care reform legislation. Initial reports, including an op-ed in the Boston Globe by Kennedy himself, suggest that the bill will contain every one of the bad ideas that I outlined in my recent Policy Analysis on what to expect from Obamacare. Among other things, the Kennedy bill will call for: An employer mandate; An individual mandate; A so-called “Public Option,” a Medicare-like plan that will compete with private insurance; The use of comparative-effectiveness/cost-effectiveness research to restrain costs; Subsidies for families earning as much as 500% of the poverty level ($110,250 for a family of four). Insurance regulation, including guaranteed issue and community rating. (He would also establish a... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2441164 Fri, 29 May 2009 18:39:29 +0100 2441164 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1962611&cid=t_246017_147_f&fid=38117&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.engageinhealth.com%2F2008%2F11%2Fin_the_us_senate_finance_commi.html With the election over, the first serious step toward major health care changes in Congress took place yesterday. The step-taker was Max Baucus, a Democratic U.S. Senator from Montana perhaps unknown in much of the country but very much known and powerful in Washington because he is chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. Sen. Baucus released a white paper, “Call To Action: Health Reform 2009,” that outlines his priorities for a health care overhaul in the next congressional session. The Baucus paper is not legislation – that comes later -- but a broad blueprint that will serve as a starting point for many discussions. Highlights include letting people from age 55-64 “buy in” to Medicare, the government health care program for senior citizens and people with a disability, and... The Health Engagement Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1962611 Fri, 14 Nov 2008 00:10:29 +0100 1962611 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1686526&cid=t_246017_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F357424885%2F A new bill was introduced late last week that would create a hub for clinical research in order to evaluate clinical research – for drugs, devices and surgical procedures - in a bid to lower health care costs. The non-profit Health Care Comparative Effectiveness Research Institute would conduct research into which treatments work and which don’t. Its board would include representatives from the HHS, AHRQ and NIH, as well as drug and device makers, and patients and doctors, although the institute would operate independently from government. Public and private payers, such as Medicare and private insurers, would provide annual funding, which is expected to exceed $300 million after five years. “Doctors and patients need reliable, unbiased information about the effectiveness of... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1686526 Wed, 06 Aug 2008 13:56:45 +0100 1686526 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1340917&cid=t_246017_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F261983923%2F That’s what two lawmakers are set to propose. Democratic Senators Max Baucus of Montana and Kent Conrad of North Dakota would establish an independent institute to systematically compare the effectiveness of drugs and devices, Reuters reports. Interestingly, the idea comes as the controversy continues to play out over Vytorin, which was found to be no better than the older and cheaper Zocor cholesterol pill. An analysis by the Lewin Group for the Commonwealth Fund found that comparative effectiveness research, used appropriately by doctors and insurers to guide decisions, could cut national health spending by $370 billion over 10 years. “One of the requirements for a market to work is that you have good information and we don’t have a lot of that right now,” Stuart ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1340917 Tue, 01 Apr 2008 14:13:10 +0100 1340917 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=755760&cid=t_246017_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F136999483%2F Yet another FDA medical reviewer allegedly was harassed from the Avandia review for raising red flags, according to a letter written yesterday by US Senators Chuck Grassley and Max Baucus to FDA commish Andy von Eschenbach. Here’s a key portion… “During a recent interview with Finance Committee staff, a senior medical officer in the Office of New Drugs (OND), who at one point was the primary reviewer for Avandia, told staff investigators that s/he was told to stop participation in the review of potential cardiovascular safety problems associated with Avandia. Since 2005, the senior medical officer believed that there was enough evidence to support a black box warning regarding the risk of CHF. Interestingly, the senior medical officer’s removal from the review happ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=755760 Tue, 24 Jul 2007 21:31:28 +0100 755760