Following the Leaders: How Some Hospitals Use Community Benefit Programs to Address Health Equity
We’ve used this space to talk at some length about the shortcomings that follow from our “patchwork quilt” of state and federal standards for community benefit. Today, we’re taking a detour to talk about what’s right with community benefit—specifically, s
Deficit Reduction 101: Follow the Money
When it comes to prescription drugs, President Obama's deficit-reduction plan follows Willy Sutton’s famous advice to “go where the money is.” Of the proposed $580 billion in total savings over 10 years, more than a quarter comes via three important propo
Inspect facilities where drugs are made
The special health issue of The Hill has a prescription for ensuring U.S. drug safety. This op-ed on why Congress must end the inspection disparity between U.S. pharmaceutical plants and foreign drug makers is a must-read for every lawmaker and the consu
We Can Have Our Deficit Reduction and Keep Our Health Security Too
Yesterday, President Obama released a plan to reduce the deficit by more than $3 trillion over the next decade. It’s certainly not perfect, but his plan achieves these savings while largely protecting health security for the low-income families that rely
Consumer advocacy works!
That may seem like a no-brainer for those of us in the business, but important new research affirms it. Mathematica Policy Research found in its evaluation of the Consumer Voices for Coverage (CVC) program that 62 percent of policymakers said consumer gro
New National Legislation to Advance Health Equity
A bill filed in Congress yesterday provides hundreds of tools to address the disgraceful health disparities that plague our communities and deprive so many people of color of long, healthy lives.
The Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2011 (HEAA) was
Lawmakers call for a dose of urgency in addressing U.S. drug safety
The buzzword at a Sept. 14 hearing on securing the pharmaceutical supply chain was one not often heard in the current congressional climate: “consensus.” There was general agreement among witnesses that our laws are outdated in a world where the drug supp
Administration Up 2-1 in ACA Court Challenges
The US Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit released two opinions on Thursday in support of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), placing the Obama Administration ahead 2-1 in appellate rulings. The 4th Circuit rejected arguments from both Virginia and Liberty U
More drug company payments go public, but trends tough to untangle
As more payment data from drugmakers to physicians went public this week, it seems that both industry and doctors are easing off the gas in promotional speaking and other marketing-related payments. With Propublica data, the Boston Globe compared several