Fighting the good fight: Two tools to help get reform done

Though health care reform has always been subject to the political tides, the political and legal challenges to reform legislation and its successful passage are rising. As supporters of reform who work with great advocates around the country,  we're risi

Common-sense Rx reforms in Minnesota important to seniors, consumers

-by Michele Kimball, state director, AARP Minnesota At the Minnesota State Capitol today, lawmakers are hearing about important proposals to reform the way prescription drugs are prescribed in Minnesota.  AARP is pleased to be part of the Minnesota Prescr

Insider Baseball: The Curse of the Bambino?

In Massachusetts, baseball and politics are both blood sports. On Tuesday, as the election results came in on who would fill the seat of the late Senator Kennedy, Red Sox fans who are also health reformers got that old unpleasant feeling they had back to

New FTC report blasts Pharma 'pay-offs' protecting $20 billion in drug sales from competition

Last Wednesday, FTC and congressional leaders held a press conference highlighting a new FTC report on how drug companies have protected “$20 billion in sales of brand name drugs from generic competition” through collusive, anti-competitive ‘pay-for-delay

All eyes on Massachusetts

In what could be a strange and cruel irony, today’s special election to fill the late Senator Kennedy’s seat may deal a damaging blow to the prospects of passing a the bill that would culminate Kennedy’s life’s work in the Senate.  A surging Republican St

Ex-ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

Exchanges are getting major play on the Hill and in the blogs this week, where the fight seems to be: Federal (as the House and White House propose), or State (as the Senate bill does)? While that’s certainly a question, we argue that perhaps that’s not t

Community Catalyst joins hundreds at Affordability Summit in DC

Maybe you were there? If not, see who was at PICO's flickr page and get the details right here. --Kate Petersen, Health Policy Hub

FDA unveils "basics" site as part of transparency plan

Yesterday, the FDA unveiled 'FDA Basics', a website tool geared to help the public get to know the FDA staff and what they do. The website will provide explainers to questions about what the agency and its different centers do, videos and profiles of agen

Health Reform and the Education of David Stockman

You have to be of a certain age to remember David Stockman (fame being fleeting and all).  Back in 1980, Stockman was a young conservative Congressman from Michigan, a true believer in supply side economics, who became Ronald Reagan’s first OMB Director.