Author's posts
Court Injunction Temporarily Upends Most Favored Nation Policy To Lower Prices Of Medicare Part B Drugs
It’s quite conceivable the Biden Administration would wish to implement some kind of partial realignment of Medicare drug prices based on an international pricing index. This wouldn’t happen, however, by way of an executive order, but rather through Co…
Covid-19’s Impact On Public Health, Healthcare, And The Economy Will Linger In 2021
There are reasons to be cautiously optimistic about 2021. But, just as no-one could have known in December of 2019 that a novel coronavirus would sweep around the world and wreak havoc, we can’t know with certainty which exogenous shocks may occur in 2…
Implications Of New Variant Of Coronavirus Found In U.K.
The U.K.’s announcement this past Saturday about rapid spread of a new variant of coronavirus raises more questions than answers; about increased transmission risk, virulence of the new variant, impact on treatment and vaccine efficacy, and direct poli…
Following Germany’s Lead The Dutch Impose Hard Lockdown To Combat Coronavirus Spread
Prime Minister Rutte of the Netherlands announced imposition of a strict national lockdown aimed at stopping the spread of the coronavirus. All non-essential businesses, as well as all schools, must close until January 19th, 2021. Germany announced its…
Though Promising, Gene Therapies Face Durability And Reimbursement Headwinds
High upfront costs make it hard for payers to underwrite the risk of full payment for one therapy, let alone the entire range of gene therapies in the pipeline. A combination of installment plans and value-based contracting will likely be the wave of t…
U.S. Healthcare Markets Lack Transparency; Stakeholders Want To Keep It That Way
Perhaps most worrying is the pervasive lack of transparency throughout the healthcare system, which compounds the asymmetry problem. Several key stakeholders benefit from the confusion. It’s in their financial interest to keep the system opaque.
Will 2021 Be Another Break-Through Year For Biosimilars?
In 2019, Scott Gottlieb, former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner, argued against throwing in the towel on biosimilars, as some other experts had advised. Gottlieb was right. The growth in biosimilar market share from late 2018 until now …
U.S. And French High Courts Approach Coronavirus Restrictions On Religious Services Very Differently
By demanding that the government justify gathering size limits at religious services based on public health, the French Council of State is appealing to reason and compromise; ensure non-discriminatory application of public health measures and the use …
Though Rare, The Number Of Reinfections With Covid-19 Is Growing
People who have been infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes Covid-19 might believe that they are now protected against future infection. They’re not necessarily. Though still rare, reinfections with the novel coronavirus may be more common than…
Affordable Care Act Mandate Is Necessary To Achieve Universal Access
A key objective of healthcare reform, like the ACA, is universal access. It is much harder to achieve without a mandate. Critics of the mandate say the ACA can function without a requirement to buy insurance. But, a functioning system is not necessaril…
