Yesterday the Senate Judiciary Committee Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights subcommittee held a hearing on the proposed Express Scripts/Medco merger. The merger would unite two of the largest Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) in the nation, giving them 40 percent of the market share. PBMs are the middlemen of the pharmaceutical industry which negotiate drug … Continue reading
Author Archives: ryanwholland
Democrats & the CLASS Act – Flogging a Dead Horse
The House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Health recommended by voice vote today to pass the Fiscal Responsibility and Retirement Security Act of 2011, which would repeal the CLASS Act, the long-term care program created by PPACA. Democrats on the panel resisted, refusing to give up a part of the healthcare law that would open … Continue reading
Health Care Culture and Costs
By Ryan Holland At a recent seminar at GWU, Joseph Damore of Premier Consulting Solutions spoke about Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs). During his presentation he pulled up a chart of average health care costs by U.S. city. The mean cost was around $7,500 per person, but ranged from $5,000 (Honolulu), to $16,000 (Miami). These prices … Continue reading
The Fat Tax: How Much is Too Much?
By: Ryan Holland A recent blog post in the Washington Post discussed the potential of Denmark’s new fat tax. The tax is about $6 per pound of saturated fat- the stuff of butter, red meat, cream, cheese, basically anything that’s deliciously greasy. Certainly the tax will bring in some much-needed revenue, but will it actually … Continue reading
America / Communications / Culture / Economy / Gov. Officials / Healthcare / U.S. Domestic Policy / Uncategorized
Congress and Reform: Can it Happen?
Author: Ryan Holland An article yesterday reported that Congress’ approval rating has dropped to single digits in California- just 9 percent. For many it is a dark time in the world of politics, as recession, war, health costs, and debt crisis have converged into a nightmare of endless battles over ideologies and policies. Here in … Continue reading
Health Care Costs: Have We Considered Everything?
By: Ryan Holland Last week I had the chance to attend an event hosted by Health Affairs, called “The New Urgency to Lower Costs.” The topics addressed were pretty dry by themselves, and I found myself most interested during Q&A. Some members of the audience seemed to be more passionate about health care reform than … Continue reading
Policy Interns 