Health Headlines for Tuesday, September 19
Costly drugs to weigh on U.S. employers’ expenses in 2018: survey
Reuters
U.S. employers are bracing for higher health care expenses in 2018 as spending on new drugs to treat diseases such as cancer, multiple sclerosis and hepatitis C is expected to rise more than 7 percent, according to consultancy firm Mercer.
Would the House pass Graham-Cassidy? It’s not a slam dunk.
Washington Post
As Senate Republicans work feverishly to try to revive plans to replace parts of the Affordable Care Act ahead of a Sept. 30 deadline, it’s easy to forget: There’s another chamber in Congress, and it is not a potted plant.
The Sanders Single-Payer Plan Is No Miracle Cure
New York Times
Last week, Senator Bernie Sanders introduced “Medicare for all” legislation, which would enroll all Americans into the nation’s Medicare program within four years. Senator Sanders, the Vermont independent, argues that his proposal would create a system that “works not just for millionaires and billionaires, but for all of us.”
America’s huge problem with opioid prescribing, in one quote
Vox
If you want a clear explanation of just how much of an outlier the US is in prescribing the powerful drugs that led to the opioid epidemic, consider this statistic given by Stanford drug policy expert Keith Humphreys last week (emphasis mine):
The Fatal Toll of Cheap Cigarettes
New York Times
A new study suggests that the availability of cheaper, off-brand cigarettes is associated with an increase in infant mortality.
Cuomo: ‘I think (single-payer health care) would be a good idea’
Albany Times Union/Blog
Gov. Andrew Cuomo signaled support of single-payer health care at both the federal and state levels on Monday as Democrats nationwide rally around the issue.