Prescription Drugs On TV: Mostly Worthless

73 percent of those new prescription drugs advertised on U.S. television had low therapeutic value, offering only slight benefit over other drugs already on the market, says a recent study. Those drugs accounted for $15.9 billion worth of advertising spending. Of the advertised drugs that had a value rating from Canada, France or Germany, 53 of them were classified as low-benefit, at best.

Back in 2015, the American Medical Association called for an all-out ban on DTC (Direct-to-Consumer) ads for prescription drugs and medical devices, saying they drive demand for expensive treatments despite the clinical effectiveness of less costly alternatives.

More:

“70% of drugs advertised on TV are of “low therapeutic value,” study finds,” Beth Mole, Ars Technica

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Published Drug Research Accents the Po$titive

Scientific Method be damned, medical journals have an economic incentive for publishing papers with postive outcomes. When a drug study shows positive outcomes, pharmaceutical companies buy reprints of it in bulk to distribute it to prescribers.

Those purchases can add up to over $2 million. For journals like The Lancet ($40 annual revenue) and NEJM ($100 million/yr.), that’s huge. 41 percent of The Lancet’s 2021 income came from reprints. When it comes to drug studies, Big Phama’s thumb is firmly on the scale.

More:

Scientific journals are incentivized to publish positive drug studies,” Annalisa Merelli, Quartz

Related:

“Why Most Published Research Findings Are False,” John P. A. Ioannidis, PLOS Medicine

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Trump Health Care: Sick People Rely on Crowdfunding

“An estimated 50 million Americans—or 20% of all adults in the country—have donated to a crowdfunding campaign to help cover somebody’s medical expenses, according to a survey from the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago.”

“Websites like JustGiving, Fundly, and GoFundMe have risen to prominence in recent years as Americans struggle to pay for rising healthcare costs. Medical fundraisers have become so popular on GoFundMe—over 250,000 medical campaigns are run each year—that the website now publishes guides on how to fundraise for insulin or gender confirmation surgery.

The survey has prompted renewed calls for Medicare for All this week. Presidential candidate and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders reiterated his support for the policy on Twitter. ‘Enough is enough,’ he tweeted. ‘No one should have to beg for money to get the health care they need in the richest country on Earth.’”

More:

“Millions of Americans Rely on Crowdfunding for Medical Expenses,” Emma Coleman, Route Fifty.

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Florida: Biggest Health Care Fraud Ever

A Federal jury has found Florida health care network owner Philip Esformes guilty of running an 18-year, $1.3 billion Medicare and Medicaid fraud scheme. He used some of the money to bribe the University of Pennsylvania basketball coach to get his son into Penn. If his son is pre-law, maybe the kid can help him with the fraud appeal.

Philip Esformes, a man of convictions. We reluctantly point out that this is the “largest health care fraud in U.S. history.” Every time we do that, some Florida Man is found pulling an even bigger scam.

More:

“Florida businessman convicted in $1B Medicare fraud case,” Adriana Gomez Licon, Associated Press

“Miami healthcare exec Philip Esformes found guilty of paying kickbacks and bribes,”Jay Weaver and David Ovalle, Miami Herald

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Court Trashes Junk Health Insurance Policies

A Federal Judge ruled that the Trump Administration’s so-called “Association Health Plans” –health insurance policies that do not meet minimum standards required by the Affordable Care Act (aka ObamaCare) — are “clearly an end-run around the ACA.”

“Indeed, as the President directed, and the Secretary of Labor confirmed, the Final Rule was designed to expand access to AHPs to avoid the most stringent requirements of the ACA.”

More:

“‘Clearly an end-run’: Federal judge rejects Trump’s health-care plan to go around Obamacare,” Timothy Bella, Washington Post

“Trump administration suffers another Obamacare blow in court,” Paul Demko, Politico

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Health Care Fraudster Leads Trump Health Care Push

Florida Senator (and former Governor) Rick Scott is leading the charge to develop President Trump’s ObamaCare (ACA) replacement. Mr. Scott certainly has plenty of health care experience. He was President and CEO of the Columbia/HCA hospital system when the corporation committed at least 14 federal felonies for defrauding Medicare and Medicaid. The firm later admitted guilt and paid the government $1.7 billion in criminal fines, civil damages, and penalties.

Senator Scott is, without doubt, the ideal person to spearhead a Trump Administration health care initiative.

More:

“Rick Scott’s Company Committed Historic Medicare Fraud. He Will Now Lead Trump’s Health-Care Push.” Matt Stieb, New York Magazine

“Trump’s Choice of Rick Scott to Build a Republican Healthcare Plan Shows the Henhouse Is Full of Foxes,” Charles P. Pierce, Esquire

“The worst possible choice to craft a Senate health-care plan? Rick Scott.” Editorial, Orlando Sentinel

“Trump putting Rick Scott in charge of his healthcare push is a sick joke,” Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times

Updates:

Even Rick Scott won’t carry this hot potato for him, so President Trump now says he’ll run for re-election on a GOP Healthcare Plan to replace the ACA in 2020.

“Trump’s health care brain trust says no thanks,” Adam Cancryn and Alice Miranda Ollstein, Politico

Related:

“Trump’s Health-Care Policy Goes From Misguided to Reckless,” Max Nisen, Bloomberg

“Trump just realized his mistake on health care. But it’s too late.” Paul Waldman, Washington Post

“Democrats welcome fight as Trump tees up 2020 healthcare battle,” Susan Heavey and Susan Cornwell, Reuters

“Republican Health Care Lying Syndrome,” Paul Krugman, New York Times

“Americans are much more worried about health care than illegal immigration, poll shows,” Tim O’Donnell, The Week

“The GOP’s capitulation to Obamacare,” Aaron Blake, Washington Post

“Trump now promises a Republican health-care bill in [checks notes] 2021,” Philip Bump, Washington Post

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Here Comes TrumpCare

Fresh from being not exonerated, legal titan Donald Trump has decided that the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional, probably because the ACA is often called “ObamaCare.” After conferring with Dr. Mick Mulvaney and senior faculty at Trump University Medical School, the President proposes replacing the ACA with … nothing.

While this will leave 20 million Americans without health insurance and put 100 million at risk, people with preexisting conditions will get exactly the same coverage.

More:

“Trump Administration reverses course, supports decision to strike down ACA,” Kevin Truong, MedCityNews

“White House Obamacare reversal made over Cabinet objections,” Eliana Johnson and Burgess Everett, Politico

“Trump’s all-or-nothing ACA gamble,” Sam Baker, Axios

“The Trump approach to healthcare: Break it and figure out the rest later,” Jon Healey, Los Angeles Times

“Trump: GOP will have replacement if Obamacare is struck down, but no plan is in sight,” John T. Bennett, The Hill

“McConnell to Trump: Health care’s all yours,” Burgess Everett, Politico

“Kevin McCarthy tells Trump new health care push makes no sense,” Jonathan Swan, Sam Baker, and Alayna Treene, Axios

“Donald Trump is very committed to taking away your health insurance,” Sarah Kliff, Vox

“Health insurer stocks fall after Trump administration seeks overturn of Affordable Care Act,” Bertha Coombs, CNBC

Updates:

“Trump’s health care agenda is a legal disaster,” Dylan Scott, Vox

“By striking at Obamacare, Trump could unravel his own drug pricing proposal,” Emily Kopp, Roll Call

U.S. Culture War: Doctors vs. Midwives

In others countries, many births are attended by midwives. Why is the U.S. different? A Vox/Pro Publica video by Ranjani Chakraborty.

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Mitch McConnell Says He’s Coming For Your Health Care

“Republicans could try again to repeal Obamacare if they win enough seats in U.S. elections next month, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said on Wednesday, calling a failed 2017 push to repeal the healthcare law a ‘disappointment.’

In a forecast of 2019 policy goals tempered by uncertainty about who would win the congressional elections, McConnell blamed social programs, such as Social Security and Medicare, for the fast-rising national debt.”

— “McConnell says Senate Republicans might revisit Obamacare repeal,” David Morgan, Reuters

More:

“Mitch McConnell blames the soaring deficit on Medicare and Social Security, not the GOP tax cuts,” Peter Weber, The Week

“Republican Doublespeak on Health Care Starts at the Top,” Max Nisen, Bloomberg

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Congress Puts Millions of Children at Risk for Christmas

The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) provides health coverage to poor children, through both Medicaid and separate CHIP programs. CHIP is administered by states, according to federal requirements. The federal government provides matching funds to help almost 9 million poor children get medical care.

Congress let CHIP funding lapse in September, and state governments are running out of money for poor children’s medical needs. Congress was too busy giving corporations and the rich big tax breaks for Christmas, so it won’t won’t renew the CHIP program until 2018.

More:

“Congress Will Not Renew The Children’s Health Insurance Program This Year,” Eric Levitz, New York Magazine

“Kids’ health insurance hangs in balance, and parents wonder what’s wrong with Congress,” Robert Samuels, Washington Post

“This Congress’s clear priorities: corporations, not children,” Dylan Scott, Vox

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