Fiscal Tax Blog

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Trump Strikes a Good Drug Deal

President Trump struck a deal on Monday with the U.K.’s Labour government that will raise drug prices on the other side of the pond in return for a tariff reprieve. At last a good drug deal: Both sides can claim a victory while mitigating self-inflicted damage to their countries. The President has long complained, with some justification, that other developed countries free-ride on U.S. innovation and consumers by requiring manufacturers to sell drugs to government-run…

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Biden’s IRA Is Harming Cancer Patients

Democrats’ 2022 Inflation Reduction Act wasn’t designed to kill cancer innovation, but new evidence reveals that’s what it’s doing. The law strongly discourages drug companies from performing the “follow-on” research after initial discoveries that accounts for a disproportionate share of progress in the fight against cancer. The crux of the problem is that the IRA imposes price caps that shorten the effective life of a patent and applies those price controls even to later-approved uses.…

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UnitedHealth, Cigna and Elevance’s House of Cards Is Wobbling

We’ve reported over the past few weeks about actions being taken by UnitedHealth Group, Cigna and Elevance, three of the giants in the for-profit health insurance business, that undoubtedly will push independent physician practices to the brink of bankruptcy and closure – or force them to sell out to either an insurance conglomerate or big hospital system – and severely restrict Americans’ access to the doctors and hospitals of their choice. Other Big Insurance companies undoubtedly will…

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The simplest way to make American life affordable again

Americans have delivered the same message in the last two elections: make life affordable again. They are tired of working harder for less, while the cost of everything — from housing to education to insurance — keeps rising. The affordability crisis touches every household, and its biggest driver is the one Washington refuses to tackle seriously: healthcare. Healthcare now consumes nearly one-fifth of our economy. It is the largest single cost for employers, the fastest-growing…

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Better Health Care At Half The Cost? Yes It’s Possible

Are you ready for this? Health insurers have announced that the monthly premiums for medical coverage will rise anywhere between 12 and 25% next year. It’s infuriating as the health care tab grows ever more unaffordable. Polls continually show that the number one healthcare concern among voters is ever-increasing insurer costs – premiums, deductibles, copays, middlemen fees, etc. – all of which have spiked astronomically since Obamacare was first implemented and later expanded by President Joe Biden. That’s…

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Commitment to Seniors says AARP–UnitedHealth deal drives higher costs for members

Commitment to Seniors has released a report highlighting concerns over AARP’s long-standing licensing partnership with UnitedHealth, which includes a $9 billion royalty arrangement. The report suggests that this financial relationship may create incentives that could make health coverage less affordable for seniors and raises issues regarding transparency. The memo claims that AARP’s revenue model conflicts with its public advocacy on affordability. Commitment to Seniors states that the partnership with UnitedHealth generates substantial royalty income, which…

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AARP’s 9 Billion Reasons to Side With UnitedHealth and Make Obamacare Subsidies Permanent

A bombshell report by Chris Jacobs, the founder and CEO of Juniper Research Group, “How AARP Makes Health Insurance Unaffordable for Its Members,” exposes how AARP is working hand-in-hand with major insurer pharmacy benefit managers, chiefly its financial partner, UnitedHealth, to push for the costly extension of Obamacare subsidies amid the continuing resolution and government shutdown debate. The report reveals how AARP recently received an extraordinary $9 billion payment as a result of restructuring its…

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AARP’s ‘Affordability’ Hypocrisy

When evaluating an advocacy group’s views on public policy, it helps to consider the source. In the case of AARP, that means scrutinizing the sizable conflicts of interest that compromise the organization’s policy positions. Even as it lobbies for a permanent extension of enhanced Obamacare subsidies to make insurance “affordable,” AARP funds that lobbying by making health coverage less affordable for its own members. A glance at AARP’s most recent financial statements shows a glaring conflict. Last year, the…