December 24, 2019 Issue, Page 4 of 10

Page Text

Page 4 The Elk City News, Elk City, Oklahoma Tuesday, December 24, 2019 Proposed drug price reform would Opinion Page “ElkCituNews short-change rare disease patients Serving Western Oklahoma since 1901 By Kenneth E. Thorpe billion to bring a new drug to Christmas Story A prominent healthcare ment provides to patients. In the United States, ICER rec- market. If public and private The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Starts With a Census watchdog claims it has ommends that drugs not cost health plans used ICER’s as- -- which uses a framework found the solution to high more than $175,000 for each sessments to deny coverage somewhat similar to ICER’s drug prices. “quality adjusted life year” to certain medicines, drug -- routinely recommends By Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy CEO Joe For years, the nonprofit In- -- 12 months of good health researchers would have little denying patients access to Dorman stitute for Clinical and Eco- -- they deliver. incentive to develop new potentially life-saving drugs As we are in the season of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwan- nomic Review has analyzed Rare disease drugs rarely therapies. for conditions ranging from and rated the cost-effective- meet ICER’s _ standards. This is especially true cancer to cystic fibrosis. zaa and other worldwide holidays celebrated during De- ness of new drugs. ICER Four out of the five rare dis- when it comes to drugs for If the United States ad- cember, I want to wish each of you a peaceful, stress-free wants insurers and govern- ease therapies that ICER as- rare diseases. opted a similar approach, 30 ment programs to use these sessed between December When companies suc- million rare disease patients and happy time with friends, family and loved ones. Please ratings to determine which 2014 and August 2018 were cessfully create rare disease could face similar barriers remember that this is a very special time for children and medicines are worth cover- deemed low value. drugs, they must set prices to treatment almost immedi- ing. If health plans only cov- Consider revolutionary high enough to recover their ately. the tension brought about through stress at this time of year er drugs that provide a good treatments for spinal mus- development costs from a The long-term effects is easily detected by them. cular atrophy or SMA, the small patient population. would be even worse. If in- “value” to patients and tax- The Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy (OICA) payers, ICER believes drug leading genetic cause of As a result, these treatments surers and government pro- expenditures would plum- death for infants. The FDA cost more per dose than tra- grams stop paying for rare will continue our effort to provide the best opportunities met. approved the first therapy ditional drugs, whose costs disease treatments, the fi- for the youth of our state, and we hope you will continue This approach probably for SMA in 2016. Parents can be spread over millions nancial incentive to develop would cut short-term spend- credit the drug with saving of customers. these drugs would evaporate. to support us in this endeavor. We will be working with ing -- but it’d also endanger their children and enabling ICER doesn’t sufficiently Research into thousands of policymakers in 2020 to implement the best policies and patients, especially those them to hit developmental account for this difference rare diseases would dry up, with rare diseases that afflict milestones that were previ- between mass-market and along with patients’ hope for procedures to support children, and that starts with a com- fewer than 200,000 people. ously unreachable. rare disease drugs. along, healthy life. plete and accurate count in the upcoming U.S. Census. Millions of Americans could ICER recently determined Despite its limitations, Lowering drug spending is The need for a census is not something new; in fact, lose access to life-enhancing the therapy fell short of “tra- ICER’s approach appeals to a worthy goal. But not at the drugs. And research into rare ditional cost-effectiveness” policymakers and insurers expense of stifling research people have been conducting them for thousands of years. disease treatments would thresholds. To fit within who want to cut drug spend- and condemning millions of One of my favorite scriptures from the Bible is the story grind to a halt. those thresholds, its price ing. They could point to an patients. For each drug it evaluates, would have to drop up to 90 ICER analysis as an “objec- Kenneth E. Thorpe is a of the birth of Jesus. According to Luke 2:1, Joseph and ICER offers a suggested percent. tive” reason to not cover cer- professor of health policy at Mary traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem not for the price range based on how So are these treatments tain drugs. Emory University and chair- birth of Jesus, but as a requirement to be counted in the many additional months or overpriced? Not at all. This is already happen- man of the Partnership to years of good health the treat- On average, it costs $2.6 ing in the United Kingdom. Fight Chronic Disease. census of that time. The scripture unfolds with an order by Caesar Augus- tus that a census would be conducted by local governors. Americans don’t want the government It was initiated because the Roman government report- to do away with private insurance edly wanted to make sure that everyone in the Empire was By Janet Trautwein -- no private insurers or em- ance to the public option. fer under government-run paying their taxes correctly. The census was supposedly Most Americans like pri- ployers would be permitted As they did so, hospitals and health care. Robert Pollin carried out all over the Empire, which included most of vate health insurance. Fifty- to pay for health benefits. doctors would raise prices -- an economist at the Uni- six percent of voters oppose People are big fans of for the privately insured to Europe. In Palestine, the census required every citizen to Medicare for All if it elimi-private insurance. Seven in compensate. Insurers would versity of Massachusetts register in their historical tribal town, rather than the Ro- nates private coverage. 10 Americans say they’re be forced to hike premiums Amherst -- estimates that Many moderate lawmak- satisfied with the coverage in response. That would 2 million jobs across hos- man method of counting everyone where they presently ers are well aware of these they receive through work. compel even more individu- pitals, healthcare facilities, lived (a method we use today in the U.S.). That means polling figures. So they’re That’s a lot -- more than 180 als to switch. and the insurance industry that Joseph and the very pregnant Mary would have had calling for an expanded ver- million Americans have em- Employers would surely sion of Medicare -- or the ployer-sponsored insurance. do the same, dropping bene- could disappear. to travel to Bethlehem, as this was the town that Joseph’s creation of a new govern- The “public option” aims fits programs and encourag- A report from the Con- family was from - a journey of about 70 miles. The Bible ment-run plan to compete to assuage fears by allowing ing workers to enroll in the gressional Budget Office against private insurers. people who have employer- public plan. A recent study never tells us if Joseph, Mary and Jesus were counted in All these approaches -- sponsored coverage to keep from KNG Health Consult- concluded that Medicare for Medicare for All, Medicare it and giving those who ing found that Medicare for All could “lead to a short- that census, but they certainly went to a lot of trouble to for All Who Want It, or a don’t an alternative. America -- a proposal that age of providers, longer wait participate. public option -- would be But like Medicare for All, would transfer everyone times, and changes in the Today’s census is different in two major ways. First, we disastrous. Each would raise a public option would lead to who doesn’t receive cover- quality of care.” taxes, reduce quality of care, the destruction of the private age through an employer have made it much easier! You can respond by mail, over That’s a lot of disruption and eliminate the private insurance market. It'd just to a government-run plan the phone, online or through in-person interviews conduct- health coverage that most do so more slowly. -- would cause one in four to a health insurance sys- ed on your doorstep. No more trekking 70 miles and then consumers have, like, and Most public option pro- workers to lose access to tem that works well for most expect to keep. posals envision reimburs- employer-sponsored _insur- people. sleeping in a manger. Start with Medicare for ing hospitals and doctors at ance by 2023. More than It'd be far simpler -- and Second, today’s census goes far beyond the original All. The general concept -- Medicare’s rates, which are half of employees at small extending government-fund- artificially low. In 2017, for businesses would lose their more popular -- to expand purpose of ensuring tax compliance. The census helps ed coverage to all Ameri- every dollar hospitals spent employer-sponsored cover- access to coverage through Congress allocate federal revenue that supports children cans -- polls well. About caring for Medicare patients, age. our existing private, em- half of Americans give it the they received only 87 cents Eventually, the public op- ployer-driven system than to and families across the United States. Census counts help thumbs-up, according to the in reimbursement. tion would be the only op- direct funding for programs that support our schools, roads Kaiser Family Foundation. Those lower costs allow tion. launch a government take- and bridges, meal programs and more. Please ensure that That majority support the public option to charge As Seema Verma, admin- over of health insurance. turns to opposition once less than commercial insur- istrator of the Centers for Janet Trautwein is CEO of one of your New Year’s resolutions will be to fill out your people learn Medicare for ers, which don’t have the Medicare & Medicaid Ser- the National Association of census form either by mail, phone or on the Internet begin- All would ban private insur- power to underpay provid- vices, put it, “The public Health Underwriters (www. ance. The plan grants the ers. option is a Trojan horse” for ning in March. And, like Joseph and Mary, be sure your federal government a mo- Many Americans would Medicare for All. nahu.org). This piece origi- young children are also counted. nopoly on health insurance switch from private insur- Americans would — suf- nally ran in Detroit News. Have something to share? Send your letter to [email protected]