Viewpoints: When It Comes To Drug Pricing, Insurance System Flies In The Face Of Reason
A selection of opinions on health care developments from around the state.
Los Angeles Times:
Same Drug, Different Insurance Tiers, Crazy-High Co-Pays
As sky-high EpiPen costs show, price gouging of patients by greedy drug companies is one part of our dysfunctional healthcare system. Another is what may appear to be the arbitrary way that insurers decide what co-pay to charge. Santa Ana residents William and Phyllis Stevens encountered this recently when they were both prescribed the same cream for pre-cancerous skin growths. One had a co-pay of $20, the other a co-insurance cost of $300. And the much-higher charge was levied for a version of the medicine that was weaker than the cheaper version — yet had jumped nearly 1,500% in price since 2009. Welcome to Crazy Town. (David Lazarus, 8/30)
The Sacramento Bee:
Rising Drug Prices The Fault Of Insurers, Not Drug Companies
Republican voters hate Obamacare, but they hate high prescription drug prices even more. Health care scholar Avik Roy recently pointed to the polls as a reason the GOP must develop a “clear plan to tackle the high and rising price of branded prescription drugs.” He proposed a number of measures aimed at reining in supposedly greedy pharmaceutical firms. But Roy, like many others who have weighed in on the cost of medicines, overlooks two key points. First, the very real financial pain many Americans feel at the pharmacy counter is the fault of insurers – not drug companies. Second, the obsessive focus on cost obscures the vastly higher value of new drugs. (Peter J. Pitts, 8/29)
Los Angeles Times:
New Bill To Protect Planned Parenthood Is Bad For Whistleblowers
After anti-abortion activists released hidden-camera videos last year that purported to show Planned Parenthood officials selling body parts from aborted fetuses, the organization’s opponents went into high gear, pushing state and federal officials to cut off public funds to the group and seek criminal charges. Never mind that the videos, some of which were deceptively edited, didn’t actually demonstrate that Planned Parenthood violated the federal law against fetal tissue sales. The agit-prop provided abortion opponents with enough political momentum to persuade lawmakers in at least six state capitals to bar the organization from receiving public funds for providing women’s health services. (8/31)
The Sacramento Bee:
National Backup For California’s Hard Line On Vaccines
As California kids head back to school amid tighter vaccine restrictions, the medical establishment has decided to follow our lead. Good for the American Academy of Pediatrics, which on Monday issued a new policy opposing all nonmedical exemptions for vaccinations, saying that if parents refuse to immunize their children, pediatricians should tell them to find another doctor. It’s unfortunate, but given the spread of anti-vax misinformation, a firm stance is needed nationally. (8/29)
Los Angeles Times:
Chiropractors See Diabetes As A Chance For New Patients — And Profit
A Sacramento chiropractor, James Joseph Martin, was arrested in July on felony charges of practicing medicine without a license and grand theft after authorities said he claimed to be a “thyroid and diabetic specialist” who practiced “functional neurology and metabolic medicine.” According to the California Board of Chiropractic Examiners, Martin presented himself as a “doctor of pastoral science,” licensed by the Pastoral Medical Assn. The Medical Board of California ruled that “doctor of pastoral science is not recognized in California and does not authorize anyone to practice medicine or any of the healing arts in the state.” What’s noteworthy about the case isn’t that a chiropractor was passing himself off as a diabetes authority. Rather, it’s that so many other chiropractors do it as well — yet manage to stay within the law. (David Lazarus, 9/2)
KQED:
Docs And Patients Weigh In On No-Insurance Model Of Care
Anyone who has ever waited 45 minutes past their official appointment time for their doctor, or gotten tangled in the branches of an insurance company phone tree, has thought something along the lines of: “There’s got to be a better way.” Well, some primary care doctors say there is. It’s called direct primary care, a business model in which doctors drop off the grid of the traditional health care system by refusing to take insurance–any insurance. Instead, they charge patients a monthly fee for as many visits as needed. (Jon Brooks, 8/29)
Los Angeles Times:
Marijuana: A Potent Disruptor For Young Users, Whose Brains Are Still Developing
As Californians ponder whether to vote for Proposition 64, the November ballot initiative that would legalize marijuana for adult use, it’s important to own up to the fact that marijuana is not always the benign bud that many advocates would have us believe, particularly for teens and young adults, whose brains are still developing. Proposition 64 proposes safeguards against sales to those under 21, but the minimum age for obtaining a doctor’s recommendation for medical marijuana is 18, and that will not change with legalization. Opponents say delivery services such as Eaze, which have sprouted all over the state, will make it easy for minors to skirt the law. (Robin Abcarian, 9/2)
Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
Do We Really Want To Become The Mecca For Marijuana?
But who in the world made the decision that Santa Rosa wanted to become the new Amsterdam? Even Amsterdam doesn’t even want to be Amsterdam — or at least the Amsterdam perceived by hordes of party-minded tourists. Contrary to popular belief, the Dutch never legalized marijuana. They’ve just basically tolerated it for years and only for possession of small amounts (5 grams or less) sold in official “cannabis cafes.” But the government in recent years has been tightening the rules for these cafes, forcing many to shut down. And forget about growing it. It’s illegal. You won’t go to prison but try to grow as few as five plants and you could end up facing heavy fines and eviction. Here in Sonoma County, however, we appear to be going in the opposite direction, quickly. (Paul Gullixson, 8/28)
Los Angeles Times:
Disability Rights And Reproductive Rights Don't Have To Be In Conflict
Earlier this month, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio stated that women infected with the Zika virus, which can cause congenital disabilities such as microcephaly, should not be permitted to have legal abortions. In March, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, now the Republican nominee for vice president, signed a bill banning abortions following a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome or related conditions. Similar bills have passed or are pending in other states. (David Perry and Elizabeth Picciuto, 8/29)
Los Angeles Times:
Chiropractors See Diabetes As A Chance For New Patients — And Profit
A Sacramento chiropractor, James Joseph Martin, was arrested in July on felony charges of practicing medicine without a license and grand theft after authorities said he claimed to be a “thyroid and diabetic specialist” who practiced “functional neurology and metabolic medicine.” According to the California Board of Chiropractic Examiners, Martin presented himself as a “doctor of pastoral science,” licensed by the Pastoral Medical Assn. The Medical Board of California ruled that “doctor of pastoral science is not recognized in California and does not authorize anyone to practice medicine or any of the healing arts in the state.” (David Lazarus, 9/2)
Fresno Bee:
Skilled, Loving Hands Provide ‘Amazing’ Care For Baby Jaxson
Ten-month-old Jaxson had a problem affecting his liver, a vital organ. The problem was so serious that without treatment, his liver could have failed. Invasive surgery was an option, but that would have required permanently removing a common bile duct, which can be a complicated procedure. But luckily for Jaxson and his family, Valley Children’s own Dr. Roberto Gugig is the only doctor in central California – and among the few in the state – certified to perform a remarkable procedure that fixes serious digestive problems without subjecting children to major surgery. (David Christensen, 8/26)
Mother Jones:
Here's The Problem With California’s Groundbreaking Sex Ed Law
When the Healthy Youth Act passed last fall, California joined 23 other states in requiring that all schools teach teenagers about sex. But California's law goes further, mandating that comprehensive lessons start in middle school and include information on abortion, sexual assault, and sexual harassment. It's also the only state to require sex education be medically accurate, age-appropriate, and culturally inclusive, without promoting religion...There's just one problem: The state has little way to ensure school districts teach to these new standards. (Madison Pauly, 9/2)