Viewpoints: Will Prop. 61 Save Lives Or Just Backfire Horribly?
Commentators sound off on the measure aimed at curbing high drug prices. Also, read other opinions on health care developments from around the state.
East Bay Times:
Prop. 61 On Drug Prices Will Save Lives
The drug companies want you to believe Prop. 61 will hurt veterans. Don’t believe it. Federal law caps the amount the VA can spend for prescription drugs. Drug company scare tactics that they’ll raise other prices ignore the fact that they are already operating with virtually no limits on what they charge. When do we tell the racketeers enough is enough? (Malinda Markowitz, 9/27)
Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
No On 61: False Promise On Drug Prices
Drug companies hate Proposition 61, and they’re on track to spend $100 million to defeat it. But respected consumer groups including Consumers Union and Health Access are neutral, despite their support for cost containment. And independent budget analysts can’t say if it would save money for taxpayers (9/28)
Los Angeles Times:
This Drug Company Placed A Nearly $10,000 Price Tag On Drugs That May Not Even Work
Profiteering in the drug business has been generating outrage for months now. Gilead Sciences and Mylan have been taking the heat for huge increases in the prices, respectively, for their hepatitis-C cures and injectors to fend off life-threatening allergic reactions. But at least we can say this about them: Their products work. That may not necessarily be true about some of the drugs for which Chicago-based Novum Pharma has raised prices as much as 40-fold. Two of the three topical gels for dermatological conditions distributed by Novum are listed by the Food and Drug Administration as only “possibly effective.” (Michael Hiltzik, 9/26)
Bakersfield Californian:
Could California Lower Drug Prices For Us All?
Other countries don’t let drugmakers abuse their citizenry with rapacious pricing. But the U.S. Congress does the drug industry’s bidding, defending business practices that bilk patients, taxpayers and anyone who buys health coverage. That’s why Mylan got away with hiking the EpiPen price (for Americans) by 500 percent. It’s how Turing Pharmaceuticals could raise the price of a drug used by AIDS patients by some 5,000 percent. (Froma Harrop, 9/28)
Los Angeles Times:
Heavy-Handed Proposition 60 Would Deputize Every Californian As A Condom Cop
Ideally, adult film performers would use condoms when they engage in on-screen intercourse. It’s the most reliable way to keep them safe from contracting or spreading sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV. But the adult film industry has doggedly refused to adopt this simple protective measure, even though state labor code requires workers be protected from blood-borne pathogens. Even a 2004 outbreak of HIV among porn actors didn’t change that. (9/28)
Los Angeles Times:
Don't Scapegoat Big Sugar. Lots Of Food Producers Profited From The Demonization Of Fat
The recent revelation that Harvard scientists were paid off to downplay sugar’s harms in the 1960s shows how the food industry shockingly manipulated nutrition science for decades. Yet the news media has given the sugar industry too much credit. The real story about how sugar got a pass — while dietary fat and cholesterol were blamed for heart disease — reveals that other industries played a role, as did, surprisingly, many of the country’s leading scientists. (Nina Teicholz, 9/26)
Los Angeles Times:
Knott's Closes Attraction That Was Insensitive To People Who Care About Mental Health
You remember Ron Thomas. He’s the guy who lost his son, Kelly, a little more than five years ago. The beating of the long-suffering 37-year-old by Fullerton police officers was sad testament to the critical shortage of services for those with debilitating mental illness, the lack of police training to deal with them, and the stigma around the disease... He is an advocate, and he is still Kelly’s father, and in both capacities he went to see what FearVR was all about, knowing it had originally been called FearVR: 5150, a reference to the code for a psychiatric commitment. But it was sold out. (Steve Lopez, 9/27)
Ventura County Star:
Medical Bill Legislation Is Confusing
Pardon the pun, but this just puts a band-aid on what is a huge, gaping wound. I'm not saying the problem needn't be addressed legislatively. It does. But send this one back to the drawing board and make it clearer and more comprehensive. (Mary Edwards, 9/26)
Ventura County Star:
How The Election May Affect Obamacare
The Accountable Care Organization, a construct of the ACA, theoretically could mitigate many of these issues by emphasizing primary care, wellness and prevention. But that effort is very immature with many kinks to work out. (Dr. Irving Kent Loh, 9/24)
The Desert Sun:
A Decade Of Collaboration On Valley Health At HARC
This amazing organization directly supports a wide range of diverse local organizations and enables them to better serve their clients and enrich their lives. Now, as HARC celebrates its 10th anniversary, it is worth looking back on the many organizations we have partnered with over that last decade, and reflect on how we directly or indirectly continue to improve the lives of every Coachella Valley resident. (Bruce Purdy, 9/26)
Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
No On Measure M: The Science Just Doesn’t Warrant It
First, there’s no evidence that GMO crops are actually being used in Sonoma County. It’s also unlikely that any farmer or dairy owner would suddenly start employing them given the high upfront cost of using such crops, which are usually employed on large-scale operations more common in the Midwest. (9/25)