Biotechnology Healthcare - September/October 2008 - (Page 20)

Biologics may represent a tipping point, forcing politicians to address the fundamental cost issues in Medicare, says Randy Vogenberg, RPh, PhD. Joel Miller: Many nations have adopted systems where they provide coverage for all of their citizens. They’ve managed to slow down the rate of increase in healthcare costs, and at the same time — and I know that people shake their head and ask how this is possible — they have Issues with potential to affect access to – or financing of – biologics McCain Where the candidates converge… Expansion of coverage Health information technology initiatives Transparency Malpractice reform Prevention Payment reform for coordinated care Pay for performance Comparative effectiveness … and diverge Universal coverage Individual mandate* Employer “pay or play” Changes to employer benefit tax exemption Regulation of insurance markets Obama been able to improve quality of care. So I think the lesson is that we can do universal coverage, cost containment, and improve quality of care, but we must do it quickly because I believe the situation is going to worsen. Do you expect dramatic changes to America’s healthcare system after a new administration is installed? James C. Greenwood: The next administration and the next Congress are going to need to confront a couple of realities. One of them is that the Medicare program is about to go into the red as the baby boom generation becomes eligible for benefits, so there will be a lot of focus on cost containment in Medicare . The issue of access to healthcare continues to be a major one, so both candidates have been trying to find ways to resolve that issue. I think, particularly if Obama becomes president, Congress will feel emboldened to do some things that it’s never done in the past. I think Congress will begin with renewing the Children’s Health Insurance Program to expand the state children’s health program. Because both Obama and McCain support that, it’s likely to be one of the first expansions of healthcare that will be passed. That will benefit [the biotechnology] industry, because it makes more people eligible for healthcare. Arthur Leibowitz, MD: Initiatives are going to be floated in the first 100 days of a new administration. They may take a couple of years to come to fruition, but this is a hot topic for Americans, and I don’t think it’s going to get put on the back burner. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • *Favors for children only. Individual mandate refers to the requirement that all individuals must have health insurance through an employer, government program, or a purchase on open market. Source: Alliance for Health Reform Cost-containment tools identified in candidates’ proposals McCain Obama Health information technology initiatives Direct government negotiation of drug prices Transparency on price and quality Insurance national exchange Nationwide sale of insurance Promotion of alternative healthcare providers Chronic care coordination Health savings account promotion Comparative effectiveness Prevention Payment reforms for value Malpractice reform Drug reimportation Drug generics promotion Source: Alliance for Health Reform • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 20 BIOTECHNOLOGY HEALTHCARE · SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Biotechnology Healthcare - September/October 2008

Biotechnology Healthcare - September/October 2008 Openers Editorial/David B. Nash, MD, MBA Contents At a Glance: Multiple Sclerosis Drug Track Personalized Medicine Healthcare Reform’s Effects on Biologic Access Breast Cancer Status Testing: A Crapshoot With Deadly Odds Trends, Issues, and Perspectives In the Management of MS So High-Tech, Yet So Simple The Evolution of Ascertaining the Value Proposition Specialty Pharmacy Employer to Employer Health Plan Confidential Trends

Biotechnology Healthcare - September/October 2008

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