Author: Sally Pipes

Last August, Chris Walcroft, a 50-year old Canadian father of two, was told that he would be dead within a year without dialysis, according to reporting from CTV News. His kidneys were failing. His doctor scheduled a surgery for mid-March to implant a fistula, which is necessary for dialysis. Modern medical technology would afford Walcroft a chance to see his kids graduate from high school. Then the pandemic came. The Canadian government mandated across-the-board delays of "elective" surgeries to shore up personnel...

Last week, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci urged states with rising COVID-19 rates to consider a new round of lockdown restrictions. "You may need to pause, you may need to drop back a little bit," Fauci said. "I don't think you necessarily have to revert to go all the way back to reclosing." As they try to get the coronavirus' spread under control, states must resist the urge to impose blanket stay-at-home orders. Such draconian measures can cause people to postpone important medical care...

As Americans eagerly anticipate a COVID-19 vaccine, there's troubling new evidence that they're failing to get inoculated against other infectious diseases. To get vaccination rates back where they need to be, policymakers must remind the public of the importance of routine immunizations and remove the regulatory barriers that make it difficult for people to get their shots. A recent study of patients in Michigan found a significant reduction in vaccinations among all age groups. As of late May, fewer than half of...

Millions of people will continue to have access to affordable short-term health plans, thanks to a new ruling from the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. A three-judge panel of the court upheld by a 2-1 margin a Trump administration rule extending the maximum duration of a short-term plan to just under a year. Insurers can also renew the plans for up to three years. Short-term plans are appealing because they're so affordable. Unlike those for sale on the exchanges, they're not required to...

It's hard to find a silver lining in a pandemic. But one of the few may be the rapid rise of telemedicine. With people stuck at home, doctors retooled their practices to see patients via videoconference. Insurance companies and regulators expanded the number of services available via telemedicine—and made reimbursement for telehealth consultations on par with conventional in-person visits. The Federal Trade Commission has now called on officials at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)  to permanently extend the emergency...

Sally C. Pipes joins the Lars Larson Show to question the Trump administration's latest action on drug pricing. President Trump plans to sign an executive order on Friday, July 24 that puts limits on drug pricing in the United States. Pipes explains that 90 percent of drugs are generic and already save most Americans a great deal of money. But the pending executive order ties the average reference drug price to those in other countries - Canada, UK, Germany, France,...

President Trump issued four executive orders Friday that he said will lower drug prices — but in reality, three of the orders will cause far more harm than good and represent electioneering at its worst. The three harmful executive orders allow the importation of drugs from Canada, reduce the price of insulin, and introduce an International Pricing Index for prescription drugs. The International Pricing Index will effectively impose price controls on prescription drugs under Medicare Part B — and in so doing, dramatically...

It’s not often that Joe Biden agrees with President Trump. But the former vice president found common ground with his presumptive opponent this month when he announced he would outline a plan to bring medical manufacturing back to the United States, something the president has long endorsed. This isn’t the first time political opponents have come together to support “Buy America” plans. Late last month, Sens. Marco Rubio, Florida Republican, and Elizabeth Warren, Massachusetts Democrat, introduced several bills designed to increase...

Sally C. Pipes joined JT Nysewamder on Alabama Morning News in Birmingham to talk about the latest developments with the drug remdisivir. The drug, produced by Gilead, is being studied for potential use against COVID-19. Pipes and JT also discuss the cost of the drug, and how expensive it is to bring drugs to market in the United States. Listen to the interview here. ...

More than eight in 10 Americans fear a second wave of the coronavirus outbreak, according to recent polling from Ipsos. Some cities and states have halted efforts to reopen their economies, in response to rising case counts. But there’s no reason to be fearful. We now have enough information about the coronavirus and its impact to continue reopening safely. If we put this knowledge to good use, we can craft policies that protect the most vulnerable while allowing those for whom the virus poses...

It is expected that any day now, the White House will release an executive order requiring certain drugs to be manufactured in the United States. It's part of a wider push by both the administration and Congress to force the federal government to buy more American-made goods and reduce reliance on countries like China. This push is misguided. The administration's "Buy America" agenda would derail our response to COVID-19 and could have long-lasting negative consequences for our economy. The best way to maintain efficient, high-quality production of drugs and other medical equipment is...

While many heroic doctors, nurses and other health care professionals are working long hours and risking their lives to treat COVID-19 patients, others have seen their workloads and hospital occupancy rates drop dramatically as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. This has created a financial crisis and endangered public health. At the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak, public health officials urged hospitals to suspend non-essential medical procedures. U.S. hospitals canceled tens of thousands of elective surgeries and other procedures, and urged...

On ‘Supply-Chain Repatriation,’ It’s Buyer (and Nation) Beware By Scott Lincicome One of the most fashionable COVID-19 proposals being circulated by Washington politicians and pundits these days is the “repatriating” of global supply chains for pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and “personal protective equipment” that have been “outsourced” over the past three decades, leaving America utterly dependent on foreign countries, especially China, for these essential products. Bringing that manufacturing back home, so the story goes, is the only way to ensure future “resiliency” in...

The presidential campaign of Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., may have ended, but his "Medicare-for-all" crusade marches on. Writing in The New York Times last week, Sanders argued that the coronavirus outbreak proved the government should take over our nation's health care system. Sanders isn't the only one championing "Medicare-for-all" in the wake of the pandemic. More than half of voters now say they support a single-payer system. But "Medicare-for-all" would not have improved our nation's response to the outbreak. Other countries with socialized medicine have struggled mightily to combat COVID-19. In fact, the United States would have been even...

Expanding “Buy America” rules for prescription drugs and medical supplies would reduce patient access to drugs and further damage the economy, finds a new issue brief released today by the Center for Medical Economics and Innovation at the Pacific Research Institute. Click here to download the brief “As the U.S. fights the coronavirus, policymakers must ensure that life-saving drugs are readily available to America’s patients,” said Sally Pipes, PRI President, CEO, and Thomas W. Smith Fellow in Health Care Studies and the...

The coronavirus pandemic is threatening to stretch many hospitals to their breaking point. Beds are filling up with stricken patients, and public health officials are concerned about whether we'll have enough doctors and other healthcare professionals to care for them. So they're scrambling to roll back years' worth of regulations on the healthcare labor market—many of which never should've been in place to begin with. There's no shortage of red tape for policymakers to cut to boost the supply of care...

Bill Gates announced on April 2 that his foundation would fund the construction of facilities to produce seven possible coronavirus vaccines. The Microsoft founder acknowledges that only two of those vaccines will likely succeed – and the foundation will thus waste billions of dollars on the failed candidates. That's a small price to pay to ensure the prompt delivery of vaccines, save countless lives and restart the economy, he says. And yet, "Billionaires should not exist," according to Sen. Bernie Sanders. "Every...

Sally C. Pipes joined the the Pat Miller Show in Cincinnati, Ohio to discuss the enormous benefits of the American private sector in the fight against the coronavirus epidemic. Pipes breaks down how the private sector industries in the United States are pushing innovations in the fight against the coronavirus epidemic including necessary equipment and medical innovation. Click here to listen to the entire interview. ...

In response to the coronavirus outbreak, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has rolled back regulations on hospitals and health care providers. Hospitals are no longer barred from treating COVID-19 patients in outpatient facilities. The feds are also freeing nurse practitioners, physician assistants and medical residents to provide more care on their own. CMS is even issuing waivers that allow hospitals to provide meals, laundry service and child care while health care personnel are working. Apparently, it takes a pandemic for policymakers to acknowledge that so...