The Health Policy War Room

Access to affordable health care is a persistent challenge for many Americans. However, a recent bill, the Protecting Health Care for All Patients Act (HR 485) , is making its way through the House of Representatives, which could hinder efforts to improve affordability of prescription drugs and other health care services. The bill seeks to block the use of quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) and similar measures in government health care programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. QALYs are a widely accepted outcome measure used in health economic studies to assess the benefit of a therapy compared to standard care. They combine two critical health outcomes—length of life and health-related quality of life—into a single measure. QALYs are calculated by assigning weights to different health states, ranging from perfect health to death. By using QALYs, policymakers can estimate the average benefits of a treatment for a specific population. The debate over the use and impact of QALY is beyond...

In an ongoing effort to address the healthcare needs of Americans, Senator Bernie Sanders has introduced the Medicare for All 2023 Bill. This proposed legislation aims to transform the United States healthcare system by providing comprehensive healthcare coverage to all residents, regardless of their age, income, or employment status. Versions of Medicare for All have been introduced in some version since at least 2019 and the concept of single payer health reform has been around for decades. This version of the single payer proposal has 15 sponsors including Mr. Sanders, Ms. Warren (no relation), Mr. Booker and others and reportedly has upwards of 112 co-sponsors. While this level of support does not guarantee that the bill survives, it does demonstrate that Congress is taking health reform seriously and is willing to float various ideas designed to reform and improve the healthcare system. Image created by AI via http://www.gencraft.com Let's delve into the key provisions and obj...