A pharmacist puts medications on the shelves of his store. (Photo: viewfinder, via Shutterstock)OPINION: We’ve seen the stories of Pharma Bro, we’ve read about Big Pharma’s Q1 profit margins. What drug companies are trying to keep secret though, is Pay-for-Delay, a sneaky tactic that brand name and generic drug companies are using – and getting away with — that costs Americans $3.5 billion per year in higher health care costs.
There is strong early support for Proposition 45, the “Approval of Healthcare Insurance Rate Changes” initiative that will appear on the November 2014 statewide election ballot. Greater than two in three likely voters (69%) say they would vote YES after being read a summary of its official ballot description, while just 16% are initially opposed. Another 15% are undecided.
Gov. Brown summarily rejected the notion of a per-barrel tax on California oil as it comes from the ground, a move that sharply limits the political options of the tax’s backers who hoped to get a bill through the Legislature to raise perhaps $2 billion annually.