Tracing Elizabeth Warren’s newfound aggression toward pharma
Almost no presidential candidate talks about drug companies as harshly as Sen. Elizabeth Warren. And as of a few weeks ago, no presidential candidate besides Warren has detailed a plan to enact a single-payer "Medicare for All" system — which she projects as a $20.5 trillion overhaul that would end private insurers. (Worth noting: Warren's plan banks on a $1.7 trillion reduction in pharmaceutical industry revenues in the next decade.)
But Warren wasn't always like this. In her early years as a senator, Warren's health policy agenda consisted largely of attempting to bolster federal research spending and small bipartisan bills focused on genetic data privacy or opioid safety. And in 2012, she campaigned on repealing Obamacare's medical device tax — at the time, a rare stance for a Democrat. So what caused her shift? According to STAT's Lev Facher and our Boston Globe colleague Liz Goodwin, much of Warren's health policy transformation can be traced to the 21st Century Cures Act, a sweeping bill that made FDA approvals for some drugs and devices easier. Warren derided it as a "handout" to "Big Pharma."
While Warren's leftward shift on health care has won her substantial progressive support, it's caused some problems at home. Bob Coughlin, the CEO of the Massachusetts drug lobby MassBio, didn't pull any punches: “As she’s become a national political figure she’s moved further from supporting her home-state companies," he said, "and there's no better evidence of that than her vote against the 21st Century Cures Act.” More here.
But Warren wasn't always like this. In her early years as a senator, Warren's health policy agenda consisted largely of attempting to bolster federal research spending and small bipartisan bills focused on genetic data privacy or opioid safety. And in 2012, she campaigned on repealing Obamacare's medical device tax — at the time, a rare stance for a Democrat. So what caused her shift? According to STAT's Lev Facher and our Boston Globe colleague Liz Goodwin, much of Warren's health policy transformation can be traced to the 21st Century Cures Act, a sweeping bill that made FDA approvals for some drugs and devices easier. Warren derided it as a "handout" to "Big Pharma."
While Warren's leftward shift on health care has won her substantial progressive support, it's caused some problems at home. Bob Coughlin, the CEO of the Massachusetts drug lobby MassBio, didn't pull any punches: “As she’s become a national political figure she’s moved further from supporting her home-state companies," he said, "and there's no better evidence of that than her vote against the 21st Century Cures Act.” More here.
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