By Kimberly Tuttle (CMC ’19) On May 30, 2018, President Trump approved legislation that made the right-to-try federally legal. The right-to-try gives terminally ill patients the option to take non FDA-approved drugs for investigational treatment purposes. Before becoming federally legal, the right-to-try was permitted in 41 states. The program was first introduced in Colorado in 2014...
By Jessie Levin (PO’ 18) Introduction: Imagine a world where illnesses do not exist and where parents can dictate the specific traits that they want for their future children. Although this world seems like it is thousands of years away, the technology to bring this to fruition is here. If a parent wanted to design a baby with perfect teeth, green eyes, and resistance to dementia, they...
By Sophie Roe (PO ’19) On July 30, Medicare and Medicaid turned 54. Interestingly, what began as a federal-state government health care program is now being called a “welfare program.” Although Medicaid is overseen by the Federal Government, states are granted an incredible degree of discretion to structure and implement the program as they see fit. The consequence is extreme...
By Allie Carter (CMC ’19) On June 28, 2018, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) filed charges against over 600 defendants across 58 federal districts for their alleged involvement in health care fraud schemes encompassing over $2 billion in false billings. This is the largest health care fraud takedown to date. The indictments announced by DOJ and...
By Isaac Cui (PO ‘20) Managing Editor In March, I wrote an article for the CJLPP about a lawsuit filed by Texas and joined by nineteen other states to enjoin enforcement of the Affordable Care Act (ACA, often called Obamacare). On Thursday, June 7, 2018, the United States Department of Justice filed its brief in the case, asserting that parts of the ACA are unconstitutional and requesting a...
Conducted and Transcribed by Elise S. Van Scoy (SC ‘20), Project Manager Abner Mason is a Harvard graduate and the founder and CEO of ConsejoSano, a multicultural patient engagement and healthcare solutions technology company. He previously served as International Committee Chairman for the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS and executive director of AIDS Responsibility Project. He also...
By Allie Carter (CMC ’19) On May 4, 2018, the state of Iowa took a major leap towards enacting the nation’s strictest regulations on abortion. Colloquially referred to as the “heartbeat legislation,” abortions in Iowa are now prohibited once a fetal heartbeat is detected, which is typically six weeks into a pregnancy. Whether the legislation is constitutional is largely ambiguous, as most...
By Cameron Miller (Stanford University ’16) Guest Contributor The dangers of football and other contact sports associated with head injuries are not only well known, but are starting to be addressed more directly than ever before. A wide swathe of research has documented the connection between concussions and numerous neurocognitive issues, including the early onset of dementia and the...
By Clare Burgess (CMC ’20), Foreign Correspondent Spring 2018 Universal healthcare has been proposed by numerous politicians and is used by most developed countries. Universal healthcare is basic healthcare funded by government taxes to provide comprehensive medical care in order to incorporate those who could not otherwise afford private insurance. President Trump and the Republican Party...
By Isaac Cui (PO ’20) The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), colloquially called Obamacare, is back in the federal district courts. On February 26, 2018, 20 states, led by Texas, filed suit against the United States seeking to enjoin the enforcement of the Affordable Care Act. While the remedy sought sounds drastic, the suit rests on dubious legal analysis, and it is...
