Research Library

The Commission on Combatting Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis appointed by President Trump released its report on Monday, July 31. Drug policy fellow Katharine Neill Harris assesses the commission's recommendations in the Baker Institute Blog.

The 340B Drug Pricing Program, which allows uninsured or low-income patients to buy prescription drugs at discounted prices, is under attack.

In this commentary, the authors examine the roots of the United States’ reluctance to embrace universal health care, concluding that it "is neither sound nor ethical in a nation that promulgates fairness and equal opportunity" to deny coverage.

Asthma in children costs an estimated $27 billion annually for doctor visits, emergency department visits and hospitalizations. Not surprisingly, kids with asthma miss more days of school and do worse academically. The first step to the management and treatment of asthma is access to a primary care provider who can prescribe the necessary medications and develop an asthma action plan. However, if we want to have a significant impact on the negative consequences of this disease on our children, a multi-faceted approach that includes policy is an absolute must.

Genomic testing is a rapidly growing field, especially in cancer medicine, where it can be used to match patients to the most effective targeted treatment. In the past decade, we have seen rapid growth in the number of new genomic tests that are available. However, genomic testing is usually very expensive, raising the question of whether the testing is worth the cost.

The Supreme Court handed down a 5-4 ruling on the Burwell v. Hobby Lobby case Monday, allowing some for-profit companies to opt out of paying for certain contraceptives for their employees. Elena Marks, president and CEO of the Episcopal Health Foundation and Baker Institute nonresident fellow in health policy, offered her insights on the ruling and how it will impact implementation of the Affordable Care Act, women’s access to reproductive care and future court cases.

It is inconceivable to imagine our nation today without the gains of the Civil Rights Act. It is impossible to understand why the issue was so divisive then, since it is such an obvious right and moral proposition. Similarly, let us hope we will look back at the Affordable Care Act 20 years from now and wonder why it was such a contentious topic in 2014.

European finance ministers have agreed to the final pieces that will create a banking union and a fund that can be used to rescue failing EU member banks — a big step forward for European financial stability. International economics fellow Russell Green explains in the Baker Institute Blog.