Data on revenues by payer type are used to identify the determinants of rising hospital prices in Texas between 2000 and 2007. By Vivian Ho, Jerome Dugan and Meei-Hsiang Ku-Goto.
Allowing the producer-dominated market to set drug prices has spiraled the cost of cancer drugs out of control. Drug pricing can be reduced while preserving the profit-making incentive, by linking price to a true measure of quality: preservation and meaningful prolongation of life.
Altering the Medicare policy on injectable drugs is one way to reduce Medicare expenditures. Allowing self-administration will also free up hospital and clinic capacity for other patients.
The United States should assign a particularly high priority on science and technology over the next four years, especially for federal support of research.
