Assignment
1. After reading the article titled R&D Costs For Pharmaceutical Companies Do Not Explain Elevated US Drug Prices:
a. Do you belive the U.S. is subsidizing pharmaceutical R&D for the rest of the world? Why?
b. Do you believe that R&D expenses explain the high cost of pharmaceuticals in the U.S.? If not, what do you think explains the high prices?
2. After reading the article titled The Effects of Medicaid Expansion under the ACA: Updated Findings from a Literature Review, do you believe that from the perspective of the Public-Interest Theory of Government it is advantageous for a state to expand Medicaid? Why?
NOTE: Your response to Questions 1 should be based solely on an economic and policy analysis anchored on the policy objectives of the Public-Interest Theory of Government that you find relevant to the question. This question is not inquiring about political views of the role (or lack there of) of government in expanding insurance coverage for low-income populations.
3. Based on JAMA article titled The Future of the ACA Reassessment and Revisions:
a. Do you believe the ACA's main goal was expanding insurance coverage, or dealing with the inefficiencies of the health care system? Why?
b. When the author states, "Congress need to address both the large out-of-pocket cost exposure facing many families and the inadequate subsidies available to moderate-income families." Said differently, the government should have offered subsidies to individuals with incomes above the 400% of the FPL. Do you agree with this statement? Why? If you do not agree with the statement, what policies do you recommend guaranteeing that in the immediate future individuals with moderate-incomes (i.e., slightly above 400% of the FPL) can afford insurance coverage?
4. Is it possible to have a financially sound individual healthcare market (i.e., not the one where the employer self-insures) without the following ACA requirements? (a) The Individual Mandate; (b) Federal subsidies to individuals; and (c) The 3:1 age-band ratio? Why?