February 11th 2009 | Psoriasis Cure Now, Psoriasis Research, Public policy issues | 0 Comments
According to the New York Times, the final stimulus bill that will be voted on and become law this week includes $10 billion over two years for medical research funding through the National Institutes of Health (NIH), thanks to Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania.
NIH funding has been stagnant for five years, and currently totals about
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February 6th 2009 | Psoriasis Cure Now, Psoriasis Research, Public policy issues | 0 Comments
“Psoriasis Cure Now,” a nonprofit patient advocacy organization, has launched a micro-Web site, www.StimulateResearch.com, to help everyday Americans interested in medical research be heard in the stimulus debate that has been dominated by powerful lobbyists and special interests. The Web site allows people to write their lawmakers urging them to make biomedical research a meaningful
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February 5th 2009 | Psoriasis Cure Now, Psoriasis Research, Public policy issues | 0 Comments
Newly released figures indicate the federal government spent just $8 million on psoriasis research in the last fiscal year, down from $10 million the previous year. This still leaves us ahead of the $5-6 million range we were stuck in for more than a decade through 2005, but shows that psoriasis
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February 5th 2009 | Psoriasis Research, Public policy issues | 0 Comments
In the next 8 days, Congress and the Administration are hoping to agree on a bill to spend as much as ONE TRILLION DOLLARS. If medical research is left out of this bill, it will be very hard to find money for medical research funding increases down the road.
Visit our companion website and write
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November 13th 2008 | Psoriasis Research, Public policy issues | 0 Comments
As Congress is approaching $1,000,000,000,000 in taxpayer-funded bailouts to companies run by people who made bad decisions, biomedical research funding by the federal government has been stagnant for nearly 5 years. The latest Congressional effort, to give another $50 billion to the Big Three automakers, equals almost two years of the entire federal government’s
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September 1st 2008 | Biologics, Health care system, Psoriasis Research, Public policy issues | 0 Comments
Congress is considering several bills that would make it easier for companies to market generic versions of biologic drugs, according to a recent article in the Washington Post. Competition from generics is expected to reduce significantly the cost of expensive biologic medications. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the availability of biologic generics would
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August 7th 2008 | Health care system, Impact of psoriasis, Insurance, Public policy issues, Treatment | 0 Comments
The Washington Post reported on August 4 that health and life insurance companies can cheaply and quickly get access to electronic prescription records of insurance applicants. At a cost of about $15 per request, private companies, including Milliman IntelliScript and Ingenix, will compile an insurance applicant’s prescription history from databases of past insurance claims. Both
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April 14th 2008 | Biologics, Insurance, Public policy issues | 2 Comments
The New York Times today reports on a troubling trend by some insurers that could threaten psoriasis patients who depend on biologic treatments for their psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis: “Co-Payments Go Way Up for Drugs With High Prices” (link may require free registration):
Health insurance companies are rapidly adopting a new pricing system for very
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February 22nd 2008 | Health care system, Public policy issues | 0 Comments
A study of psoriasis treatment in hospital dermatology departments in the United Kingdom has found that “the average waiting time for routine appointments is only 10 weeks….”
It’s unclear how “routine” is defined, but ten weeks would be a terribly long time if you were in the midst of a psoriasis flare.
How does that wait compare
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February 11th 2008 | Psoriasis Research, Public policy issues | 0 Comments
Psoriasis Cure Now today applauded Congress and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for delivering a record $10 million in psoriasis research funding during fiscal year 2007. Psoriasis research has traditionally been underfunded at NIH. Since 1995, NIH funding on other diseases has risen 159% (before inflation), but psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis research
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