Headlines: March 15, 2010
by Meg Larkin
With a crucial health care vote approaching, the biggest threat to the Democratic bill may be from Democrats. As House and Senate leaders consider passing a health care bill through the reconciliation process, Republican Leaders are focusing their efforts on fragmenting the Democratic majority. Depending on the nature of a ruling by the Senate Parliamentarian, the House may have to pass the Senate Bill and President Obama may have to sign it in to law before the reconciliation process may begin. The idea of passing the Senate bill in its entirety and then fixing it once it has become law makes many House Democrats uneasy and may put the House Health Care Vote in jeopardy.
The Senate Parliamentarian will be the man who ultimately decides whether the Senate Bill must become law before the reconciliation process may begin. Alan Frumin, who currently holds the post, is charged with interpreting Senate procedure and ruling on whether the reconciliation plan proposed by the Democrats is allowed. Because of his central role, Mr. Frumin has come under political fire from Republicans, who have alleged that he is partisan and will vote in favor of the Democrats. However, Democrats say that Mr. Frumin is highly sensitive to allegations of partisianship, and that the Republicans are simply trying to influence his vote by publicly questioning his impariality.
In medical news, three aggressive treatments for patients with Type II Diabetes may do more harm than good. The three measures, “getting blood pressure to a normal range; raising levels of good cholesterol and lowering levels of dangerous triglycerides; or modulating sharp upswings in blood sugar after a meal,” were long supported by anecdotal evidence, but failed to hold up under closer examination. The measures were intended to help patients avoid the higher risk of heart attack and stroke that has long been associated with Adult Onset Diabetes, but after closer study, it was discovered that not only does heart attack risk stay the same, the side effects from treatment may harm patients.
Finally, the FDA has added a stronger warning to the label of the blood-thinner Plavix. According to the Boston Globe, “The FDA said in a statement yesterday that certain patients with a genetic variation cannot metabolize the drug, putting them at increased risk for heart attack and stroke.” If patients get a genetic test to determine if they are poor metabolizers, they can switch to an alternative blood thinner. The new warning was put in a black box, which is the most severe warning that the FDA applies to drug packaging. Because of the cost of genetic testing, some people speculate that sales of a competing drug, Effient, will increase.
Meg Larkin is a second year student at Boston University School of Law. Please feel free to email (meglarkin@gmail.com) her with any questions, comments, suggestions, or concerns.
