The pharmaceutical industry and health care reform

While the goals of President Clinton's health care reform plan--to expand access to health care by the underserved and reduce the unacceptably high cost of care--are important, his proposed mechanisms for doing so include provisions that are counterproductive. Blacklisting certain drugs from the Medicare program, imposing red tape on physicians who participate in Medicare, and establishing a Medicare rebate tax will hurt the pharmaceutical industry's ability to conduct research on new medications. In the end, the Administration's plan will injure the very population--the elderly, the poor, and minorities--that needs health care reform the most.