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Pharmacy benefit practices need to be reformed

In 2021, the FDA approved a new insulin drug, Semglee, that was interchangeable with a brand-name insulin called Lantus. Lantus cost $292 for a 30-day supply. Drugmaker Viatris launched two versions of its drug — Semglee cost $269 and a generic version cost $99 for the same amount, according to the Biosimilars Council. Now, in a rational world, insurers would immediately switch to the generic drug so patients with diabetes could save money. Instead, pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) — which determine what drugs insurers cover under what terms — wouldn’t put the unbranded drug ...

It isn’t just Trump – it’s American voters, and it’s actually bipartisan

The anti-Trump media seems partially paralyzed following President Donald Trump’s reelection last November and particularly since his inauguration on Jan. 20. The president has been moving at lightning speed to implement the policies on which he and Vice President JD Vance ran and won not only a victory within the Electoral College but also in the so-called popular vote – the first time a Republican has done so since 2004. But election vote tallies don’t tell the whole story. Trump 2.0 is a manifestation of monumental changes in American political alliances. Like his second ...

More deaths than births soon to be national problem

One hundred years ago, Pennsylvania was a national colossus, with 38 congressional districts and the same number of votes in the Electoral College. It had that clout because, well, a lot of people called the Keystone State home. They still do, but the sunbelt and other parts of the United States have outpaced Pennsylvania. Today, the commonwealth has half as many congressional districts. It’s not news that Pennsylvania has been losing population, with its rural communities being hit particularly hard. Counties in the Pittsburgh region, including Washington, Greene, and Fayette ...

Groundhog Day anticipation builds

Pennsylvania’s most famous resident emerges this week during a winter marked by bone-chilling temperatures but little snow. Weather data from the National Weather Service shows temperatures in Central Pennsylvania dipping 3-5 degrees below normal since December. Yet snow accumulation sits 8.2 inches below average, with only sporadic dustings coating the valleys between Harrisburg and State College. The winter pattern has confused both meteorologists and locals, who typically expect decent snowfall with cold temperatures. A persistent arctic air mass combined with dry conditions has ...

Moving one step closer to a sound energy policy

We agree with U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Dallas, and U.S. Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Howard: The Biden administration’s hostility to conventional domestic energy contributed to the rising cost of living that proved too burdensome to Pennsylvania families and voters. And the Trump administration’s positions on energy policy are promising and a reason for families and businesses throughout our region to be hopeful. “During his first term, the U.S. became a net energy exporter for the first time in 70 years, we led the world in oil and natural gas production, and families saved an ...

TikTok and the Freedom of Speech

“Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech or of the press ...” – First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution During the oral argument before the Supreme Court in the famous Pentagon Papers case, a fascinating colloquy took place between Justice William O. Douglas and the lawyer for the government. The case was about whether the government could prevent the New York Times and Washington Post from publishing secret documents that demonstrated that American generals had been misleading President Lyndon Johnson and he had been lying to the American public during ...