Healthcare
Israel Could Have A COVID Vaccine In Weeks, Says Top Researchers
Israel could be weeks away from developing a Covid-19 vaccine, Israeli researchers are saying.
MIGAL, an internationally recognized research institute located in Israel’s Northern Galilee, is behind the latest effort that could bring a vaccine to the market in 90 days.
Their scientists are years ahead of many scientists working to develop a vaccine during the current global pandemic after spending years developing a vaccine against the avian coronavirus.
“The significant advantage of Migal’s efforts is that its successful 4-year project to develop a vaccine against avian coronavirus has given it a 4-year “head start” which it believes will translate into a rapid development process for an effective human vaccine,” MIGAL said in a recent press release.
Four years ago, the Israeli Ministry of Agriculture granted MIGAL $4 million to work on vaccines to fight Coronaviruses. That project paved the way for the fast-tracking of a Covid-19 vaccine that is being created with the help of MIGAL’s “already-developed fermentation process.”
Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, a longtime supporter of the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, is now acknowledging the unintended consequences of the healthcare legislation, particularly its impact on industry consolidation and rising healthcare prices.
Warren, who has been a vocal proponent of Obamacare, has recently had what the Wall Street Journal reported as an “epiphany” regarding the consequences of the healthcare law. In a letter addressed to the Health and Human Services Department inspector general, Warren, along with Senator Mike Braun of Indiana, expressed concerns about vertically-integrated healthcare companies potentially increasing prescription drug costs and evading federal regulations.
According to reports from Fox News, the bipartisan letter highlighted issues with the nation’s largest health insurers allegedly bypassing Obamacare’s medical loss ratio (MLR). According to Warren, these insurers, through vertical integration, have manipulated the system, leading to “sky-high prescription drug costs and excessive corporate profits.”
The senators detailed how conglomerates, like UnitedHealth Group, with ownership across various healthcare sectors, could inflate medical payments to pharmacies and, by realizing those payments on the pharmacy side, appear to comply with MLR requirements while retaining more profits.
Moreover, despite the Democrats’ argument that the MLR would benefit patients, it has incentivized insurers to merge with or acquire pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), retail and specialty pharmacies, and healthcare providers. This, in turn, has made healthcare spending less transparent, as insurers can allegedly shift profits to their affiliates by increasing reimbursements.
Warren, who has consistently voted against Obamacare repeal efforts, notably advocated for a “Medicare for All” proposal during her 2020 presidential campaign. Despite her prior support for the healthcare law, Warren’s recent concerns about its unintended consequences have raised questions about the long-term effects of Obamacare and its impact on the healthcare industry.
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