Economists back healthcare reform. A group of 35 economists, including three Nobel laureates, asked a U.S. judge for permission to file an amicus brief backing the Obama administration’s bid to end a lawsuit challenging its healthcare overhaul, according to Bloomberg Businessweek. Each one of the economists did not initially support the passage of the Affordable Care Act, but "they all believe that reform of the health care system is essential to constraining the growth of health care spending and providing security to all Americans," they wrote in the motion to file the brief.
Another drug giant looks to buy Genzyme. Rumors surfaced over the weekend that Japan’s Takeda Pharmaceuticals (TKO:4502) is in the running for Genzyme Corp. (NSDQ:GENZ), although an offer is unlikely, according to The Wall Street Journal. The Cambridge, Mass.-based biotech giant resisted a recent takeover bid from French pharmaceuticals giant Sanofi-Aventis SA (NYSE:SNY).
Hoover Institution offers an alternative to healthcare reform. The Hoover Institution has released Reforming America’s Health Care System: The Flawed Vision of ObamaCare, edited by health policy expert Dr. Scott Atlas — a book that discusses what to expect from the recent health reform legislation and alternatives that should be considered.
And Democrats offer small business relief. Senate Democrats led by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) said Friday they’re prepared to repeal the so-called 1099 provision in the health care reform law that has riled small businesses over concern it’s too burdensome, according to Politico. The provision could have raised $17 billion to pay for reform.
Maybe that’s why bipartisan health reform is impossible. Washington Post columnist Ezra Klein offers this perspective on decades of political partisanship surrounding healthcare reform: “Democrats moved right every time they failed. And Republicans moved further right every time Democrats tried."
Everyday Health yanks IPO. Everyday Health Inc., which operates 25 health-related websites including one for Jillian Michaels of Biggest Loser fame, said it would withdraw its bid to go public, instead raising $20 million in Series G funding to acquire other companies and await better market conditions, according to Dow Jones VentureWire.
Pioneering cardiologist dies. Dr. Richard Bing, a pioneering cardiologist whose research led to new understandings of blood flow, congenital heart disease and the mechanics of the heart, died today at his home in La Canada, California, according to The New York Times. He was 101.
