Trending News Today: Study Finds Medicare for All Costs $32 Trillion Over 10 Years

A new study from the Urban Institute and the Commonwealth Fund found that a full-scale single-payer health insurance program, also called Medicare for All, would cost approximately $32 trillion over 10 years, The Hill reported. According to the article, the study did not analyze the exact proposals from any presidential candidates, but the plan it examined is similar to one put forward by Sen Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and backed by Sen Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass). The study also found that the plan would result in $886 billion in savings for individuals over 10 years, the article reported.

Eli Lilly’s experimental pancreatic cancer treatment, pegilodecakin, in combination with chemotherapy did not meet the main goal of overall survival in a late-stage study, Reuters reported. According to the article, pegilodecakin is a naturally occurring immune growth factor called a pegylated interleukin-10, which stimulates the survival, expansion, and killing potential of a specific white blood cell in the immune system. The trial evaluated pegilodecakin plus Folfox, which is a combination of chemotherapy drugs, compared with Folfox alone in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer, the article reported.

A recent study highlighted the potential public economic burden of rare diseases beyond just health care costs, The American Journal of Managed Care reported. According to the article, the study used a public economic framework to identify the burden of hereditary transthyretin-mediated amyloidosis in the Netherlands, analyzing the impact on employment activity and government costs. The study authors noted that using fiscal models such as this in health care decision-making can introduce new factors to consider in resource allocation decisions, the article reported.