On September 23rd, an editorial in the New York Times explored the issue of healthcare and its emergence as a key issue in the 2008 Presidential race.  Several Republican and Democratic candidates have released detailed healthcare reform proposals ranging from tax breaks, to subsidies, to universal coverage.  Despite all that has been said about healthcare reform in recent weeks and months, several issues have not been addressed.

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On September 20th, House Committee on Energy and Commerce Chairman John Dingell (D-MI) introduced legislation (HR 3610) that would "dramatically improve our country's system for ensuring the safety" of imported drugs.  The legislation, entiteld "The Food and Drug Import Safety Act of 2007", creates a user fee on imported drug and food shipments which would be used to hire additional personnel to perform inspections along the border and abroad.

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Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton released a comprehensive healthcare reform proposal on September 17th.  The Clinton plan mandates universal coverage and would bar health insurers from discriminating against individuals with pre-existing conditions.

On September 4th, 2007, the U.S. Senate approved a resolution (S. Res. 305) asking the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to revisit a recent policy change that restricted payments for certain anti-anemia medications when used in cancer patients.  The resolution, introduced by Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA), asks CMS to implement appropriate revisions to the final Medicare National Coverage Determination on the Use of Erythropoiesis Stimulating Agents (ESAs) in Cancer and Related Neoplastic Conditions "as soon as feasible and provide a briefing to Congress in advance of announcing such changes."

Full Text of Resolution