The Cost of EpiPens
What to know: Life-saving EpiPens, which cost about $50 in 2007, now cost about $300 each.
The TPPF take: High costs are putting people’s lives at risk.
“There is not a shortage of epinephrine itself,” says TPPF’s Dr. Cliff Porter. “But there are only a few suppliers of EpiPen and similar epinephrine injection devices to pharmacies. Even insurance co-pays are often equal to or higher than paying cash. People are forgoing having life-saving epinephrine and taking their chances.”
For more on EpiPens, click here.
Closer than You Think
What to know: Democrats are closer to abolishing the Electoral College—without a constitutional amendment. Virginia has just signed on to the “National Popular Vote” compact.
The TPPF take: The National Popular Vote hands control to the states with the worst election security.
“The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, launched in 2006, would have states ignore their own voters and instead award all their electoral votes to whichever candidate wins the most votes nationwide,” says TPPF’s Chuck DeVore. “It is no coincidence that nearly every jurisdiction that has joined the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact maintains weak or nonexistent voter ID rules. Implementing the compact would likely spark a race to the bottom, with states loosening standards further to inflate their share of the national tally.”
For more on the National Popular Vote, click here.
How Did It Get So Far?
What to know: Iran has worked tirelessly to develop nuclear bombs.
The TPPF take: How did Iran get this far? It had help—including some from Texas universities.
“The Iranian government pursues Iranian students abroad, pressuring them to either transfer knowledge or face consequences,” says TPPF’s Kate Bierly. “Texas lawmakers, university administrators, and federal research oversight bodies need to confront the fact that our open research system is being exploited.”
For more on Iran, click here.