Billy Tauzin was named president and chief executive officer of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) in January 2005.
Billy Tauzin came to PhRMA after a long and distinguished career in public service. He began his public career serving in the Louisiana State legislature. Billy Tauzin made his mark serving the people of Louisiana's 3rd District, and the American people for 13 terms as a Member of Congress. He served as Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Billy Tauzin is a native of Vacherie, Louisiana. He received a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Nicholls State University in 1964 and a Law Degree from Louisiana State University in 1967.
Updated at 3:39 p.m. on Aug. 26. We share the nation's sadness in mourning the loss of Senator Ted Kennedy, a lifelong champion for health whose leadership on such monumental legislation as the State Children's Health Insurance Program and the Americans With Disabilities Act leaves a lasting legacy that benefits the nation as a whole. Over nearly five decades, Senator Kennedy has been a powerful force for good with few peers. As a leader and a legislator, he appreciated the importance of medical progress for patients here and around the world. Like the rest of the nation, we are grateful… Read more
Passing the “What’s in it for Me?” Test One answer to the “What’s in it for Me?” test for health care reform must be solutions that help slow or even reduce the growth of healthcare costs – something that hits every American in their pocketbook. One solution is to help Americans do a better job of adhering to their doctor’s recommendations of therapies and medicines – especially older Americans. For example, research shows that too many elderly Americans on Medicare who hit the coverage-gap reduce their monthly medication use by 14% relative to their use prior to entering the gap.… Read more
The $80 billion commitment made by America’s pharmaceutical research and biotechnology companies is just one individual component of a larger plan that will – hopefully – eventually allow comprehensive health care reform. By making a concession this large, our companies are helping the federal government avoid the expense of filling the coverage gap itself. In fact, the White House has said, in both the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, that roughly $50 billion of the $80 billion will be available to offset the cost of new subsidies that the Administration and the Congress want to… Read more
Chronic diseases, such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes, account for 75 percent of all health care spending in America today. And that's why PhRMA has a long history of support for public health initiatives to fight chronic medical conditions. It is vitally important that we focus reform efforts on disease prevention and management. President Obama's call for a new emphasis on prevention will help transform our nation's "sick-care" system into a 21st Century health care system. Studies show that medicines can be one of the most effective ways to fight chronic diseases and reduce costs. They often prevent patients from developing… Read more
PhRMA supports expanding access to high-quality, affordable health insurance coverage to all Americans. We recommend building on the employer-based system and expanding coverage through public and private approaches. Such options include providing subsidies to low and moderate income individuals and families and providing targeted tax credits for small employers so they can afford coverage for their workers and families. Access to public programs, including Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program, should be expanded to fill the gaps for low income and vulnerable children and families. Insurance market regulations can also be established to help assure that health insurance coverage is more affordable and available to… Read more
As part of the preparation for the swine flu crisis, Rx Response -- an unprecedented partnership created to help ensure the continued flow of medicines in public health emergencies -- has been placed on "Alert Status." Rx Response members are closely monitoring the influenza cases in the United States and working with local, state and federal officials to make sure the nation's pharmaceutical supply chain continues to operate efficiently. Besides PhRMA, Rx Response members include the American Hospital Association, American Red Cross, National Association of Chain Drug Stores, National Community Pharmacists Association, Healthcare Distribution Management Association, Biotechnology Industry Organization and the… Read more
In order to know where to begin, we need to decide where we want to end. We support increased funding for comparative effectiveness research and believe a key goal of CER should be to inform patients and providers so that they make good decisions. Another important CER goal should be improving the quality of care. To achieve these goals, CER must address a broad range of evidence gaps across the health system. This includes prescription medicines and medical technology, as well as approaches to organization, management and delivery of care. While much attention is appropriately paid to evidence-based care, our delivery system… Read more
What was most impressive about President Obama at the White House Summit on Health Care Reform was his willingness to listen to everyone's point of view. Instead of displaying an us vs. them attitude, which we've encountered during earlier health care reform efforts, he made clear his desire to work this year with all interested parties on meaningful reforms that lead to affordable quality health care for all Americans. We appreciate such flexibility and look forward to working with the President and the Congress. In addition to stressing prevention and earlier detection of diseases and reducing health care costs, America's… Read more
PhRMA President and CEO Billy Tauzin When debating possible improvements to Medicare, Congress should focus on elements of the program that require reforming. Overall, Medicare continues to be a success story by providing quality and affordable healthcare coverage to millions of seniors and disabled Americans. In 2006, the program was enhanced to cover prescription medications. The coverage extension, known as Part D, expanded on Medicare’s success story. Today, because of the new benefit, seniors are saving money on their medicines. On average, beneficiaries saved $1,200 last year, and the average total value of subsidies for low-income… Read more
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) applauds President Obama for making clear that comprehensive health care reform is a top priority for his administration. We must not miss this extraordinary opportunity in our history to build on the strengths of our health care system and address its weaknesses. Reforming our system will provide high-quality insurance coverage to millions of Americans and help strengthen our struggling national economy. In addition, the President's call for a new focus on disease prevention will transform our current 'sick-care system' into a modern 21st Century health care system that does a better job of stopping… Read more
The economic stimulus package makes an important contribution to better health care for Americans. The provisions of the bill will help workers who lose their jobs retain health insurance and allow states to sustain their Medicaid programs. The stimulus also provides support for the important work of moving toward electronic health records -- a promising tool for promoting higher quality care, including enhanced prevention and management of costly chronic diseases. In addition, the package offers more than $1 billion of government funding for comparative research. This initiative evolved in a positive direction during Congressional consideration of the issue. The initial language that pointed toward limiting patient access to health care was modified… Read more
Improvements to America's health care system are important to both patients and the nation's economy and should not be subjected to a long postponement. It is certainly encouraging that Congress and President Obama took a vital first step with reauthorization and expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), but so much more must be done and the sooner we initiate reforms that are needed, the better off we'll be. The fact is millions of Americans remain uninsured and the human and economic costs of avoidable chronic diseases continue to grow. Disease prevention needs to be more strongly emphasized… Read more
Expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program would make high-quality health insurance coverage available to four million more of America's previously uninsured, low-income children -- clearly an important goal that means more than just care. It also means peace of mind. That's why the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) supported passage of H.R. 2, the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009. The bill does more than just expand eligibility; it also expands outreach activities to get eligible children enrolled. In addition, H.R. 2 takes the novel step of enhancing a state's option to use SCHIP to help subsidize qualified employer-sponsored… Read more
Reauthorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) should be on the agenda of the 111th Congress this year. Since its creation more than a decade ago, SCHIP has helped millions of children who lack health insurance. The program provided a wide array of health care services to more than six million low-income children nationwide last year alone, including regular check-ups, immunizations, prescription drugs, laboratory tests, x-rays and hospital visits. The parents of SCHIP patients can have peace of mind because their children have consistent health care coverage and can receive health exams and preventive care as needed. … Read more
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