“That’s a big key. Big key, you must listen to each other if you’re going to be a group.” This is not what President Trump said to the nine pharma companies that agreed to offer lower drug prices to Medicaid programs at the White House this week. Instead, this is a line from Sister Act, where Whoopi Goldberg poses as a nun to hide from a gangster who wants to kill her and simultaneously saves the convent she’s hiding in from bankruptcy by resurrecting its choir. Obviously, this has direct relevance to this week’s primary health policy issue. For those readers who don’t see the connection, read below in the One Thoughtful Paragraph.
Due to pre-Labor Day relaxation activities, there are no regular policy news highlights from this week. Instead, we suggest these movies to help you relax a little:
- 9 to 5. Perfect for Labor Day, another nod to Dolly Parton, and fully hilarious.
- Bedtime Stories. It is Adam Sandler at his goofy best.
- Blues Brothers. Something for everyone: amazing music, car chases, Muppets, Nazis, dance flash mobs, orphan saving, swearing, God, Russian bath houses, fine dining, jailtime, Picasso, federal and local law enforcement, baseball, valuable lessons about love and loyalty, and property taxes.
Sister Mary Clarence: Don’t worry, we will always be together. Sister Mary Lazarus: That’s what Diana Ross said. Tackling big challenges together is a theme of both Sister Act and the next few weeks in health policy. For the nuns in Sister Act, it was revitalizing a run-down neighborhood, saving Whoopi Goldberg from a gangster, and performing a great choir concert for the Pope. For health care, the challenge is for experts to collaborate about how to modernize the health care system using the latest technology. Frankly, it would be easier to sing for the Pope. And yet, we are all preparing for multiple events in D.C. over the next few weeks. Maverick Health Policy is participating in the Consumer Technology Association’s (CTA) inaugural Health Week, which features a congressional briefing about AI in health care and a day-long event with CMS, FDA, ONC, ARPA-H and health and tech leaders. Maverick is also co-hosting an event with Goldsand Friedberg so that investors can understand the latest about the fast-moving health tech legal and policy landscape. Then, we are going to participate in a few other invite-only gatherings, including the AMA and FSMB’s AI event, ACHP’s Symposium, and CMMI’s ACCESS Building A Healthier America event. Some of the public events in D.C. this month include Modern Healthcare’s Leadership Summit, Civitas Networks for Health, and Health Datapalooza. I hope all of this togetherness will lead to a breakthrough in health policy so we can celebrate like the nuns did in the movie when they heard the Pope was coming to hear them sing: Sister Mary Patrick: I can’t believe the Pope is coming! This is better than ice cream! Sister Mary Robert: It’s better than springtime! Sister Mary Clarence (Whoopi Goldberg): It’s better than sex! No, I mean – I’ve heard.
