RantCrush Top 5: December 8, 2016

Yesterday, the Senate passed the 21st Century Cures Act, a new healthcare bill that has taken years to draft. It had wide support, including from President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.

The bill will allow more funding for disease research and fighting drug addiction, let the FDA approve new drugs faster, and expand access to mental health care. Those are all good things.

But Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders are still opposing the bill, saying that it gives pharmaceutical companies too much power and that it will be easy for new, unsafe drugs to get out on the market.

21st Century Cures still doesn’t do nearly enough to help generate real cures for Alzheimer’s, diabetes, cancer, & other deadly diseases.

— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) November 30, 2016

The bill still needs to go before President Obama, who is likely to sign it.

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.