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A co-founder of a purported Christian health care sharing ministry based in St. Joseph, Missouri, has been sentenced in federal court for his role in an $8 million wire fraud conspiracy that deceived hundreds of members, along with making false statements on a personal tax return. James L. McGinnis, 78, of St. Joseph, was sentenced on Thursday, Nov. 21, by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to 12 years in federal prison without parole. McGinnis was also ordered to pay restitution, including $7,758,908 to victims, $143,141 to the Internal Revenue Service, and $10,787 to the Missouri Department of Revenue. Additionally, McGinnis must forfeit a 2021 Ford F-250 truck to the government.

Are you tired of paying too much for medications? I just introduced a bill to make your prescription drugs more affordable: The Biosimilar Red Tape Elimination Act. “Biosimilars” – generic alternatives to name-brand medications – have the potential to significantly reduce the cost of biologic drugs through increased competition. Choosing biosimilars over their name-brand counterparts could save consumers an estimated $42.9 billion by 2027. Americans deserve to hold this decision-making power, but red tape around biosimilars keeps them from being widely used. The FDA’s complex approval system has confused physicians, patients, and states about biosimilars’ safety and efficacy. Biosimilars must undergo extensive testing to prove they provide no meaningful difference from their name-brand version. Bringing a new biosimilar to market costs as much as $300 million and can take as long as 9 years. Even after this approval, patients may not be able to access biosimilars because Congress created a separate designation: interchangeability. To be classified as truly “interchangeable” with the name-brand version, a biosimilar must undergo further testing called “switching studies.” This type of research has proven unnecessary for biosimilars, as it repeatedly shows no meaningful difference or relevant new data. The Biosimilar Red Tape Elimination Act would remove these extra steps so that a biosimilar will immediately be classified as interchangeable upon its initial approval by the FDA. Foregoing unnecessary switching studies would no longer disqualify biosimilars as alternatives to their name-brand counterparts. We need to give Americans the option to save billions on their medications and increase competition in the pharmaceutical market. We should pass the Biosiliar Red Tape Elimination Act. Read more here!👇👇👇