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Copyright 2018 by Champion Briefs, LLC Copyright 2018 by Champion Briefs, LLC All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner and the publisher. The Evidence Standard Nov/Dec 2018 The Evidence Standard Speech and Debate provides a meaningful and educational experience to all who are involved. We, as educators in the community, believe that it is our responsibility to provide resources that uphold the foundation of the Speech and Debate activity. Champion Briefs, its employees, managers, and associates take an oath to uphold the following Evidence Standard: 1. We will never falsify facts, opinions, dissents, or any other information. 2. We will never knowingly distribute information that has been proven to be inaccurate, even if the source of the information is legitimate. 3. We will actively fight the dissemination of false information and will provide the community with clarity if we learn that a third-party has attempted to commit deception. 4. We will never support or distribute studies, news articles, or other materials that use inaccurate methodologies to reach a conclusion or prove a point. 5. We will provide meaningful clarification to any who question the legitimacy of information distributed by ourselves or by any third-party. 6. We will actively contribute to students’ understanding of the world by using evidence from a multitude of perspectives and schools of thought. 7. We will, within our power, assist the community as a whole in its mission to achieve the goals and vision of this activity. These seven statements, while simple, represent the complex notion of what it means to advance students’ understanding of the world around them, as is the purpose of educators. Champion Briefs 4 Letter from the Editor Nov/Dec 2018 Letter from the Editor Welcome to our first combined November/December edition of Champion Briefs! The resolution for the next two months will be “Resolved: The United States federal government should impose price controls on the pharmaceutical industry.” The pharmaceutical industry has been under a microscope lately as the country struggles with an ongoing opioid epidemic and rising medical expenditures on a national level. Scandals, like Martin Shkreli increasing the price of live-saving Daraprim by 3000%, have painted the industry in a dark light and led politicians to push for radical reforms. This topic will be a fun one to research because it’s both highly relevant and straightforward in terms of argumentation. Best of luck this month – I hope this brief is helpful in your preparation. This topic may not be very broad, but it’s an excellent chance for debaters to dive headfirst into the worlds of economics and healthcare. While every topic has discussions of economics, and healthcare has appeared in other recent topics, this month will require you to have a mastery of the subjects given their importance to this resolution. For many Americans, however, these discussions are very sensitive. Be cautious in choosing your language, as virtually every family across this country knows somebody who struggles with opioid addiction, paying for prescription drugs, or another related issue. At Champion Briefs, we’ve worked tirelessly this month to find the best arguments and evidence for you to start your preparation with. As always, remember that our brief is an excellent foundation for your preparations, but the best debaters should go above and beyond in their own research and practicing as well. Happy researching - I hope you enjoy the last topic of 2018! Michael Norton Editor-in-Chief Champion Briefs 5 Table of Contents Nov/Dec 2018 Table of Contents The Evidence Standard ....................................................................................... 4 Letter from the Editor ......................................................................................... 5 Table of Contents ............................................................................................... 6 Topic Analyses .................................................................................................... 8 Topic Analysis by Jakob Urda ......................................................................................................................... 9 Topic Analysis by Belén Mella ..................................................................................................................... 17 Topic Analysis by Zachary Ginsberg ......................................................................................................... 26 General Information ......................................................................................... 34 Pro Arguments with Con Responses ................................................................. 42 PRO – Price Controls Correct Market Failure ........................................................................................ 43 A/2 – Price Controls Correct Market Failure .................................................................................... 47 PRO – Price Controls Would Reduce Government Spending ......................................................... 50 A/2 – Price Controls Would Reduce Government Spending ..................................................... 54 PRO – Price Controls Necessary to Protect the Uninsured ............................................................. 58 A/2 – Price Controls Necessary to Protect the Uninsured .......................................................... 62 PRO – Price Controls Necessary to Control Patent Monopolies .................................................... 65 A/2 – Price Controls Necessary to Control Patent Monopolies ................................................ 69 PRO – Limiting Political Power of Pharmaceutical Companies ..................................................... 73 A/2 – Limiting Political Power of Pharmaceutical Companies ................................................. 78 PRO - Price controls prevent tradeoff of medicine/medical care ............................................... 82 A/2 - Price controls prevent tradeoff of medicine/medical care .............................................. 86 PRO – Price controls increase competition in the pharmaceutical industry ........................... 89 A/2 – Price controls increase competition in the pharmaceutical industry ....................... 93 PRO – Price controls would stop price discrimination ..................................................................... 96 A/2 – Price controls would stop price discrimination ............................................................... 100 PRO – Price controls would increase drug access for low income individuals ................... 103 A/2 – Price controls would increase drug access for low income individuals ................ 107 PRO – Price controls help fight the opioid epidemic ...................................................................... 110 A/2 – Price controls help fight the opioid epidemic ................................................................... 113 PRO – Price controls decrease hospital costs ..................................................................................... 117 A/2 - Price controls decrease hospital costs .................................................................................. 121 PRO – Price controls decrease insurance premiums ...................................................................... 125 A/2 - Price controls decrease insurance premiums ................................................................... 129 PRO – Price controls increase government medical coverage ................................................... 133 A/2 - Price controls increase government medical coverage ................................................. 137 Champion Briefs 6 Table of Contents Nov/Dec 2018 PRO– High Drug Prices driving consumers to the black market ............................................... 141 A/2– High Drug Prices driving consumers to the black market ........................................... 145 PRO– High Drug Prices Strain State Budgets ..................................................................................... 148 A/2 - High Drug Prices Strain State Budgets ................................................................................. 151 Con Arguments with Pro Responses ............................................................... 153 CON – Price controls will limit research into vaccines .................................................................. 154 A/2 - Price controls will limit research into vaccines ................................................................ 158 CON – Price controls will limit research to treat new diseases .................................................. 162 A/2 - Price controls will limit research to treat new diseases ............................................... 166 CON – Cost of medicine is absorbed by insurance companies ................................................... 170 A/2 - Cost of medicine is absorbed by insurance companies ................................................. 174 CON - Price controls will cause political backlash ........................................................................... 178 A/2 - 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