Many of us have found generic medicines to be good alternatives to more expensive brand-name drugs. But sometimes, they are not available. If we need a certain pharmaceutical, we have no choice but to pay the higher price for the brand-name version.

There may be good, acceptable reasons for that in many situations. But sometimes, there are not.

U.S. Reps. David McKinley, R-W.Va., and Peter Welch, D-Vt., want to do something about that. They have introduced a bill aimed at making more generic drugs available.

Their proposal, the Fair Access for Safe and Timely Generics Act, would, in McKinley’s words, “thwart manipulation of the Food and Drug Administration’s drug safety regulations in order to block the production of generic alternatives to brand name medicines.”

That could save Americans as much as $2.35 billion a year, according to an estimate by the Congressional Budget Office.

Last year’s scandal over the EpiPen device, a lifesaver for many people with severe allergies, illustrates how much money can be involved.

In 2009, a two-pack of EpiPens cost about $100. But by last year, the manufacturer, Mylan Pharmaceuticals, had increased the tag to more than $600.

Other companies had applied for FDA permission to sell alternatives at much lower prices — but approval had been delayed. No one wants the FDA to take chances with drug safety. But there is ample evidence that sometimes, that has nothing to do with delays in approval of some drugs and medical devices.

Sometimes, companies seeking to block approval of generic competitors throw roadblocks in the way of FDA approval. The McKinley-Welch bill is aimed at removing such obstacles.

As McKinley put it, “The high cost of brand name drugs should never force patients to make painful financial decisions. Medicine must be affordable to those who need it most.”

The News-Sentinel (Fort Wayne, Ind.) For generations, Republicans have dreamed of fundamental, sweeping reform to the country’s burdensome and labyrinthine tax code. Under President Trump’s brief, but dramatic, new plan, they just might get it.Anchoring the proposal is a 15 percent flat business rate, applicable to everything from small businesses to big corporate concerns, and, on the personal side, a wipeout of itemized deductions except for mortgage interest and charitable giving, in exchange for twice the standard deduction and a reduction of brackets to just three: 10 percent, 25 percent and 35 percent.The Trump plan is clearly designed to attract the support of a fair swath of the current code’s uppermost echelons. If it passes into law, the estate tax will be gone, and so-called pass-through entities like hedge funds would enjoy nearly a 5 percent tax cut.But the plan is also distinctly designed around working families. A couple’s first $24,000 of income would be spared the taxman altogether, while the burdens of child care costs would be (in some way) given greater relief.Sweeping reform that includes some targeted rate hikes would probably be the kind of overhaul to appeal most broadly to American voters — some of whom believe that higher earners enjoy too many entitlements with too little to pay on tax day, and others who simply do not believe that supply-side economics squares with fiscal responsibility as much as certain Republicans have long insisted.Few families and individuals have the time, energy and resources to game today’s complex tax code as thoroughly and advantageously as the richest and their business entities.Meanwhile, wealthier Americans who save big money by paying tax experts to work the system will find little support for shelter from a straightforward bracket system.That leaves budgetary scoring. Without spurring some substantial growth, Trump’s tax plan will probably worsen what’s broadly considered a fairly unsatisfactory budget picture.But Americans are probably ready to accept more of an up-front fiscal downside if it comes with moderate, sustainable growth — like the 3 percent GDP number Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has reasonably floated.Critics portraying Trump’s plan as too sweeping and simple are on the wrong page. Sweeping, simple reforms are just what taxpayers want and deserve.

The Orange County Register (Santa Ana, Calif.)