Subbing for Rachel Maddow, guest host Ezra Klein recalled how the late actor Jack Klugman, who died this week, pioneered the the Orphan Drug Act.
Klein said: “The actor Jack Klugman died on Christmas Eve at age 90. Klugman was best known for his roles as the unkempt sportswriter in “The Odd Couple” and as the crusading medical examiner on “Quincy, M.E.” the wildly popular 1980s medical drama. Few people remember it today, but he also played an instrumental role in passing critical health-care legislation, the Orphan Drug Act, through Congress in the early 1980s, using “Quincy” and his own celebrity to roll Sen. Orrin Hatch (R), who was blocking the bill.”
(Source: CrooksandLiars.com and MSNBC)
