December 12, 2016—House and Senate committee leaders want the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to answer questions about its handling of the anaphylaxis rescue drug EpiPen by Dec. 20, including whether EpiPen’s misclassification as a generic drug for Medicaid rebate purposes caused hospitals and other healthcare providers in the 340B drug discount program to be … [Read more...]
Small Businesses Want Relief From High Drug Costs
December 12, 2016—Nearly 90 percent of small businesses that that provide health insurance to their employees think prescription drugs cost too much and 72 percent blame drug companies, a new survey shows. Sixty three percent say the market for prescription drugs is completely broken and needs a major overhaul. The survey by the group Small Business Majority found that drug … [Read more...]
Vermont Shines Light on Extreme Drug Price Hikes
December 7, 2016—One out of ten drugs that the state of Vermont pays for shot up in price 50 percent or more during the last five fiscal years, a new state study shows. … [Read more...]
Drug Spending Is Disproportionately High, and Prices Are to Blame
December 5, 2016—Retail prescription drug spending grew 9 percent in 2015 – more than any other healthcare good or service – and that growth was due mainly to drug company pricing, a new report from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services shows. … [Read more...]
Rep. Walden Takes up Energy & Commerce Committee Gavel
December 2, 2016—Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.) has won the chairmanship of the influential House Energy and Commerce Committee. The oversight panel has jurisdiction over important federal health programs, including the 340B drug discount program and Medicaid. … [Read more...]
President-elect Announces HHS and CMS Nominees
November 29, 2016—President-elect Trump has chosen House Budget Committee Chairman Tom Price (R-Ga.) to be his Secretary of Health and Human Services and Indiana healthcare policy consultant Seema Verma to be Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. "Together, Chairman Price and Seema Verma are the dream team that will transform our healthcare system … [Read more...]
340B Helps Hospitals Save Opioid Overdose Victims
November 28, 2016—Hospitals are finding that the standard 0.4 milligram dose of naxolone isn’t powerful enough to save opioid overdose victims. A larger dose is often required to reverse a new generation of powerful street drugs. … [Read more...]