September 23, 2011—Three influential Republican members of Congress asked the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) yesterday for a detailed accounting of its oversight of the 340B drug discount program. Their Sept. 22 letter to HRSA Administrator Mary Wakefield came to light this morning just hours before the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a … [Read more...]
Senate Appropriations Committee Weighs in on 340B Program
Approves user fee and urges HRSA to address providers' concerns.September 23, 2011—The Senate Appropriations Committee has approved a fiscal 2012 spending bill for the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education that includes a number of provisions affecting 340B stakeholders. As first reported in Monitor earlier this week, the committee has approved the first-ever user fee for providers enrolled in 340B. The 0.1 … [Read more...]
GAO: 340B Yields Benefits as Intended but Needs More Oversight
Long-awaited study is expected to have far reaching effect on program's future direction.September 23, 2011—All of the health care providers interviewed for an important new study of the 340B drug discount program say that the substantial savings they get by participating allow them to maintain services and reduce medication costs for patients, just as Congress intended when it created the program nearly 20 years ago. In a much-anticipated report mandated by … [Read more...]
Obama Seeks Rebates on Medicare Part D Drugs
President also calls for heightened scrutiny of Medicaid rebate calculations.September 20, 2011—President Obama released a $3 trillion deficit reduction plan yesterday calling for Medicaid-like rebates on Medicare Part D drugs provided to beneficiaries eligible for the program's low-income subsidy (LIS)—a group that includes all beneficiaries dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. Brand-name drug manufacturers criticized the proposal as a "failed … [Read more...]
Senate Appropriations Panel Approves 340B User Fee
Proceeds from 0.1 percent levy would fund program integrity efforts.September 20, 2011—A U.S. Senate appropriations subcommittee voted 10-8 along party lines today to pass a fiscal 2012 spending bill that would authorize the first-ever user fee for providers enrolled in the 340B drug discount program. The full committee is expected to take up the measure tomorrow, Sept. 21. In a news release, the Senate Labor/Health and Human … [Read more...]
Up to 81 Million Americans Are Uninsured or Underinsured, Studies Show
Findings suggest safety-net providers may have to stretch scare resources even further.September 15, 2011—As many as 81 million American adults lack health insurance or have inadequate coverage that leave them exposed to unaffordable medical costs, new studies by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Commonwealth Fund indicate. In its annual report on poverty in the United States, released on Sept. 13, the Census Bureau found that there were 49.9 million Americans of … [Read more...]
National Children’s Hospitals Organization Selects New President & CEO
Health care strategist Mark Wietecha will lead group formed from merger of three this spring.September 15, 2011—The three leading children's hospital organizations that merged this spring—the National Association of Children's Hospitals (NACH), the National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions (NACHRI) and Child Health Corporation of America (CHCA)—have chosen nationally know health care strategist Mark Wietecha as their new overall president … [Read more...]