Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
'A Lot Of Opportunities' Exist For Cutting Drug Costs, Trump Health Official Tells Congress
Stat: Top Trump Health Official Calls On Congress To Do More On Drug Pricing
A top U.S. health official on Thursday called on lawmakers in Congress to do more to help bring down drug prices, saying that the Trump administration had “given them a lot of opportunities to step in here.” “I think Congress can do more,” said Joe Grogan, associate director for health programs at the Office of Management and Budget. He added: “As we get to the sprint before the end of the year, there are a few things that they may take up, and we’re actively in discussions about that.” (Swetlitz, 9/20)
Stat: PBM Lobbying Group Names A New President With Deep Capitol Hill Ties
Pharmacy benefit managers, the drug industry middlemen who have been derided by everyone from community pharmacists to President Trump, have a new chief defender: longtime D.C. lobbyist JC Scott. Scott, who most recently served as chief advocacy officer and head of external affairs at the medical device lobby, the Advanced Medical Technology Association, announced Thursday he will succeed Mark Merritt as the head of the PBM lobby, the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, starting Oct 15. (Florko, 9/20)
Kaiser Health News: As States Try To Rein In Drug Spending, Feds Slap Down One Bold Medicaid Move
States serve as “laboratories of democracy,” as U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis famously said. And states are also labs for health policy, launching all kinds of experiments lately to temper spending on pharmaceuticals. No wonder. Drugs are among the fastest-rising health care costs for many consumers and are a key reason health care spending dominates many state budgets — crowding out roads, schools and other priorities. (Bebinger, 9/21)
