Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
After Covid, Medicare Advances Are Now Worsening Hospital Debt
Roll Call: Medicare Pandemic Advances Deepen Debt For Some Hospitals
Congress poured money into the U.S. economy throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. But for a few hospitals, one of the lifelines that Medicare threw to the medical industry ultimately became another stone around their necks. (Clason, 9/6)
Axios: Medicare Encourages States To Test Global Health Budgets
The Biden administration wants states to control and lower their health care spending through a new Medicare experiment that takes a page from Maryland's unique hospital payment system. The latest attempt at transforming how America pays for health care builds on states' work to improve care quality while managing health care costs for all payers, including Medicare, Medicaid and private insurers. (Goldman, 9/6)
On Medicare drug price negotiations —
Stat: AstraZeneca Chief Proposes A Novel Edit To The Drug Pricing Bill
Among the pharmaceutical companies’ many objections to the Biden administration’s drug pricing program is a set of provisions the industry says will warp how cancer drugs are developed. On Wednesday, AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot proposed a new solution. (Mast, 9/6)
Reuters: Astellas Withdraws Lawsuit Challenging Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Plans
Japan-based Astellas Pharma on Wednesday withdrew a lawsuit filed against the U.S. government, days after its prostate cancer drug was spared from the first list of drugs that will be subject to Medicare price negotiations. The U.S. government, late last month, selected the first 10 drugs, including the top-selling blood thinner Eliquis from Bristol Myers Squibb and Pfizer, which will face price negotiations as part of President Joe Biden's Inflation Reduction Act. (9/6)
