Arkansas Companies Now Must Choose Between PBMs And Pharmacies
In an attempt to eliminate conflicts of interest and drug price hikes, the first-in-the-nation law will prohibit pharmacy benefit managers from operating pharmacies. More news comes out of California, Missouri, Michigan, and Texas.
Stat:
Arkansas Adopts First-In-The-Nation Law Forcing Companies To Choose Between Running A PBM Or Pharmacies
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Sanders has signed a first-in-the-nation law that prohibits pharmacy benefit managers from operating both retail and mail-order pharmacies, a move designed to eliminate a conflict of interest that has been blamed for boosting the price of medicines and forcing independent pharmacies to close. (Silverman, 4/16)
More health news from across the U.S. —
San Francisco Chronicle:
S.F. Drug Overdose Death Average Is Up For Fourth Straight Month
Accidental drug overdose deaths in San Francisco rose for the fourth straight month after showing a promising decline last year, according to preliminary figures released Wednesday by the Office of the Medical Examiner. Sixty-five people fatally overdosed in March, bringing the monthly average to 64 over the past three months — up from 59 in February, 50 in January, 43 in December and 39 in November. That makes the most recent data roughly on par with the state of overdose deaths of about a year ago, before the decline that officials at the time deemed “remarkable” and “hopeful.” (Ho, 4/16)
CBS News:
Emergency Dispatchers In San Francisco Given Wellness Room To Prioritize Mental Health
The San Francisco Department of Emergency Management launched a new wellness room for its dispatchers, just in time for National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week. "Every second counts, so we have to make sure that we're ready to send the information in a split second," Cathy Osorio, a dispatcher with the City and County of San Francisco, told CBS News Bay (Nam, 4/16)
Roll Call:
Hawley’s Change Of Heart Reflects Evolving Politics Of Medicaid
[Republican Missouri Sen. Josh] Hawley has made his stance clear in recent weeks: He will not support any proposal that would lead to cuts in Medicaid benefits for Missourians. (Hellmann, 4/15)
Newsweek:
Maternity Hospitals Fear A Medicaid Squeeze
Improved birth rates are a stated priority for President Donald Trump's administration—but proposed budget cuts could make it harder for many Americans to afford a safe, healthy pregnancy. Last week, House Republicans narrowly passed a budget resolution that calls for an $880 billion reduction to the Department of Health and Human Services (HSS) budget over 10 years. The proposed plan doesn't explicitly call for Medicaid cuts, but it would be impossible to achieve that level of savings without slimming down the program; Trump has promised not to touch Medicare but hasn't extended the same protections to Medicaid, which provided health care coverage to more than 72 million people as of October 2024. (Kayser, 4/16)
Newsweek:
Inside The Texas Hospital Where Maternity Care Runs Like A Ballet
If you squint your eyes, you might be able to see how Guadalupe Regional Medical Center (GRMC) could look something like the Bolshoi Theatre. Ethereal light shining as the curtains open, a fluttering of bodies weaving in every which way—all of them wearing the same clothes, all of them knowing where to go. "It's just like watching a ballet," Chantel Ewald, who serves as the clinical director of GRMC's Birthing Center, told Newsweek. "Everybody orchestrating what they need to do to take care of the patient, to take care of the baby and to have a good outcome. (Fung, 4/16)
