Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Copay Coupons Will Count Toward Deductibles
Stat: Copay Coupons To Count Toward Deductibles, After Biden Court Move
Insurers will have to count drug copay coupons toward deductibles and patient spending caps in most cases, after a Biden move in federal court on Tuesday. Drug companies use copay coupons to help patients cover the cost of their drugs. (Wilkerson, 1/17)
Modern Healthcare: Drug Copay Assistance Case: DOJ Drops Appeal
The federal government has dropped its appeal of a court decision that could affect health insurance companies' use of copay accumulator programs. The Justice Department on Tuesday withdrew its appeal of a September ruling by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in favor of three patients and three patient advocacy groups. (Berryman, 1/17)
The New York Times: Six Reasons Drug Prices Are So High In The U.S.
Florida’s plan to save money by importing medications from Canada, authorized this month by the Food and Drug Administration, has renewed attention on the cost of prescription drugs in the United States. Research has consistently found that drug prices in America are significantly higher than those in other wealthy countries. In 2018, they were nearly double those in France and Britain, even when accounting for the discounts that can substantially reduce how much American health plans and employers pay. Here are six reasons drugs in the United States cost so much. (Robbins and Jewett, 1/17)
How Minnesota and Illinois are trying to lower drug costs —
Minnesota Public Radio: New Minnesota Prescription Drug Board Gets Up And Running But Expects Industry Resistance
Debate in Washington over prescription drug pricing has gone on for a long time. But state leaders, including those in Minnesota, have grown impatient with the pace of activity in Congress, so they’re trying to tackle cost matters themselves. That’s one of the drivers behind a new Prescription Drug Affordability Board, which was established in law last year and will soon begin its work. (Zdechlik, 1/17)
CBS News: Prescription Drug Affordability Act Aims To Set Limits On High Medication Prices
Lawmakers in Springfield, Illinois, are focusing on high prescription drug prices. On Wednesday, they announced the Prescription Drug Affordability Act. The legislation would create an independent Prescription Drug Affordability Board. "Drugs don't work if people can't afford them. Today, 28% of Illinoisans have reported not filling their prescriptions or rationing their medication to save money," said State Rep. and co-sponsor Nabeela Syed (D) Palatine. If passed into law, the board could set upper limits on what people would pay for their medications. (Bizzle, 1/17)
More on the high cost of health care —
Axios: Companies Struggle To Know If They're Overpaying In Health Care
Employers are facing stronger legal requirements to ensure they aren't wasting their workers' money on overpriced health insurance, at the growing risk of financial consequences. But employers say secrecy around negotiated health care prices too often prevents them from accessing data that would help them figure out if they're getting a good deal. (Reed, 1/18)
