Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Drug Prices: An Issue At The Ballot Box And The Pharmacy Counter
Sacramento Bee: Drug Price Ad Exaggerates Initiative’s Reach
In the TV ad, supporters paint a picture of out-of-control drug prices, spurred by politicians’ unwillingness to act because they’re beholden to the industry. It’s true that Americans spend a lot of money on prescription drugs, and efforts to rein in drug prices in the California Legislature have been unsuccessful, with one recent bill dying and another postponed ahead of a key committee vote. But the ad makes such a broad pitch for the measure, it leaves the viewer with the impression that it would apply to far more Californians than it actually would. (Cadelago, 6/23)
Kaiser Health News: Filling A Prescription? You Might Be Better Off Paying Cash
Some consumers who use health insurance copays to buy prescription drugs are paying far more than they should be and would be better off paying with cash, especially for generics. The added cost runs as high as $30 or more per prescription, say pharmacists, and the money is largely being pocketed by middlemen who collect the added profit from local pharmacies. Cash prices started to dip below copays a decade ago when several big box stores started offering dozens of generics for as little as $4 per prescription. But as copays have risen and high-deductible insurance plans become more common, more consumers are now affected. (Appleby, 6/24)
Outlets also offer other prescription drug-related news from New York and Texas —
The Associated Press: New York Pharmacies To Dispose Of Unwanted Drugs
Pharmacies in New York are now allowed to collect and dispose of unwanted medication so consumers won't pollute waterways by flushing drugs down the toilet. Gov. Andrew Cuomo recently signed legislation that will facilitate drug collection and safe disposal. State regulators are encouraging all pharmacies to become authorized collectors of unused, expired and unwanted drugs under federal controlled substances disposal rules. (6/24)
The Dallas Morning News: Texas Nursing Homes Prescribe More Antipsychotics Than Most States
The rate at which Texas health care providers prescribe antipsychotic drugs to nursing home patients outpaces almost every other state, according to a new national report. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services revealed about one in five nursing home patients in Texas take these drugs each month. Only Louisiana and Mississippi had higher prescription rates in the last three months of 2015, the agency reported. (LaFerney, 6/23)
