Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Hospitals Urge Antitrust Regulators To Scrutinize Anthem Acquisition Of Cigna
Reuters: Hospitals Seek Justice Department Probe Of Anthem-Cigna Deal
Hospitals are urging antitrust regulators to consider whether health insurer Anthem Inc.’s planned acquisition of rival Cigna Corp. would boost health care costs. In a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice, the hospital industry’s largest lobbying group said combining the No. 1 and No. 5 health insurers threatens to reduce competition in 817 geographic markets serving 45 million consumers. (Humer, 8/6)
The Wall Street Journal: Drug-Plan Managers Wield ‘Potent Weapon’
CVS Health Corp.’s decision to stop covering Pfizer Inc.’s anti-impotence pill Viagra for many of its drug-benefit plan members is the latest example of the tough tactics some health-care managers are using to control rising drug costs. CVS and rival Express Scripts Holding Co., which together dominate the U.S. market for administering drug-benefit plans for employers and insurers, are excluding more drugs from coverage if there are viable alternatives in attempts to squeeze greater price discounts from manufacturers. The pharmacy-benefit managers, or PBMs, are steering patients to other drugs they say have equivalent safety and efficacy, but at lower costs. (Loftus, 8/6)
