Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Medicare Nurse Training Pilot Program Shows Promise
Politico Pro: Advocates See Promise In Nurse Practitioner Pilot
An Obamacare pilot program using Medicare funds to train nurses in primary care roles is showing early promise in the uphill struggle to solve the nation’s physician shortage, advocates say. (Mershon, 5/27)
The Associated Press: AARP Survey: Many Generic Medicine Prices Have Risen Sharply
Reversing a long-term trend, prices for more than one in four generic medicines widely used by older Americans increased in 2013, some very sharply, according to a survey by AARP. Generic drug prices on average are still falling, but the increases for certain classes of drugs may be a sign of more to come, the advocacy group says, because industry consolidation is reducing competition, manufacturing quality problems are causing shortages and the number of blockbuster brand-name medicines going off patent has fallen since a huge surge a few years ago. (Johnson, 5/28)
