Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Perspectives: Affordable Care Act Has Loopholes That Can Hurt Patients
The Hill: Congress Must Fix Loophole That Is Costing Patients At The Pharmacy
More Americans today have health insurance through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) than ever before. Eleven years after its enactment, the ACA has withstood yet another Supreme Court challenge and continues to help individuals and families access health care — despite being under nearly constant attack from conservatives. The complexity of the law has required the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to continuously work with Congress and stakeholders to ensure that it is fulfilling its promise to provide affordable care to vulnerable patients. Despite its overwhelming success, the ACA has a few loopholes that are being exploited and that ultimately hurt patients. Specifically, the ACA allows certain health plans to unfairly control how they manage a patient’s out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs. As President Biden and HHS work with Congress to strengthen the ACA and close gaps in the law, they should address a loophole in the essential health benefits provision that lets insurance companies increase profits at the expense of patients. (Sally Greenberg, 7/26)
Cincinnati Enquirer: Lawmakers Must Find Ways To Lower Prescription Drug Costs
As the former Ohio Director of Health, I know how important it is to do everything in our power to bring down the cost of prescription drugs. And, as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, which has taken a significant toll on too many hardworking families across our state, access to affordable health care options is more critical than ever. Unfortunately, there are forces at work in our state that are trying to make health care more expensive for consumers and restrict access to quality care. As lawmakers try to address the high cost of prescription drugs, they would be well advised to start at the source: big drug companies. That’s because, when push comes to shove, these companies are the ones who set the final price of prescription drugs. When drug companies raise prices, it is Ohio employers, taxpayers and patients who wind up footing the bill. (Richard Hodges, 7/27)
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel: Time For Washington To Lower Prescription Drug Prices
Over the last year, health care has been at the forefront of everyone’s minds. As a state representative who sits on the House Health and Insurance Committee and a member of Delta Health’s board of directors, I have been especially concerned by the impact of prescription drug prices. High drug prices impose a terrible cost burden on Colorado patients, providers, and taxpayers, along with undermining the recovery of our small business community, and weakening our entire health care system. A recent AARP report found that prescription drug prices are increasing at rates higher than the rate of inflation year over year. Over a four-year period, 90% of the 50 most popular brand name drugs among Medicare Part D beneficiaries saw annual price hikes higher than the rate of inflation. (Matt Soper, 7/23)
The Highland County Press: Working To Reduce Prescription Drug Costs
America’s biopharmaceutical innovation recently brought life-saving vaccines to combat the COVID-19 pandemic in under one year. This same medical ingenuity is leading the world in bringing life-saving therapies to patients and discovering cures for the future. However, access to affordable prescriptions remains one of the most persistent challenges facing our nation, and these treatments are only effective if patients can afford them. (U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, 7/23)
The Morning Call: High Drug Prices: How Expensive Prescriptions Endanger Veterans' Lives
As we all learned during the pandemic, sometimes simply protecting the status quo does more harm than good. Prescription drug prices are a great example. The ridiculously high price of prescriptions in the United States presents a clear and present danger to millions of Americans who need medicines but cannot afford them, because drug corporations have been allowed to hike prices at will. Whether it is new drugs such as the Alzheimer’s treatment that just launched at $56,000 per year or insulin, which has been around for 100 years, drug corporations’ monopoly power to set and raise prices leaves Americans with no choice but to pay two to four times more for medicines in the United States than people in other countries. (Tim Talley, 7/27)
