Perspectives: Instead Of Celebrating AHCA’s Downfall, Industry Will Be Looking At Next Battle
Read recent commentaries about drug-cost issues.
Stat:
What The AHCA's Demise Means For Pharma — And What’s Next
Friday’s withdrawal of the Republican health care bill from Congress must have created considerable relief in many corners of the health care industry. Not only had Democrats and many moderate Republicans expressed concern over the bill’s potential consequences for patients, but interest groups lined up almost uniformly against the bill. The American Hospital Association, American Medical Association, AARP, and dozens of other groups representing hospitals, providers, and patients all opposed the bill. (Rachel Sachs, 3/28)
Morning Consult:
Applying Lessons Of ‘Fake News’ To Online Pharmacies, Drug Importation Policies
If the current discussion about fake news has taught us anything, it’s that things on the internet are often not what they seem. All too easy to create and disseminate globally, fake news has invaded our homes and eroded our trust in the internet as a source of legitimate information and products — and yet, every day, fake news stories succeed in duping countless readers. The same dynamic is also at work when it comes to medicines sold online, and policymakers in Congress should consider the fake news phenomenon when advocating that U.S. citizens access prescription drugs from Canada. (Mary Bono, 3/27)
RealClear Health:
You Can Blame Pharmacy Benefit Managers For Higher Drug Prices
Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) administer prescription drug plans on behalf of insurers and employers. In the process, they negotiate reimbursement terms with pharmacies and drug prices with drug manufacturers. While plan sponsors face the direct financial costs of the prescription plans being offered to its members or employees, PBMs act as middlemen in the process. This creates an environment for conflicts of interest that drives PBMs to work for their own self-interests and not the sponsors that hired them – all while pushing up higher drug prices for consumers. (Steve Pociask, 3/28)
Bloomberg:
Pharma Gets Roped Into The Trumpcare Maelstrom
When you rush any kind of massive project, you raise the risk that people get hurt. That's certainly the case with health-care reform. As President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans scramble to save their troubled attempt to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, they are considering last-second changes -- including one that could add Big Pharma to the list of those damaged by the bill. This would further immiserate an industry already dogged by the president's repeated drug-pricing broadsides. (Max Nisen, 3/23)
Quartz:
If Donald Trump Is Serious About Bringing Down US Drug Prices, He'll Borrow This Tactic From The UK's National Health Service
While attempts at repealing Obamacare appear dead (at least for the foreseeable future), US president Donald Trump still has an opportunity to tackle the soaring costs of American-style healthcare by addressing one of its biggest problems—the high cost of prescription drugs. (Oliver Staley, 3/28)
Forbes:
Regeneron's New Drug Price Could Disappoint Everyone. Here's Why That's A Good Thing
It was a symbolic act that spoke volumes. On stage with other pharmaceutical executives to talk about drug pricing at the Forbes Healthcare Summit last December, Regeneron cofounder, chairman and chief executive Leonard Schleifer physically moved his chair away from those of his peers. “If you look at the prices of drugs, they have gone up, sometimes double digits, twice a year as a very efficient way of increasing profits without being coupled to any innovation,” Schleifer said then. “It's ridiculous." (Matthew Herper, 3/28)
Bloomberg:
Valeant Rearranges Deck Chairs
Delaying the inevitable always feels good in the moment. But it's a short-lived high. Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc. late Tuesday announced it had completed a multi-billion-dollar orchestra of can-kicking, with a series of refinancing transactions to ease its near-term debt burden. (Max Nisen, 3/22)
Forbes:
A Patient's Optimistic Call For Bipartisan Drug-Pricing Reform
With our nation’s fight over the Affordable Care Act in the rear-view mirror, it’s time for Donald Trump and Congress to focus on a genuinely bipartisan issue: drug prices. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, 8 in 10 Americans want to allow the government to negotiate prices for people on Medicare. By the same margin, Americans want to limit the amount drug companies can charge for high-cost drugs that treat illnesses like cancer. Hefty majorities from both parties support these steps. (David Mitchell, 3/27)
The Des Moines Register:
UnitedHealthcare: Medicaid Plan Shows Progress After One Year
As an Iowan and a former nurse, I have witnessed firsthand the extraordinary transformation of our health care system over the past several decades. These changes have been challenging to patients, families and health care providers. Even today, this dynamic continues as lawmakers in Washington, D.C., debate the nation’s overall approach to delivering health care. Regardless of the ongoing debate, we believe the goal is to provide access to quality, affordable and local care to individuals within a system that responds to each individual’s unique health care needs. (Kim Foltz, 3/27)
