Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Perspectives: The Drug Pricing War Rages On
Bloomberg: Medicare Drug Price Negotiation: First List Of Medicines, Explained
After months of speculation, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (known as CMS) has finally released the list of medicines that will be subject to the agency’s new price-negotiating powers. (Lisa Jarvis, 8/29)
Bloomberg: Drug Prices: Insurers Are Demanding Transparency. It Just Might Work.
A major health plan is overhauling the convoluted system it uses to pay for prescription drugs. If it succeeds, and that’s a big if, the result could prove transformative for the US health-care system. (8/25)
East Bay Times: Big Pharma's Playbook To Bankrupt Those Who Can't Afford Drugs
America’s pharmaceutical giants are now suing to block the federal government’s first effort at drug price regulation. Last year’s Inflation Reduction Act included what on its face seems a modest proposal: The federal government would for the first time be empowered to negotiate prices Medicare pays for drugs — but only for 10 very expensive medicines beginning in 2026 (an additional 15 in 2027 and 2028, with more added in later years). Another provision would require manufacturers to pay rebates to Medicare for drug prices that increased faster than inflation. (Elisabeth Rosenthal, 8/23)
