Express Scripts Reports on Prescription Drug Spending
Pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts found that spending for members slowed to 3.8% in 2016, reported Reuters. At the same time, prices for brand-name drugs increased nearly 11%. Express Scripts said it saved members $1.3 billion in 2016 amid increased scrutiny over rising drug prices. The pharmaceutical industry has been under fire, with President Donald Trump saying they are “getting away with murder.” Recently, some pharmaceutical companies have taken proactive steps: Merck has become the latest company to volunteer more information about pricing practices following Allergan’s announcement in September 2016 that it would limit price hikes.
Health Policy Expert Experiments With HDHPs
Ashish K. Jha, MD, of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, decided to conduct an experiment: he enrolled his family in a high-deductible health plan (HDHP). In an opinion piece for STAT, Jha described his experience with a HDHP and what he has learned about how they do and don’t work. Jha’s family is now in its second year under the plan, which makes them responsible for paying for the first $6000 of health expenses. Even as a physician who is far more knowledgeable about health plans than the average American, Jha explained he found it difficult and stressful to be a healthcare consumer and make cost-savvy decisions.
California Prepares for a New Reality With the Zika Virus
Although there have been no cases of locally transmitted Zika virus in California, the state is preparing for battle. Los Angeles Times reported that California’s mosquito-control and health officials are expecting to deal with Zika every summer until a vaccine is ready, which may not be for years. Mosquito control is becoming the first line of defense, and so far the most successful tactic has been going house-to-house looking for standing water that the Aedes mosquitoes can breed in.
Government agencies have created an online portal for the public to report potential anticompetitive practices in health care; there are changes coming to the “boxed warning” section for chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapies (CAR T) to highlight T-cell blood cancer risk; questions about the safety of obesity medications during pregnancy have arisen in women on them who previously struggled with fertility issues.
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Overcoming Employment Barriers for Lasting Social Impact: Freedom House 2.0 and Pathways to Work
April 16th 2024To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are bringing you a special month-long podcast series with our Strategic Alliance Partner, UPMC Health Plan. Welcome to our second episode, in which we learn all about Freedom House 2.0 and the Pathways to Work program.
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Making Giant Strides in Maternity Health Through Baby Steps
April 9th 2024To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are kicking off a special month-long podcast series with our strategic alliance partner, UPMC Health Plan. Welcome to our first episode, which is all about the Baby Steps Maternity Program and its mission to support women throughout every step of their pregnancy journey.
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Pegcetacoplan for PNH More Cost-Effective Than Anti-C5 Monoclonal Antibodies
April 18th 2024A cost-utility analysis conducted from the perspective of the Italian health system found that pegcetacoplan was more effective and less costly than 2 complement 5 (C5) inhibitors for the treatment of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH).
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