Bernie Sanders Introduces Drug Importation Bill
Led by Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, Democrats introduced a new bill that would allow drugs from Canada to be imported to the United States. The Washington Post reported that the new bill would put increased pressure on pharmaceutical companies to bring down the price of drugs. During his campaign, President Donald Trump had expressed support for such an idea. Opponents of the law argue that it could result in patient harm if unsafe drugs make it into the United States.
Paul Ryan Has His Eye on Medicare Reform
While Trump promised not to make any cuts to Medicare, House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, is singing a different tune. Ryan believes that the issue of Medicare is an open question and that the president only wants to keep benefits unchanged for people in or near retirement, according to CNN. Ryan believes that Medicare needs to be reformed in order to keep the program solvent.
Trump Derides FDA’s Process
During his joint address to Congress, the president called the FDA’s current drug approval process “slow and burdensome.” (To see more of his comments from the address, read our article.) STAT reported that Trump called on the FDA to speed up the approval of drugs for life-threatening diseases, and in the past he has called for eliminating regulations. As of yet, Trump has not nominated a commissioner to head the FDA.
Prices for care at hospital trauma centers vary across hospitals; drug shortages reached a record high during the first quarter of 2024; although 3 of the biggest makers of asthma inhalers pledged to cap out-of-pocket costs for some US patients at $35, these do not apply to daily inhalers used by the youngest kids with asthma.
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Navigating Health Policy in an Election Year: Insights From Dr Dennis Scanlon
April 2nd 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with Dennis Scanlon, PhD, the editor in chief of The American Journal of Accountable Care®, about prior authorization, price transparency, the impact of health policy on the upcoming election, and more.
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The Biden administration recently launched the Global Health Security Strategy, a new effort to combat the spread of infectious diseases; lawmakers zeroed in on the risks of massive consolidation in health care during the first congressional hearing on the Change Healthcare hack; the FDA recently announced the recall of a pair of heart devices linked to numerous deaths and injuries.
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Exploring Medicare Advantage Prior Authorization Variations
March 26th 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with the authors of a study published in the March 2024 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® about their findings on variations in prior authorization use across Medicare Advantage plans.
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