What We're Reading: Senate Finance Passes Drug Bill; Juul House Investigation; States Plan for Post-ACA Era

Senate Finance Committee Voted 19-9 to Move Drug Pricing Bill but Divisions Remain Legislation

House Panel Says Juul Targeted Youth With Health Education Programming

Governors Ponder Next Moves if ACA Is Struck Down

Amid a contentious debate, the Senate Finance Committee voted 19-9 to advance legislation introduced by Senators Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, to rein in drug costs in Medicare and Medicaid. But a number of Republican senators object to a measure that would cap drug prices paid by Medicare based on the rate of inflation, siding with manufacturers against their own leadership, Kaiser Health News reported. Meanwhile, Democrats, who support the bill, said they won’t allow a vote without the Republicans agreeing to hold votes on cementing insurance protections for people with preexisting conditions and also give federal health officials to negotiate drug prices.A House of Representatives subcommittee accused Juul Labs, maker of the ubiqutious e-cigarette device blamed for a youth vaping epidemic, of targeting children through health promotion activities at about a half dozen schools and summer camps, The Washington Post reported. The panel’s investigation, based on 55,000 documents, also showed the company had concerns about the program, which was short lived.At their annual meeting this week, governors from around the country are discussing what they will do if a federal appeals court invalidates the Affordable Care Act, The Associated Press reported. The National Governors Association is meeting in Utah, and some states led by Democrats, such as Nevada and New Mexico, are writing their own legislation and making contingency plans; Arkansas is looking to Congress to pass a new plan.