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.
CMS released a final rule to help patients obtain Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage and issued a proposed rule to update Medicare payment policies and rates for inpatient rehabilitation facilities; debate over if gift card incentives are acceptable in health care marketing.
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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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A global AIDS program that was in limbo for months got temporary relief after congressional negotiators agreed to a 1-year renewal in the next government funding package; the outcome of the November presidential election could determine the state of fetal tissue research in the US; federal officials and industry executives failed to make improvements that stop hacking attacks.
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Navigating Health Literacy, Social Determinants, and Discrimination in National Health Plans
February 13th 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with the authors of a study published in the February 2024 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® about their findings on how health plans can screen for health literacy, social determinants of health, and perceived health care discrimination.
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Fragmented Payer System, Vulnerable Supply Chain Among Threats to Accessing Essential Medicines
March 13th 2024During a session of the 2024 V-BID Summit, panelists Stacie Dusetzina, PhD, and Inma Hernandez, PharmD, PhD, discussed how access to essential medications is curtailed not just by the longstanding complexities of insurance design but also by emerging threats such as supply chain weaknesses and cyberattacks.
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Most private health insurers have yet to publish criteria for when they will cover postpartum depression drug, zuranolone; state lawmakers are increasingly opposing health care mergers that they believe do not serve the public interest; Medicaid extensions made in 2021 led to a 40% decline in postpartum lack of insurance.
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