In the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 the Congressional Budget Office underestimated – by $4 billion – the amount Medicare would save due to changes in Medicare Part D. Instead of saving $7.7 billion, Medicare will actually save $11.8 billion. The savings come from an increase in the government mandated discount that drug manufacturers must offer enrollees [...] Read More
Here are some reimbursement related reasons why access to biosimilars has been slower than hoped, even though patient out-of-pocket costs are lower. Current System Is an Improvement Over Earlier System, But Could Be Better Part B Is For Biologics (and Some Drugs) When I was working at the Senate Legislative Counsel’s office drafting the Average [...] Read More
This morning, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee held the first congressional hearing on President Donald Trump's plan to combat high drug prices, "American Patients First." The hearing featured testimony from Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar as well as questions from Committee members. Senators on both sides [...] Read More
President Trump has released his long-awaited plan to address prescription drug prices, the mysterious contents of which have been causing heartburn for manufacturers, pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), health plans, and other stakeholders for several weeks. The consensus seemed to be that manufacturers and PBMs were likely to have large targets on their backs. On the […]
Read MoreOn February 6, 2018 the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee held a hearing on prevention and treatment methods for opioid abuse and dependence in Medicare. A panel of senior executives from commercial health plans that serve Medicare beneficiaries, medical professionals, and the Governor of the state of Vermont made up the hearing advisory. Previously, […]
Read MoreOn October 17, 2017, the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee held its second hearing in a series of three to discuss the cost of prescription drugs, titled “The Cost of Prescription Drugs: How the Drug Delivery System Affects What Patients Pay, Part II.” The hearings stem from a bipartisan request from Senators […]
Read MoreOn July 18, 2017, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) hosted a public meeting entitled, “The Hatch-Waxman Amendments: Ensuring a Balance Between Innovation and Access.” The meeting was a public opportunity for interested stakeholders to provide the FDA with information and policy recommendations about how to encourage competition while also maintaining access. Much of the […]
Read MoreOn June 13, 2017, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions (HELP) Committee held a hearing to discuss the cost of prescription drugs, in particular how the drug delivery system affects what patients pay. The hearing was held after a request from a bipartisan group of senators led by Senators Al Franken (D-MN) and Bill […]
Read MoreEarlier today, the Pew Charitable Trusts hosted a panel discussion on potential payment reforms for the Medicare Part B prescription drug payment. The panel featured opening remarks from Dr. Patrick Conway, Acting Principal Deputy Administrator, Deputy Administrator for Innovation and Quality, Chief Medical Officer, at CMS. Following Dr. Conway’s remarks, a panel featuring Dr. Peter […]
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