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Basically, a newly created rate-setting board or an existing government agency, depending upon the state, would determine an “upper payment limit” for any prescription drug — brand-name or generic — that is considered unaffordable after reviewing cost and pricing data submitted by drug makers. In some states, such a ceiling might also apply to fully insured commercial health plans, not just state health programs. In general, the concept builds on efforts to demand more transparency from the pharmaceutical industry while mimicking how governments determine how much is paid for electricity. (Ed Silverman, 4/25)

For people living with asthma and allergies, properly managing these conditions can drastically improve their quality of life. A key tool for patients is prescription medications that can help limit the disruptions associated with asthma and allergy complications. Unfortunately, the high cost of drugs and a complex and arcane rebate distribution system between prescription drug manufacturers and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) who work on behalf of health insurance companies stand in the way of improving the lives of patients. This has real, tangible costs not only for individuals living with asthma and allergies, but for all patients. (Kenneth Mendez, 4/24)

American drug companies pride themselves on innovation, and much of today’s policy debate has focused on the high prices of the newest, patent-protected drugs. But older drugs were innovative once, and some — if available — still offer people with once-deadly diseases their best shot at life. That’s why efforts to make drugs more accessible have to address shortages as well as high prices. Some are. Lifesaving cancer drugs or IV fluids can run short on a routine basis (as I explored in a previous column) and experts also say there’s no plan in place to deal with emergencies. Had the anthrax attacks that occurred in the wake of 9/11 been more extensive, as many feared, there would never have been enough of the recommended antibiotic, Cipro, to go around. (Faye Flam, 4/25)

In June 1974, I rented a room in a lovely bungalow in the village of Vallauris in the hills above Cannes, the same town of stone cottages and tiled roofs where Picasso had maintained his pottery studio. I was furiously at work on my second book, but that summer happened to be particularly dismal for an asthma sufferer. My little apartment gave onto a beautiful little garden filled with plants, which unfortunately only intensified my symptoms. My rescue inhaler was the powerful stimulant and bronchodilator epinephrine, and I was using it so frequently that I began to develop heart palpitations. I was pretty scared. (David A. Andelman, 4/30)

Future prescription drug costs are projected to spike to unsustainable levels. Biologic pharmaceuticals will make up the majority of new drugs, and unfortunately, they are commonly priced at over six figures for a course of treatment. These drugs promise new breakthroughs in treatments for patients with certain targeted conditions, but at prices few can afford.Medicare in particular needs new tools to better balance the incentives for new drug development with our ability to afford them. Despite recent, negative news coverage many health-care professionals would argue that one of the best solutions is to adopt a tactic that is already in use in other sectors of the economy — binding arbitration. (John Rother, 4/24)