What You Need to Know About the Drug Price Fight in Those TV Ads
At least nine bills introduced in Congress take aim at pharmacy benefit managers, the powerful middlemen that channel prescription drugs to patients.
Drug Costs
121 - 140 of 698 Results
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Patients Squeezed in Fight Over Who Gets to Bill for Pricey Infusion Drugs
To drive down costs, insurers are bypassing hospital system pharmacies and delivering high-priced infusion drugs, including some used in chemotherapy, via third-party pharmacies. Smarting from losing out on billing for those drugs, hospitals and clinics are trying to convince states to limit this practice, known as "white bagging."
Slow Your Disenroll
Episode 302More than a million Americans have lost Medicaid coverage since pandemic protections ended. The Biden administration is asking states to slow disenrollment, but that does not mean states must listen. Meanwhile, a Supreme Court decision gives Medicaid beneficiaries the right to sue over their care, and a new deal preserves coverage of preventive services nationwide as a Texas court case continues. Rachel Cohrs of Stat, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call join 吃瓜不打烊鈥 Mary Agnes Carey to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, 吃瓜不打烊鈥 Julie Rovner interviews Dan Mendelson, CEO of Morgan Health, a new unit of JPMorgan Chase, about employers鈥 role in insurance coverage.
Debt Deal Leaves Health Programs (Mostly) Intact
Episode 301The bipartisan deal to extend the U.S. government鈥檚 borrowing authority includes future cuts to federal health agencies, but they are smaller than many expected and do not touch Medicare and Medicaid. Meanwhile, Merck & Co. becomes the first drugmaker to sue Medicare officials over the federal health insurance program鈥檚 new authority to negotiate drug prices. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, and Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call join 吃瓜不打烊鈥 chief Washington correspondent, Julie Rovner, to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews 吃瓜不打烊 senior correspondent Sarah Jane Tribble, who reported the latest 吃瓜不打烊-NPR 鈥淏ill of the Month鈥 feature, about the perils of visiting the U.S. with European health insurance.
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Many People Living in the ‘Diabetes Belt’ Are Plagued With Medical Debt
The 鈥淒iabetes Belt,鈥 as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, comprises 644 mostly Southern counties where diabetes rates are high. Of those counties, 吃瓜不打烊 and NPR found, more than half also have high levels of medical debt.
When an Anti-Vaccine Activist Runs for President
Episode 299Robert F. Kennedy Jr.鈥檚 official entry into the presidential race poses a thorny challenge for journalists: how to cover a candidate who鈥檚 opposed to vaccines without amplifying misinformation. And South Carolina becomes the latest state in the South to ban abortion after roughly six weeks of pregnancy. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Rachel Cohrs of Stat, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join 吃瓜不打烊 chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews 吃瓜不打烊 senior correspondent Aneri Pattani about her project to track the billions of dollars coming from opioid makers to settle lawsuits.
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This Panel Will Decide Whose Medicine to Make Affordable. Its Choice Will Be Tricky.
Colorado鈥檚 new Prescription Drug Affordability Board could cap what health plans and consumers pay for certain medications starting next year. The process will pit patient groups against one another.
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A More Aggressive FTC Is Starting to Target Drug Mergers and Industry Middlemen
Industry analysts are skeptical that Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan can win her first fight against a drug industry merger. It will be reviewed by a judge appointed by then-President Donald Trump.
By Arthur Allen -
Are US Prescription Drug Prices 10 Times Those of Other Nations? Only Sometimes
Sen. Bernie Sanders鈥 broad statement that some U.S. drug prices are 10 times those of other nations doesn鈥檛 paint the full picture. Studies we examined generally found that U.S. prices were two to four times those in other countries, not 10.
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PBMs, the Brokers Who Control Drug Prices, Finally Get Washington鈥檚 Attention
Drugmakers, pharmacies, and physicians blame pharmacy benefit managers for high drug prices. Congress is finally on board, too, but will it matter?
By Arthur Allen Dancing Under the Debt Ceiling
Episode 295House Republicans passed their plan to raise the nation鈥檚 debt ceiling, along with major cuts to health (and other domestic) programs. Unlikely to become law, it calls for new work requirements for adults on Medicaid. Meanwhile, state efforts targeting trans people bear a striking resemblance to the fight against abortion rights. Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join 吃瓜不打烊 chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Renuka Rayasam, who reported the latest 吃瓜不打烊-NPR 鈥淏ill of the Month鈥 feature, about a specialist鈥檚 demand to be paid as much as $15,000 before treating a woman鈥檚 serious pregnancy complication.
Will They or Won鈥檛 They (Block the Abortion Pill)?
Episode 294The Supreme Court is considering the future of the abortion pill mifepristone, after GenBioPro sued the FDA over limitations that effectively block generic production of the drug, a major part of the market. Congress is considering proposals that would impose Medicaid work requirements, crack down on pharmacy benefit managers, and more. And President Joe Biden moved to expand health coverage to young immigrants known as 鈥淒reamers.鈥 Rachel Cohrs of Stat, Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call, and Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico join 吃瓜不打烊鈥 Mary Agnes Carey to discuss these issues and more.
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Social Media Is Fueling Enthusiasm for New Weight Loss Drugs. Are Regulators Watching?
Online platforms are overflowing with testimonials for GLP-1s. The drugs show promise for inducing weight loss, but many aren鈥檛 FDA-approved for that use.
By Darius Tahir and Hannah Norman The Confusing Fate of the Abortion Pill
Episode 293The legality and availability of the abortion pill mifepristone is in question after a federal judge in Texas canceled the FDA鈥檚 approval of the first drug used in the two-drug medication abortion regimen. A 5th Circuit Court of Appeals panel overruled that decision in part, saying the pill should remain available, but only under the onerous restrictions in place before 2016. Meanwhile, another federal judge in Washington state issued a ruling in a separate case that conflicts with the Texas decision, ordering the FDA not to roll back any of its restrictions on the drug. Victoria Knight of Axios, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join 吃瓜不打烊 chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.
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The Drug Company That Prospered Without Creating Any Drugs
Horizon Therapeutics, which Amgen is acquiring for about $28 billion, grew large by snapping up cheap drugs from other companies, marketing them to perfection, and jacking up prices.
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Journalists Delve Into Insulin Costs and Prior Authorization Policy
KHN and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Here鈥檚 a collection of their appearances.
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Sen. Sanders Shows Fire, but Seeks Modest Goals, in His Debut Drug Hearing as Health Chair
The Vermont independent and former presidential candidate was all fire and brimstone at his first hearing on drug prices as head of the Senate HELP Committee. He also pursued a more modest goal of covid vaccine price reductions. It isn鈥檛 clear whether Sanders will succeed in even that, but he has put affordability front and center.
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California Picks Generic Drug Company Civica to Produce Low-Cost Insulin
Gov. Gavin Newsom, who blasted pharmaceutical companies for gouging Californians, is moving ahead with state-branded insulin. He鈥檚 also eyeing other generic drugs.
By Angela Hart -
Why Does Insulin Cost So Much? Big Pharma Isn鈥檛 the Only Player Driving Prices
Big Pharma may be moving on from squeezing diabetes patients on insulin prices, but it鈥檚 the arbitrators that jack up prices for those who can least afford them.
By Arthur Allen March Medicaid Madness
Episode 287President Joe Biden and Republicans in Congress spent last month sparring over whether to shield Medicare and Social Security from budget cuts 鈥 leading some to wonder if Medicaid was on the table instead. Biden and Democrats say no, but some Republicans seem eager to trim federal spending on the health program for Americans with low incomes. And ready or not, artificial intelligence is coming to medical care. Benefits, as well as unintended consequences, are likely. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Rachel Cohrs of STAT News, and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post join KHN鈥檚 chief Washington correspondent, Julie Rovner, to discuss these issues and more.