AMP is WAC (and other thoughts)
Latest posts and updates
ABOUT AMP is WAC
Average Manufacturer Price (AMP) is not equal to Wholesale Acquisition Cost (WAC), but it is close. And since the whole world of health policy and reimbursement is a bit WAC-y, that’s what we’re calling this update/blog part of the site. All of the opinions and thoughts presented here are our own and not the views of clients or affiliates.
-
MP3 Take 2
Read more: MP3 Take 2For 2024, the Medicare prescription benefit (Part D) has implemented an out-of-pocket cap (OOP) for beneficiaries. Once they spend $8,000, they have $0 cost sharing. For patients on branded medicines, this can bring the total annual OOP to about $3,300. But in 2025, the Part D redesign (courtesy of the Inflation Reduction Act) gets much…
-
Caught my eye — 8/30/24
Read more: Caught my eye — 8/30/24In many places, this is the last weekend to hit the pool so let’s keep this short so you can get out there and get the most out of this long weekend. Just two quick stories and you’re off. DTC You Know Me. Both Lilly and Pfizer made news this week with their latest direct…
-
340B, Caught my eye, Drug Prices, Generics, Inflation Reduction Act, Medicare Negotiation, Medicare Part D, Medicare Transaction FacilitatorCaught my eye — 8/23/24
Read more: Caught my eye — 8/23/24It’s an Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) hangover kind of week. Last week the first Medicare negotiated prices for 2026 were announced and this week is the “what does this mean?” week with everyone catching up and chiming in. What I wrote last week stands but if you want another review, Health Affairs/KFF has you covered.…
-
Biosimilars, Caught my eye, Drug Prices, Employers, Inflation Reduction Act, Medicare Negotiation, Medicare Part D, Pharmacy Benefit ManagersCaught my eye — 8/16/24
Read more: Caught my eye — 8/16/24Just a quiet health policy week. Well actually, depending on your level of wonkiness, it kind of was? But let’s get into what you need to know. They’re Here! On Thursday, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released the “negotiated” prices for the initial ten Medicare prescription drug benefit drugs (Part D); these prices…
-
The Day has Arrived
Read more: The Day has ArrivedIn my 20s, today would have been like the Super Bowl for nerdiness. I would have been really excited about the first look at the negotiated rates for the first 10 drugs, effective January 2026. But I’m not. Why is my wonkiness holding back? So my hunch is that plans will put the competitor drugs…
-
Caught my eye — 8/9/24
Read more: Caught my eye — 8/9/24A pretty quiet week for pharma health policy but there are a few things I think you should know … The Auchincloss Venn Diagram. Brian Reid improved upon Congressman Auchincloss’s diagram and I think it provides a great way to think about pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) reform. No chicken, no egg – straight to the…
-
Caught my eye, Inflation Reduction Act, Medicare Negotiation, Medicare Part D, State-based Reform, UncategorizedCaught my eye — 08/02/24
Read more: Caught my eye — 08/02/24Up, up and away. Earlier this week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced initial premium information for the 2025 Medicare prescription drug benefit. The base beneficiary premium went up 6% or $2.08 to $36.78. Which sounds okay until you realize that 6% is a capped amount due to the Inflation Reduction Act.…
-
Caught my eye — 07/26/24
Read more: Caught my eye — 07/26/24Let’s be honest, health policy has sort of taken a backseat when it comes to what we’re all tracking these days. And that’s okay. If you’ve taken a deserved timeout, let me catch you up on what caught my eye. Ice Ice Baby. The House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Accountability released a report…
-
When Less is More (in a not good way)
Read more: When Less is More (in a not good way)According to the June 2024 analysis by Milliman for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), the Inflation Reduction Act’s (IRA) drug pricing provisions could increase out-of-pocket (OOP) costs for 3.5 million Medicare Part D patients in 2026. The analysis estimates that beneficiaries who take medicines subject to the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program (MDPNP) could…
-
Caught my eye — 7/12/24
Read more: Caught my eye — 7/12/24Maybe it’s summer, maybe it’s an existential crisis but none of the news of late feels all that important. Not on my bingo card. This week the Federal Trade Commission released an interim report on pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). It was a takedown of the industry but that’s just words, not action. Unless it isn’t.…
Latest news
- Caught my eye — 4/4/25
- Caught my eye — 03/28/25
- Caught my eye — 3/21/25
- Caught my eye — 3/14/25
- Caught my eye — 03/07/25
Categories
- 340B (34)
- Affordable Care Act (4)
- Alzheimer's (5)
- Biosimilars (20)
- Caught my eye (62)
- Cell and Gene (1)
- Chevron Deference (2)
- CMMI (10)
- Copay Accumulators (6)
- COVID (2)
- Drug Prices (31)
- Drug shortages (8)
- DTC (2)
- Employers (7)
- Generics (5)
- Health Equity (3)
- Healthcare Costs (28)
- ICER (9)
- Importation (2)
- Inflation Reduction Act (46)
- Insulin (4)
- IP (3)
- Long term care (1)
- Medicaid (6)
- Medicare Advantage (15)
- Medicare Negotiation (49)
- Medicare Part D (44)
- Medicare Transaction Facilitator (3)
- Medicare Transaction Facilitator (8)
- Obesity (20)
- On the Horizon (1)
- Orphan Drugs (3)
- Pharmacy Benefit Managers (29)
- Reference Pricing (5)
- State-based Reform (15)
- Supply Chain (1)
- Uncategorized (5)
- Utilization Management (1)
- Vaccines (4)
- Value (12)