This week I’ve repeatedly spoken to groups about the President’s Executive Order (EO) on Most Favored Nation (MFN) pricing and I feel a little vulnerable. I am often “authentic” in my explanations. I recognize that to many people I seem biased on a lot of issues but, in my defense, I find most politics maddening…
Initial take at 3:30 today … which could change as I learn more… The foundational premise of the President’s new Executive Order (EO) is that the United States should pay less for drug and other countries should pay more; there should be an equalization. The Administration will take steps to work with foreign countries and…
Direct Cost. I’ve written about the cuts from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), but I’m not sure I was clear on the impact on pharmaceutical manufacturers. Pharma relies on basic research for its drugs, and they also rely on scientists that have been trained in graduate schools and post-doctoral fellowships to develop and advance…
Let’s wrap up my musings on the President’s Executive Order (EO). Medicaid. Section 6 of the EO directs the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director, the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, and the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, in coordination with the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), to…
Some days I sit down the pottery wheel and I pull 4 bowls or vases in a row that are fantastic. Other days (like, oh, this Sunday and Wednesday) it all collapses. Here is hoping that all of us get better at staying centered and not collapsing. I’d Prefer Not. The 2026 Medicare Advantage and…
Mom and Pop Going Broke. The economics of pharmacies are fascinating. Like did you know they usually lose money on brand-name drugs? A pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) law in Montana would help those pharmacies get closer to at least breaking even and make sure they get dispensing fees. I thought this KFF piece was a…
There are some weeks you get to Friday and it’s just nice. The anticipation of some dopamine, some relaxation over the weekend. There are other weeks where you barrel into Friday and cram everything in so that 5 pm can arrive with a cocktail. Guess which week I’m having… three quick things you should know.…
Smug looks awful on me so it is a good thing I did a terrible job picking my brackets. I need to set a reminder to create 2 brackets next year –one on how I actually think things will go and one on a more whim basis (colors, mascots, which school I think my kids…
I am pretty sure January is actually the whole first half of the year. Bears and hibernation might have the right idea. Old Hat Already: I hit send last week and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the list of 2027 Medicare negotiated drugs. Overall it felt like just another announcement with…
There are some weeks where your long-term success could be impacted if you’re not on top of what’s happening, this isn’t one of those weeks. But these things are cumulative so, if need help on the regular with strategy and health policy (like figuring out what you need to pay attention to, help understanding the…