
We have some new folks around these parts so quick intro. I’m Jennifer Snow. I’ve spent 25 years inside the U.S. pharmaceutical policy world, not watching it from the outside, but sitting in the meetings, reading the rules, and translating what they actually mean for the people whose drugs are on the line. I’m not…

Something is bugging me this week. Okay, lots of things are bugging me this week, but the one that is relevant to this newsletter is the STAT News headline that implied it is awesome to be a pharmaceutical executive in 2026. This week, there were reports of more than 25,000 layoffs in pharma last year.…

Ho, Ho. Ho, Ho. It’s likely back to work you go. If you checked out the last week, here is what you might need to know before you get too far into your week. I will have the regular AMP is WAC on Friday but a catch-up felt in order. Waiting Game. The rollout of…

This week is such a kick in the pants with it getting dark so early. I’ve become like a cat chasing the daylight from room to room, ending my day on a swivel club chair that catches the very last rays of the setting sun. Have laptop, will travel. Shoe Drop. Late yesterday afternoon, the…

You won’t be surprised when I tell you that my favorite Halloween costume was when I wore a pair of scrubs with vinyl records attached (Spin Doctor). Yep. Right up there with Freudian slips. This year I will stick to my usual costume: the nice lady who hands out full-size bars to 200+ neighborhood kids.…

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…

With the exception of the ending of demos/models at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI), most of the news kind of rolled over me this week. So, instead, here is a capture of what is rattling around my chamber of health policy worries. Who’s on first? What’s on second? I don’t know ……

Roses are red. Violets are blue. I love health policy, how about you? Public Health Gap: This week a poll found that a quarter of Americans see healthcare access and affordability as their top public health concern and think it would be best solved on the federal level. Among Democrats, 32% had it as their…

If you haven’t trained your teams on Medicare Part D changes for 2025, hop to it. Or reach out to me. These are January 1 issues and we’re about to hit October…. Let me clear my throat. The STAT news breaking news headline read “Sanders says pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) won’t penalize Novo for cutting…

Maybe 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.…