A thoughtful piece on price hikes. Price hikes are the routine story of January. Look price hikes! But because net price hides behind discounts and rebates, the full story is seldom in media. Here is a story that is (finally) a little more balanced on price hikes (and decreases). It even talks about the new…
Orange you glad? Florida got approval from the Food and Drug Administration to import drugs from Canada. Ho-hum. The “how” still has to be figured out and approved and that isn’t easy. Canada has about the population of California. It doesn’t want to supply the United States with drugs. It’s one of those ideas that…
For the policy wonk that has everything. I give you the 2025 Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters. Everything you wanted to know about DIR but were afraid to ask. Direct remuneration (DIR) doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue but it is a big part of the behind the scenes reimbursement of pharmacies. DIR are…
Guess which one costs more. This Wall Street Journal article has been making the rounds this week. It highlights how if there are two prices for a drug, plans tend to prefer the higher cost one with higher rebates. I hesitate to call it news because it seems so obvious to those of us who…
Caught my ear? This story on NPR about drug shortages and how one woman is trying to plug the holes was fantastic. Two takeaways – (1) never underestimate a mother whose kid needs help and (2) figuring out drug shortages should be more systematic and not a game of “whack a mole.” Nothing but net.…
Want a friend, get a cat. A doctor prescribes a cat for a patient. I question the out-of-pocket costs of the Rx, but point taken. Speaking of PETS. A few Alzheimer’s updates – Déjà vu. The Part B premiums increased in 2024 due to newly approved Alzheimer’s treatments. It wasn’t noted in the fact sheet…
Patients driving change. I love this story because it involves Carl Schmid, patient groups and copay accumulators. Copay accumulators are when insurance does not allow pharmaceutical manufacturer contributions to count towards patient out-of-pocket spending calculations. Thanks to the HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute, the Diabetes Leadership Council and the Diabetes Patient Advocacy Coalition and their suit against…
Leave the gun, take the cannoli. House Energy and Commerce hearing on Medicare price negotiation gets feisty. Not often that the mafia comes up on the House floor but an interesting comparison of price negotiation and an offer they can’t refuse. I doubt Congressman Griffith (R-VA) and I agree on much politically but on this,…