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…
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 ……
In the DC area, with many family, friends and neighbors working for the federal government, these last few weeks have felt downright crappy. Furloughs, contracts being upended, fear about what’s next — all for people who love their jobs serving the public. It isn’t a fork in the road, it feels like a game of…
Tell me a Story. If you’ve been reading my stuff for a while, you know that I love a good lawsuit filing. Sometimes the lawyers get a little spicy. Teva filed suit against the federal government for the Inflation Reduction Act and it has a few gems: The suit is different from others that have…
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…
Caught my eye .. This week I am struck by connections between 340B and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) in terms of being issue areas that need complete makeovers. A glow up won’t do; we’re beyond that. But the trajectory toward change is very different. PBMs and payers (maybe) benefit from the way PBMs currently work.…
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…
On the pile. 46Brooklyn put out a piece demonstrating the difficulty of understanding drug prices. It is a doozy of a read. A set-aside-time-to-concentrate read. But if you are skeptical about drug pricing and want to lump it all on manufacturers, you should take the time to read it. Big picture, there is no single…
Just 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…
A 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…