drug costs
Ending copay accumulator programs would make prescription drugs more affordable
There’s nothing more important than one’s health and the health of loved ones. All families have experienced a serious illness at one point or another — and many must deal with complex chronic illnesses. As someone who lives with a bleeding disorder, an autoimmune disorder, a child with a chronic respiratory condition, and a partner […]
Centene agrees to pay Massachusetts $14 million over Medicaid prescription claims
Massachusetts has become the latest state to settle with health insurance giant Centene Corp. over allegations that it overbilled the state’s Medicaid program for pharmacy services. St. Louis-based Centene, the nation’s largest Medicaid managed-care insurer, will pay $14.2 million, according to Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey. Before the Massachusetts agreement, Centene had settled with Ohio, […]
How Medicare prescription drug coverage would change under U.S. Senate Democrats’ bill
WASHINGTON — A major spending bill from U.S. Senate Democrats would allow Medicare for the first time in its history to begin negotiating the prices of certain high-priced prescription drugs — a proposal that’s been around for years but has never come so close to the finish line. Under the legislation, Medicare would start negotiating the […]
Medicare prescription drug negotiation plan advanced by U.S. Senate Democrats
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Democrats have reached a tentative agreement to negotiate the cost of prescription drugs in the Medicare program, the first step in passing a long-stalled package that’s expected to include tax and climate change provisions as well. The deal, brokered between Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin […]
How House Democrats would expand Medicare and Medicaid and lower prescription drug costs
WASHINGTON — New Medicare benefits for older Americans, like dental care. An expansion of eligibility for Medicaid for low-income people in Republican-controlled states that have declined to take that step. And potentially an historic effort to rein in prescription drug prices — if congressional Democrats can work through objections from moderates in their party. The massive […]
Pharmacy middlemen sue to stop rebate transparency
An industry group representing powerful drug middlemen has gone to court to stop a federal rule intended to bring transparency to rebates middlemen get from manufacturers. The middlemen are arguing that the rule, initiated by the Trump administration, will increase drug costs. But the group’s critics say that secretive rebates are a primary driver of […]
U.S. Supreme Court deals big blow to pharmacy middlemen
The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday ruled 8-0 that states have broad powers to regulate powerful pharmacy middlemen without being preempted by federal law. The case was brought by the $400-billion-a-year industry, known as “pharmacy benefit managers,” against the state of Arkansas over a 2015 law that set a minimum, market-based rate the middlemen had […]
Landmark prescription drug pricing bill clears U.S. House
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House passed a landmark health care measure Thursday that proponents say would dramatically reduce the rising cost of prescription drugs and significantly expand access to health care benefits and services. The sweeping legislation passed largely along party lines, with 230 lawmakers voting for it and 192 against. Only two House Republicans […]