A bipartisan group of senators sent a letter to HHS asking it to rethink its appeal of a recent federal district court decision that limits the use of “copay accumulators" — which are programs insurers use to prevent medication copay assistance from counting toward patients’ deductibles or out-of-pocket maximums.
Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Chair Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) introduced a bipartisan framework that lays out the key challenges federal prescription drug programs are dealing with, as well as potential solutions.
Munck Wilson Mandala Partner Greg Howison shared his perspective on some of the legal ramifications around AI, IP, connected devices and the data they generate, in response to emailed questions.
The Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing Thursday, which discussed how the Pharmacy Benefit Manager Transparency Act would affect practices by pharmacy benefit managers, including clawbacks. Some questioned why PBMs are even necessary.
In a statement, Grassley said the inquiry is “based on reporting from Kaiser Health News” and strong consumer concern about high drug prices.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) suspended rules requiring a quorum for a vote, allowing Price to advance to the full Senate.
At least six members of the two Senate committees tasked with questioning or confirming Tom Price for HHS secretary hold shares in healthcare companies — such as Merck, Medtronic and Gilead — according to a Kaiser Health News analysis.
At the Abarca Forward conference earlier this year, George Van Antwerp, managing director at Deloitte, discussed how social determinants of health and a personalized member experience can improve medication adherence and health outcomes.
HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell has agreed to work with the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee to identify specific ways to fix the faltering Meaningful Use health IT incentive program, either legislatively or administratively. Burwell made the pledge to Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) during a hearing on the HHS 2016 budget before the Senate Appropriations Committee's health subcommittee Thursday,
Mississippi’s two senators, Roger Wicker and Thad Cochran, both Republicans, will reintroduce legislation to extend Medicare coverage for telehealth services in medically underserved areas. Wicker, chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation and the Internet, announced plans during a hearing Tuesday to bring up the Telehealth Advancement Act in the new Congress. […]
On Monday, the Senate confirmed Dr. Vivek Murthy will serve as surgeon general of the United States with a 51-43 vote. The position has been vacant since July 2013, and the main reason it took this long to appoint Murthy was the push back from the National Riffle Association. Murthy, a Harvard- and Yale-educated physician […]