Pharmaceutical Pricing: Lack of Competition in the Pharmaceutical Market Introduction Rising healthcare expenditures have been a source of concern for many years, but more recently, the concern has begun to focus specifically on prices and spending on prescription drugs, and for good reason. In 2015, expenditures on prescription drugs rose faster than overall healthcare spending.[1] According to a report issued by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHS), while overall healthcare spending has risen at a consistent rate, pharmaceutical spending sharply rose from 2010 to 2014. The high prices …

Happy December! We hope everyone got some rest and had a delicious feast over the Thanksgiving holiday. Our roundup of November academic articles and reports covers publications on the following issues: (1) the effect of the Supreme Court’s decision in Gobeille on All-Payer Claims Databases (APCDs)|(2) pharmaceutical pricing|(3) price transparency tools’ impact on consumer choice of hospital|and (4) cross-market hospital mergers. APCDs In All-Payer Claims Databases – Uses and Expanded Prospects after Gobeille (New England Journal of Medicine), John D. Freedman, Linda Green, and Bruce E. Landon discuss how the …

In the second presidential debate, an undecided voter asked Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump how they would each address high healthcare costs and improve insurance coverage. It was an opportunity for the campaigns to highlight their visions on health policy, which has been outside the spotlight for most of the campaign. Clinton’s answer focused on fixing the rising costs of ACA exchange plans, while Trump argued that the ACA should be repealed, and replaced with rules that allow insurance to be purchased across state lines. There’s a lot to discuss …