PRICE AND QUALITY TRANSPARENCY
Spotlight on 2018 State Drug Legislation: Part 3 – Pharmacist Gag Clauses
Katie Gudiksen, Senior Health Policy Researcher August 28, 2018
*Last Update: This post was written before the end of the 2018 legislative session. For the most recent count of states that passed these legislation, see the Spotlight on 2018 State Drug Legislation Summary: The Year in Review or download our Summary Chart. *Updated 10/10/18: Since the original publication, the federal government enacted laws to ensure a federal ban on pharmaceutical gag-clauses. On Wednesday, October 10, President Trump signed into law both bills passed by Congress to ban gag clauses in pharmacy contracts: the Patient Right to Know Drug Prices …
Continue Reading Download PDF The Source Roundup: August 2018 Edition
Tiffany Wang, Student Fellow August 1, 2018
Happy August! In this edition of the Source Roundup, we cover four academic articles and reports from June and July. The topics this month include: (1) price transparency as a means to affordable health care; (2) effect of state-based individual mandates; (3) Trump’s 5-Part Medicare Part D plan; and (4) Medicare’s experiment with bundled payments. Price Transparency Goals to Achieve Affordable Health Care Skeptics have questioned whether consumer price transparency initiatives are an effective means of driving down healthcare costs. In the NEJM Catalyst article, “Defining the Goals of …
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California Legislative Beat: Transformative Healthcare Bills of 2018 (Pt. 2)
Sammy Chang, Health Policy Researcher July 23, 2018
Year two of California’s 2017-2018 legislative session continues to be an active one with the introduction of new innovative healthcare bills. As lawmakers work diligently, this month’s California Legislative Beat continues to look at some 2018 bills that can potentially change the California healthcare landscape. AB 2499: This bill would increase the medical loss ratio (MLR) by 5%, from 85% to 90% for a health plan or health insurer in the large group market, and from 80% to 85% for a health plan or health insurer in the individual market. …
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The Source Executive Editor Jaime King Testifies at Congressional Hearing on Price Transparency
Amy Y. Gu, Managing Editor July 17, 2018
The Source’s Executor Editor Jaime S. King is testifying on July 17th at the House Energy & Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations hearing: “Examining State Efforts to Improve Transparency of Health Care Costs for Consumers.” Professor King proposes five changes at the federal level to address barriers to transparency in healthcare and maximize the potential of existing state initiatives: 1) address ERISA preemption challenges, 2) encourage consumer price shopping initiatives, 3) create a public interest exemption to trade secrets, 4) mandate interoperability of electronic medical records systems, and 5) …
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Litigation and Enforcement Highlights – July 2018
Amy Y. Gu, Managing Editor July 16, 2018
June has been a busy month in terms of healthcare litigation and enforcement action. In this issue, we highlight 1) implications of the AT&T-Time Warner merger for vertical mergers in healthcare, 2) FTC’s big win in a pharmaceutical pay-for-delay case, and 3) constitutional challenges against state drug pricing laws. AT&T-Time Warner Merger Encourages Healthcare Vertical Mergers but May Mean Little Last month, a federal court approved AT&T and Time Warner’s $85 billion merger without condition, setting off a wave of speculation on how the decision could impact pending healthcare …
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Source Advisory Board Member Tim Greaney Offers Policy Recommendations in Healthcare Antitrust White Paper
Amy Y. Gu, Managing Editor June 29, 2018
Source Advisory Board Member Tim Greaney co-authored a two-part white paper with Professor Barak Richman of Duke University for the American Antitrust Institute (AAI) on healthcare competition. In Part I of the series, Greaney and Richman provide an in-depth analysis of consolidation in the markets for delivery and payment of healthcare services by taking a close look at horizontal and vertical mergers in both the provider and insurer markets. The paper identifies major competition concerns brought on by consolidation and suggest further academic and policy research to support more vigorous antitrust enforcement. In Part II, Greaney and …
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Reference Pricing: When Transparency Is Not Enough
Katie Gudiksen, Senior Health Policy Researcher June 12, 2018
In most markets, consumers can compare prices and shop for the items they want. For example, to buy a new pair of shoes, a consumer can typically drive to a shopping mall and choose from a number of stores. Each store typically carries a number of different styles and brands. The consumer might choose to pay $500 for a designer pair of heels or $25 for an inexpensive pair of tennis shoes. The consumer can also shop online and have the shoes shipped to his or her home. Regardless of …
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Will Putting “American Patients First” Result in Lower Drug Prices?
Katie Gudiksen, Senior Health Policy Researcher May 30, 2018
On May 11, 2018, the Trump Administration released American Patients First, a blueprint to lower drug costs (the blueprint). The report details four challenges with the prescription drug market, including high list prices for drugs, high and rising out-of-pocket costs for patients, government programs that overpay for drugs due to the lack of negotiation tools, and foreign governments “free-riding” off of American investment in innovation. To address these challenges, the report also lays out four key strategies for reform, including a list of more than fifty recommendations with both immediate and …
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California Legislative Beat: Noteworthy 2017 Bills Still Pending That Should be Passed
Sammy Chang, Health Policy Researcher May 24, 2018
As year two of the California legislative session goes into full swing, a couple of bills introduced in 2017 are still active and waiting to be passed. This month’s post will look at four active 2017 bills that should be considered for passage. SB 199: This bill authorizes the creation of an advisory committee to research and develop recommendations on the creation of a database to be titled California Health Care Cost, Quality, and Equity Atlas. This bill is the first step to creating a statewide database that would collect …
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The Source Roundup: May 2018 Edition
Amy Y. Gu, Managing Editor May 1, 2018
Happy May! In this edition of the Source Roundup, we cover four academic articles and reports from March and April. The topics this month include: 1) the unfilled promise of price transparency to encourage price shopping, 2) FDA’s actions on prescription drug prices, 3) the phenomenon of overpayment for prescription drugs, and 4) results of Maryland’s All-Payer global hospital budgeting program. Unfulfilled Promise of Price Transparency to Encourage Price ShoppingIn Promise and Reality of Price Transparency, a health policy report published by the New England Journal of Medicine, authors Ateev Mehrotra, Michael …
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