 Health Care |
Health Care |
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Biden nets win with drug price negotiations |
The Biden administration took a victory lap Tuesday as the White House confirmed all 10 manufacturers of the first drugs selected for Medicare price negotiations will be participating in the program. |
This comes despite the fact that many of the companies are currently suing the administration in an effort to halt the process. For outside observers, it wasn't a surprise. Despite the lawsuits and threats, drug companies want to sell their products in the Medicare marketplace. They could either play ball with the administration and negotiate a price, or they could leave.
- Allowing Medicare to negotiate the price of prescription drugs is politically very popular — a September AP/NORC poll found 76 percent of Americans favor the policy, and that includes a majorities of Republicans and Democrats.
- But the same poll also showed Americans were split on their approval of how President Biden is handling the issue of prescription drug prices, illustrating the challenge ahead for the administration and Biden's reelection pitch.
"For decades, Big Pharma fought to block Medicare from directly negotiating lower drug prices for seniors and other Medicare beneficiaries," the White House said. "President Biden and Congressional Democrats finally beat Big Pharma and allowed Medicare to directly negotiate lower drug prices by passing the Inflation Reduction Act." Last year, about 9 million Medicare enrollees spent $3.4 billion out of pocket on the selected drugs from companies, including Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Bristol Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca, the White House said. Drugmakers have been fighting against negotiation since the Inflation Reduction Act passed last year, and there have been at least nine separate lawsuits filed across the country as part of the effort. A federal judge last week denied an attempt by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to temporarily block implementation of the negotiation process, the first time a judge weighed in on the program. But the judge also denied the government's motion to dismiss the case, so the lawsuit will continue. |
Welcome to The Hill's Health Care newsletter, we're Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health. |
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How policy will be impacting the health care sector this week and beyond: |
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The inability of Congress to renew the primary U.S. program for combating AIDS across the world sends a message that America is “backing down from our leadership in ending HIV/AIDS as a public health threat,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Monday. The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) was not included in legislation to fund the government, meaning parts of the program expired … |
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| The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted emergency use authorization to Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday, bringing the number of immunizations effective against the current circulating strain up to three. Novavax’s vaccine, a more traditional protein-based shot that differs from the mRNA vaccines that have become commonplace, has been authorized for people 12 years of age and older. Previously vaccinated … |
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| A White House proposal to bar medical bills from being used in credit reporting won't get rid of the debt itself or prevent future debts from being accrued, but the move could be transformative for many. The Biden administration and debt advocates argue medical debt is not a good predictor of a person's credit worthiness, hence why it should be excluded from the information creditors can use. And they say shielding the … |
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Upcoming news themes and events we're watching: |
- An FDA vaccine advisory committee meets Thursday to discuss strain selection for the 2024 flu vaccine.
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Branch out with a different read from The Hill: |
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US adds another option for fall COVID vaccination with updated Novavax shots |
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. regulators on Tuesday authorized another option for fall COVID-19 vaccination, updated shots made by Novavax. Updated vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna began rolling out last month, intended for adults and children as young as age 6 months. Now the Food and Drug Administration has added another choice –- reformulated … |
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Local and state headlines on health care: |
- Kaiser Permanente workers poised to strike (The New York Times)
- Inside a New York City hospital on the front lines of the migrant crisis (NBC News)
- 'They just tried to scare us': How anti-abortion centers teach sex ed inside public schools (Hechinger Report)
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Health news we've flagged from other outlets: |
- As conservative views collide with science, doctors find themselves navigating political landmines (Stat)
- America can prevent (and control) Type 2 diabetes. So why aren't we doing it? (USA Today)
- Police blame some deaths on 'excited delirium.' ER docs consider pulling the plug on the term. (KFF Health New)
- An epidemic of chronic illness is killing us too soon (The Washington Post)
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Most read stories on The Hill right now: |
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Eight House Republicans joined House Democrats in removing Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) from his post as Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives … Read more |
| The House voted Tuesday to oust Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), a vote that hasn’t taken place in more than 100 years. Rep. Patrick McHenry … Read more |
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Opinions related to health submitted to The Hill: |
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You're all caught up. See you tomorrow! |
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