So perhaps “yesterday was not a good day” for you (as Novartis stated after its $1.2 million contract with Michael Cohen made information) however right this moment is Friday! And meaning simply a few hours left till the weekend.
To aid you get by that final little bit, right here’s a cheat sheet of tales you might need missed this week in well being care.
President Donald Trump spoke from the White House about plans to curb drug costs, however pharma wasn’t precisely quaking on the proposed modifications. Pharmacy profit managers (forged by some well being care gamers because the villains-du-jour for prime prices), however, would possibly need to be.
Foreign governments’ “freeloading” can be anticipated to be a goal (although specialists say elevating prices in Europe isn’t going to have an effect on Americans’ pharmacy payments), whereas Trump is backing off the thought of letting Medicare negotiate drug costs.
Reuters: Trump Plan for Drug Prices Seen Largely Sparing Industry
The New York Times: Trump to Drop Call for Medicare to Negotiate Lower Drug Prices
Enthusiasm for Medicaid work necessities is working headlong into considerations over Native Americans’ rights over at HHS. Top officers on the company and Hill Republicans (who’re excited — to say the least — in regards to the work mandate for most people) need to exempt Native Americans from the restrictions. But their palms are tied by the HHS Office of General Counsel, which has dominated that it could be an unlawful racial desire. So, nobody’s completely satisfied, the optics are dangerous, and a large authorized struggle is likely to be about to land on the authorities’s door.
Politico: Trump Challenge to Native Americans’ Health Splits HHS, Alarms Hill GOP
Officials are drawing a line at lifetime limits, at the least for now. And within the states: Budget cuts simply obtained very actual for probably 1000’s of Louisiana nursing house residents, and California pushes to broaden Medicaid advantages to undocumented immigrants.
The Hill: Trump Officials Reject Medicaid Lifetime Limits in Kansas
CNN: Tens of Thousands of Louisiana Residents Could Face Eviction
Sacramento Bee: CA Lawmakers Push Health Care for Undocumented Immigrants
As the primary glimpse of eye-popping premium hikes for subsequent yr trickle in, Democrats are being vocal about their plans to level fingers. “We Democrats are going to be relentless in making sure the American people exactly understand who is to blame for the rates,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) stated.
Bloomberg: Obamacare Premiums to Surge Next Year, Early Requests Show
The Hill: Schumer: Dems Will Be ‘Relentless’ in Attacking GOP for Premium Hikes
And Trump is likely to be boasting that he all however removed the well being regulation, however the Internal Revenue Service is sending a unique message. In truth, the company is policing the employer mandate extra aggressively than it did even underneath the Obama administration. Businesses are lower than happy, however there’s no political capital mendacity round proper now (see: above) to get lawmakers to aim any extra tweaks to the laws.
The New York Times: Trump Says He Got Rid of Obamacare. The I.R.S. Doesn’t Agree.
In the miscellaneous file for the week: VA’s management vacuum on the high is simply the tip of the iceberg for the company’s dire staffing scenario (“I’ve never known the enthusiastic mass exodus of an organization’s most knowledgeable and experienced personnel to be an indication that all is well,” stated one official); these outrageous pharma value tags are dangerous sufficient for folks with insurance coverage, however what occurs when these within the Amish neighborhood want an $850,000 drug?; to the shock of nobody, many of the drug distributors hauled in entrance of Congress this week skirted any accountability for the opioid disaster (with the cash quote coming from Rep. David McKinley (R-W.Va.): “I just want you to feel shame”); and states determined for an alternative choice to deadly injection are eyeing nitrogen, hearkening again to the times of fuel chambers.
The New York Times: V.A. Medical System Staggers As Chaos Engulfs Its Leadership
Stat: With No Insurance, Amish Want Discount on Spark’s Pricey Gene Therapy
Stat: Congressman To Drug Distributors: ‘I Just Want You To Feel Shame’
The New York Times: States Turn To An Unproven Method Of Execution: Nitrogen Gas
Have an incredible weekend! And in case your allergic reactions are dangerous (as I’ve heard is the case this week), perhaps double-check to ensure you aren’t really leaking brain fluid.