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Many Unanswered Questions: Will the Trump Administration’s Drug Pricing Deals Result in Any Cost Savings for State Medicaid Programs?
Over the last month, the White House has widely touted pricing agreements from two drug manufacturers — Pfizer and AstraZeneca — which it claims will result in substantial prescription drug cost savings for state Medicaid programs. According to the White House, under these agreements, the manufacturers will provide “Most Favored Nation (MFN)” prices, based on…
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What to Expect for Open Enrollment, 2026 Edition
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplaces have had their ups and downs over the last decade, but it’s hard to find a year when consumers have faced more uncertainty going into an open enrollment period. “Window shopping” for 2026 Marketplace health plans has already begun in several states and open enrollment begins in most states on November…
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Trump Administration Severely Limits Rural Health Transformation Funds for Rural Hospitals and Clinics – Capped at 15%
Passage of the budget reconciliation law signed into law by President Trump (HR1) will result in a gross reduction of $990 billion in federal Medicaid and CHIP spending over 10 years and an increase in the number of uninsured Americans of 10 million. These are the largest health cuts in Medicaid’s history, and passage of…
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How Can the Rural Health Transformation Fund Help Make Maternal Health Great Again?
The passing of the HR.1 bill has threatened the vitality of rural health in America. To soften the blow, the Trump administration included a $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Fund (RHTF). States are preparing their applications that are due on November 5th. There is a lot to unpack with the RHTF. My colleague Adam Searing…
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The Vaccines for Children Program: A Solution to a Complex Challenge
Between 1982 and 1986, a vaccine liability crisis loomed as the greatest threat to immunizing our children. In this light, the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986 (P.L. 99-660) was enacted to address this problem by creating a system for “no-fault” compensation for families of children with adverse conditions related to routine pediatric immunizations.…
