Drug Costs

Congress has been examining ways to address the ongoing problem of generic drug shortages, especially with cancer patients continuing to face severe shortages of widely used generic chemotherapy drugs.  Both the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the Senate Finance Committee have held hearings on generic drug shortages, with the Senate Finance Committee also issuing […]

I previously raised significant concerns about a House health bill that would expand an existing Medicare prohibition on the use of Quality-Adjusted Life Years (QALYs) to other federal programs including Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).  I warned that the bill was overbroad in its prohibition of the use of QALYs and could […]

A bipartisan health price transparency bill — The Lower Costs, More Transparency Act (H.R. 5378) — is scheduled to be considered on the House floor “on suspension” this week.  The bill includes two sound Medicaid provisions related to “spread pricing” in Medicaid managed care and to Medicaid pharmacy reimbursement, which are similar to those included […]

This year, there has been renewed focus in Congress on how to address the ongoing problem of drug shortages, especially with cancer patients now facing severe shortages of widely used generic chemotherapy drugs.  On July 28, 2023, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers unveiled a draft bill intended to address the “root […]

On July 26, 2023, on a 26-1 bipartisan vote, the Senate Finance Committee approved the Modernizing and Ensuring PBM Accountability Act.  The bill includes a number of  Medicare provisions related to pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and pharmacies but also includes two sound Medicaid provisions related to “spread pricing” in Medicaid managed care and to Medicaid […]