Author's posts
Unmet Medical Needs Persist Across Many Diseases
Unmet need is a persistent problem in the orphan and neglected diseases spaces, but can also be found in a plethora of non-orphan and non-neglected disease categories. Insufficient R&D can be a reason, and scientific bottlenecks also contribute to unme…
Looking Into A Crystal Ball: Some Healthcare Predictions For 2019
Three predictions for 2019: Reductions in list or Wholesale Acquisition Cost prices of a number of high-profile drugs, coupled with changes in the current rebate system; continued ascension of biosimilars, and; downward turn in the economy leading to a…
Texas Judge Deals Obamacare A Major Blow
Another judicial attempt to invalidate the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was given a major boost on Friday, December 14th, when a federal judge in Texas ruled that the ACA is unconstitutional.
Value-Based Pricing And Reimbursement: Still More Promise Than Reality
There’s been an uptick in value- or outcomes-based contracts. Yet, operational barriers persist, including achieving consensus on what constitutes value, the need for extensive outcomes data collection, and the administrative costs of managing value-ba…
Is It Rational For Employers And Payers To Be Hooked On Prescription Drug Rebates?
The fact that plan sponsors may like rebates, as reflected in their supposed preference for rebates over alternatives does not necessarily mean rebating is rational for the plan sponsor, or for society as a whole. It could mean that they’re simply accu…
HHS Making Bundled Payments Mandatory Again
Provisions for mandatory bundled payments that had been included in the Affordable Care Act for a number of conditions were cancelled or scaled back in 2017. But, after temporarily being put on hold, bundled payment models are going to be made mandator…
Politicians’ Narrow Focus On Prescription Drug Spending Is Myopic
If the politicians and policymakers’ intent is to bend the healthcare cost curve, they must address growth in expenditures across all healthcare sectors, and not narrowly focus on prescription drug spending.
For Some Patients Financial Toxicity Is Real And Getting Worse
Financial toxicity is a collective problem which has become politicized to a degree that eludes the ability of politicians, policymakers, and other key stakeholders from the health insurance, pharmacy benefit management, and drug industries to find com…
4 Million Dollars Or Your Life
Interestingly, in support of the eye-popping $4 million figure for a gene therapy in development targeting type 1 spinal muscular atrophy, Novartis has added a line of defense, suggesting the gene replacement therapy would be cost-effective.
Medicare Part D Changes: Empowering The Plan, Not Necessarily The Beneficiary
A slew of measures have been put forward that empower Medicare Part D plans, whether stand-alone or Medicare Advantage. They don’t, however, necessarily empower the Medicare beneficiary.
