Average premiums for insurance plans in the Affordable Care Act marketplaces have dropped by 1.8% this year, marking the third consecutive year of price cuts. This three-year trend has followed an influx of new insurers entering the marketplaces formed by the Obama administration's flagship […]
Regional Variations in Hospital Pricing Represent Potential Policy Target
The RAND Corporation recently published a report finding that, although hospitals’ commercial payer prices didn’t vary widely from Medicare prices, broad price variations existed between individual regions. These price differences, the report pointed out, are potential targets for healthcare pricing […]
ICER Will Develop California State Unsupported Price Reports
The California Health Care Foundation (CHCF) has awarded The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) a new grant to develop 2 California-specific unsupported price increase reports. In addition, the grant will support the development of a policymaker guide to use comparative effectiveness […]
Study: High Prices May Not Translate to Better Care
The old adage “you get what you pay for” doesn’t neccesarily apply to healthcare, according to a recent study published in the National Bureau of Economic Research. The study examined employer sponsored insurance claims data from the Health Care Cost Initiative (HCCI) spanning from June 2007 to […]
Cost-Sharing has Unforeseen Consequences for Patients and Payers
Cost-sharing measures like co-pays, deductibles, and co-insurance are ostensibly intended to help reduce payer costs and have patients take ownership of their care and make responsible treatment decisions. However, this information is not well-conveyed to patients and often results in patients not […]
Drug Rebate Safe Harbor Protections Removed but Loopholes Still Remain
The Department of Health and Human Services (DHS) has nixed the “Safe Harbor” protections for pharma rebates to PBMs, according to Dr. Eric Bricker. Dr. Bricker explains that rebates are essentially a form of kickbacks, and therefore aren’t immune from the “Safe Harbor” laws. Now, rebates must be […]
Congress Pursuing Price Setting Measures that May Not Benefit Patients
In a new PhRMA article, Nicole Longo argues that Congress is starting off the year on a wrong foot with price-setting measures included in the Build Back Better Act (BBBA). She argues that the policies, if passed, would disincentivize research on medications after they’re approved, discourage […]
Michigan Attorney General Seeks Investigation Regarding Eli Lilly’s Exorbitant Insulin Prices
The Michigan Attorney General has asked the courts to approve a formal investigation into Eli Lilly’s excessive insulin prices. The state points out that the prices are having an inordinate impact on consumers in their state, with the average out-of-pocket price approaching $100. While Eli Lilly’s […]
States Can Help Lower Medicine Costs for Patients
Medicine costs for patients have spiked in the past few years, especially for patients with deductibles who often pay the list price for drugs their insurers are compensated for. In a recent PhRMA article, Scott LaGanga recommends several methods by which state legislatures can reduce medicine costs […]
ICER Releases Draft Report on Plinabulin and Trilaciclib for Chemo-induced Neutropenia
The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) has released its draft evidence report for the novel drugs plinabulin (BeyondSpring Pharmaceuticals) and trilaciclib (Cosela™, G1 Therapeutics). The report assessed the comparative clinical effectiveness and value of the two drugs that are […]
