Legislative session focused on PBM reform, behavioral health coverage
Lawmakers approved sweeping changes to pharmacy benefit managers and removed prior authorization for some behavioral health services during the recently concluded spring session. Below is a roundup of some of the proposals that […]
American Cancer Society rally to reduce cancer burden
Cancer advocates rallied in Springfield this week to call on state lawmakers to improve access to colorectal cancer screenings and to support taxing other tobacco products at an equal rate to cigarettes.
Dentists seek greater Medicaid reimbursement for pediatric care
Illinois dentists are asking lawmakers to increase the Medicaid dental reimbursement rates they receive for pediatric care.
Medicare a Big Contributor to the Broken Health Payment System, Senators Told
Who is to blame for America’s broken healthcare payment system? Witnesses and lawmakers mostly pointed fingers at Medicare during Wednesday’s Senate Budget Committee hearing on how primary care improves healthcare efficiency. “Medicare’s fee schedule has created this unbalanced delivery system and primary care crisis,” said Christopher Koller, president of the Milbank Memorial Fund, in New […]
House Lawmakers Clash Over Gender-Affirming Care in Youth
Lawmakers clashed over the safety of gender-affirming care in minors on Thursday, during a hearing of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government. Republicans condemned the practice, which they characterized as “mutilation,” while Democrats argued such care is safe and effective, citing the support of multiple medical groups. Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Mike […]
Lawmakers, Experts on PBMs: ‘Gangsters’ or Scapegoats in the Drug Price Wars?
Expert witnesses and lawmakers tussled over who is really to blame for high drug costs during a hearing focused on pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) held by the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability on Tuesday. While PBMs are meant to lower costs by negotiating rebates on a drug’s list price, multiple experts have noted that […]
Opinion | Patients Are Dying in Emergency Department Waiting Rooms
A special session of Congress was called 35 years ago to make lawmakers and the public aware of stories of patients left to die in hospital parking lots for lack of insurance. Around the time of that congressional testimony, called “Equal Access to Health Care: Patient Dumping,” a new guarantee came about: that any individual […]
Google Commits To I.D. Real Abortion Clinics So Women Won’t Be Tricked By Fakes
Google has informed lawmakers that its searches, maps and ads will aim to accurately label abortion clinics so they can easily be found — and so that women won’t be tricked by anti-abortion fakes. The company is rolling out an update that will make it easier for people to find places that offer the services […]
Long COVID Patients Need Equal Access to Care and Sick Leave, Advocates Urge
Advocates, physicians, and lawmakers underscored the urgent need for paid sick leave and access to care for long COVID patients, as well as the importance of believing patients, during a House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis hearing. Data gathered by the Census Bureau in early June estimated that nearly one in five American adults […]
More Work Needed to Clean Up Polluted Drinking Water, Experts Tell House Members
WASHINGTON — Not enough is being done to get chemical contaminants out of U.S. waterways, witnesses and lawmakers agreed during a hearing on challenges to water quality held by the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure’s Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment. “The last administration needlessly weakened Clean Water Act provisions over rivers, streams, and […]