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 […]
CMS Must Work Harder to Get New Drugs and Devices Covered Quickly, House Members Say
Medicare needs to up its game when it comes to approving coverage for new drugs and devices, witnesses and members of Congress agreed Tuesday at a House hearing. “Despite the historic advancements in treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, the Biden administration has decided to limit access to these therapies through onerous coverage policies that require patients […]
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 […]
Experts Call for PBM Transparency During Senate Hearing
Most expert witnesses at a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday agreed that pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) — middlemen between the drug companies and insurers — drive up the prices of prescription drugs, leaving patients with higher out-of-pocket costs, and offered a range of suggestions on how to curb PBM abuses. Historically, PBMs […]
Broadband Key to Expanding Telehealth’s Pandemic Gains, Say Experts
Telehealth can’t succeed without expanding access to affordable broadband internet, witnesses told the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on Thursday. But extending the regulatory flexibilities around this access granted under the public health emergency, which are slated to expire when the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, is also critical, they said, stressing that the benefits […]
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 […]
Experts Clash Over Masking Kids in Schools During House Hearing
Expert witnesses offered conflicting perspectives on whether masking children in schools prevents transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus during a hearing of the House Committee on Energy & Commerce’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations on Wednesday. Several Republican committee members said that protecting children from the virus has had unintended consequences for their overall well-being. Cathy […]