How do drug prices change before loss of exclusivity?

Typically, cost effectiveness analyses assume a constant price between drug approvals and loss of exclusivity. It is not clear, however, to what extent that assumption is valid, particularly after taking into account drug price discounts and rebates. A paper by Lin et al. (2024) uses 2007-2023 data on drug prices from SSR Health to answer…

Read More

Luego de prometer atención médica universal, el gobernador de California debe reconsiderar la cobertura para inmigrantes

SACRAMENTO, California — El gobernador Gavin Newsom no esperaba enfrentarse a otra crisis sanitaria. En marzo, mientras el presidente Donald Trump y los republicanos del Congreso intensificaban el debate nacional sobre la posibilidad de recortar la atención médica para los estadounidenses pobres y con discapacidades, el gobernador demócrata tuvo que informar a los legisladores estatales…

Read More

After Promising Universal Health Care, California Governor Must Reconsider Immigrant Coverage

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gov. Gavin Newsom didn’t expect to be reckoning with another health care crisis. In March, as President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans escalated a nationwide debate over whether to slash health care for poor and disabled Americans, the Democratic governor had to tell state lawmakers that California’s health care costs had spiraled…

Read More

When Star Ratings Backfire: How CMS Could Better Support Health In Medicare Advantage

By EMMANUEL ANIMASHAUN The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Star Ratings system represents a cornerstone of quality assessment in Medicare Advantage (MA), designed to empower consumers with transparent information while rewarding plans that deliver superior care. Yet recent developments, particularly the seismic downgrading of Humana’s ratings reveal an unintended consequence: a system created…

Read More

Medicaid Payments Barely Keep Hospital Mental Health Units Afloat. Federal Cuts Could Sink Them.

SPENCER, Iowa — This town’s hospital is a holdout on behalf of people going through mental health crises. The facility’s leaders have pledged not to shutter their inpatient psychiatric unit, as dozens of other U.S. hospitals have. Keeping that promise could soon get tougher if Congress slashes Medicaid funding. The joint federal-state health program covers…

Read More

Readers Scrutinize Federal Cuts and Medical Debt

Letters to the Editor is a periodic feature. We welcome all comments and will publish a selection. We edit for length and clarity and require full names. Trump Team’s Rhetoric Doesn’t Match Actions The recent KFF Health News article “Beyond Ivy League, RFK Jr.’s NIH Slashed Science Funding Across States That Backed Trump” (April 17) struck a nerve….

Read More