Medicare Part D

While it's all well and good to expand health coverage to more uninsured Americans, doing so would impose an untenable burden on the federal budget, according to a top government official. Government Accountability Office head David Walker says that existing federal government commitments such as Social Security and Medicare are already breaking the federal bank. While some have suggested that …

> Federal analysts say that the government's new Medicare Part D drug program has slowed the rate of growth in the amount of money being spent on therapeutics as insurers negotiate lower prices for members. But the trajectory of spending on healthcare in the U.S. will continue to arc upwards, leading to 2016 when the federal government will cover the cost of 50 percent of all care provided. …

The new Democrat-controlled House followed through on a campaign promise--and ignored a presidential veto threat--by passing legislation requiring the federal government to negotiate bulk drug purchases for Medicare Part D. The Friday vote then set the Washington spin machine into a pre-holiday frenzy, and the Capitol Hill press corps took full advantage of the rhetorical flourishes. "Those who insist that the sky will fall if drug companies negotiate lower prescription prices are arguing …

Healthcare was on the minds of politicians this week. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger revealed his …

Today the House of Representatives is set to pass a bill (H.R. 4) that would allow the federal government to negotiate Medicare Part D drug prices with pharmaceutical companies. Under the original Medicare law, the federal government was not allowed to bring its considerable bargaining power to the table in order to push down the cost of prescription drugs. Many critics felt that special interest--in the form of drug companies--used their influence to keep drug prices artificially high. …

Under the original Medicare law, the private insurers who offer Medicare Part D coverage negotiated prices with drug companies; the federal government was not allowed to bring its considerable bargaining power to the table in order to push down the cost of prescription drugs. Opponents have strenuously objected to this arrangement, saying that drug companies are reaping billions in profit because the federal government isn't forcing them to lower their prices. Many critics felt that …

> A former systems administrator with Medco Health Systems has been indicted on fraud charges after he admitted setting up "logic bomb" software that could have deleted prescription information for 60 million patients. Article

> The FDA may soon require manufacturers of several common over-the-counter painkillers to highlight potential risks on their labels. …

The federal Office of the Inspector General has released a work plan for 2007--among the most detailed in recent years--that targets a wide range of activities and reimbursement areas important to hospitals, home care services, laboratories, rehab providers and psych facilities. Two important issues to be studied include:

• Supplemental payments to hospitals: The OIG is taking a closer look at adjustments for graduate medical education permits, nursing and allied …

Wal-Mart's $4 generics juggernaut just keeps on rolling. Wal-Mart announced today that it would roll out its $4 generics program to 11 more states, bringing the total to 38, while adding 17 more generics to the program. The retail giant has added Idaho, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, Washington and West Virginia to the list of states …

With yesterday's Democratic takeover of the U.S. House of Representatives, and the possibility of a Senate win still in the air, what might the impact be on healthcare providers? Not much, at least in the short term, it seems. True, the Democrats have vowed to address the Medicare Part D "donut hole" issue and invest in medical research, including stem cell research. The party also offers a none-too-specific pledge to provide Americans with access to affordable health care. But no one …