Congressional Action Not Essential To ACA Markets’ Sustainability, HHS Chief Says
Despite the recent upheaval of the exchanges, Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell says the administration has the tools it need to make them stable.
The Associated Press:
Top Official Says Health Law's Insurance Markets Are Viable
Addressing concerns about rising premiums and dwindling competition, Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell asserted Thursday that the federal health law's insurance markets clearly are sustainable. Willingness by Congress to help smooth out problems would definitely help, Burwell told reporters, but it is not absolutely essential. Congressional Republicans committed to repealing "Obamacare" are unlikely to assist. (9/1)
In other national health care news —
The New York Times:
EpiPen Price Increases Could Mean More Riches For Executives
Heather Bresch, chief executive at Mylan, the pharmaceutical giant that has been vilified for price increases on its EpiPen allergy treatment, maintains that her company has attained a sort of capitalist nirvana — it does good for others while doing well for itself. But the argument that Mylan has achieved a balance benefiting all of its stakeholders simply doesn’t hold up when viewed through the prism of the company’s recent proxy filings. Those materials detail the company’s executive pay and show, for example, that Mylan’s top brass received a windfall when it incorporated overseas in 2014 to cut its tax bill sharply. (Morgenson, 9/1)
Los Angeles Times:
Florida Finds Zika In Trapped Mosquitoes, Confirming The Virus Is Being Spread By The Insects
Authorities in Florida have found the Zika virus in mosquitoes in Miami Beach, confirming what they had suspected: The virus that can cause devastating birth defects is being spread by the insects. The three mosquitoes that tested positive for Zika were trapped in a 1.5-square-mile area that had already been identified as a source of infection, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services said Thursday. (Zavis, 9/1)
The Wall Street Journal:
Biogen’s Alzheimer’s Therapy Granted FDA Fast-Track Status
Biogen Inc. said its investigational therapy for the early stage of Alzheimer’s disease was granted fast-track designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, a designation intended to bring promising drugs for serious conditions to market faster. ... The drug—called aducanumab—is designed to help clear the brain of beta amyloid plaques, which many scientists say play a role in causing Alzheimer’s, a progressive, memory-destroying condition associated with older age. (Stynes, 9/1)
The New York Times:
Contraceptives Drive Teenage Pregnancy Down
The sharp decline in American teenage pregnancy and birthrates in recent years was driven exclusively by the increased use of contraceptives, a new study concludes. Researchers interviewed a nationally representative sample of more than 3,000 women ages 15 to 19 at three different time periods: in 2007, 2009 and 2012. They then combined data on sexual activity, contraceptive use and contraceptive failure rates to calculate a Pregnancy Risk Index at these times. This risk index declined steadily at an annual rate of 5.6 percent. (Bakalar, 9/1)