Democrats’ New Bill To Allow Medicare To Negotiate Drug Prices Would Give Government Leverage If Talks Fail
Part of the problem with letting Medicare negotiate drug prices has always been that the government has no power in the talks. But the bill would let HHS give a competitive license to another company to make a generic version of the drug. Few see the measure gaining traction at the moment, though.
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Democrats Introduce A Bill To Allow Medicare Negotiations And Sidestep Patents If Talks Fail
As the Trump administration labors to execute its blueprint for tackling high drug costs, a group of Democratic lawmakers introduced a bill on Wednesday that would allow the federal government to negotiate on behalf of Medicare — and authorize licenses for lower-cost generics when talks fail. Unlike other bills that would permit negotiations over Part D drugs, the legislation would allow the Department of Health and Human Services to pursue a generic alternative by issuing a competitive license when a company refuses to offer a reasonable price. In effect, the bill would create a new mechanism for the U.S. government to sidestep patents when it would be in the public interest to do so. (Silverman, 7/25)
In other national health care news —
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Trump Administration Proposes More Cuts To Drug Discounts That Aid Hospitals
The Trump administration wants to expand its cuts to a controversial drug discount program that benefits hospitals. Its latest proposal, out Wednesday, centers on the so-called 340B program, which forces drugmakers to give some safety net and not-for-profit hospitals discounts on nearly all their drugs. Federal programs reimburse them for the same medicines at a higher rate, and hospitals say they use the spread to pay for charity care and other services. (Mershon, 7/25)
Politico:
Most Deported Migrants Were Not Asked About Leaving Children Behind, Trump Official Says
Homeland Security officials may have neglected to give a choice to as many as three-quarters of all migrant parents removed from the United States about leaving their children behind, contradicting repeated public assurances from Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. The Trump administration failed to document consent in most such cases, an administration official told POLITICO. That lapse increased the number of departed parents whom officials must now find and contact about whether they wish to be reunited with their children, and, if so, figure out the logistics of how to bring them together. The revelation threatens to delay reunifications one day ahead of a court-ordered deadline to return most migrant children to their parents. (Hesson, Rayasam and Diamond, 7/25)
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Zika's Destructive Power Might Be Turned Against Tumors, Scientists Say
As the world discovered in 2016, the seemingly benign Zika virus is capable of inflicting life-altering damage when it finds its way into the developing brains of fetuses. Now scientists hope to harness that horrible potential as a weapon to fight cancer. Several research groups are exploring whether Zika viruses could be unleashed on cancers, effectively wiping out the dangerous cells of a brain or central nervous system cancer. One group, at Nemours Children’s Hospital in Orlando, published findings of early-stage work Wednesday in the journal PLOS One. (Branswell, 7/25)
The New York Times:
Men Are Panicking About Their Sperm Count
Dr. Paul Turek was on his way to speak to employees at a cryptocurrency investment firm one recent afternoon about a growing anxiety for the men in the office: what’s going on with their sperm? Is there enough? Is the existing supply satisfactory? Are we men enough? “They’re worried, right?” Dr. Turek said. “And we’re O.K. with the worry.” (Bowles, 7/25)
The Washington Post:
Physician-Assisted-Suicide Opponent J.J. Hanson Chose To Live Out His Last Days
There was a time — several months after J.J. Hanson was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, but several years before he died from it — when, he once said, he might have considered ending it all. The husband and father said in 2015 that the previous year, he learned that he had a Grade 4 brain tumor called glioblastoma multiforme and was given four months to live. He had been fighting the cancer, but now, sick in bed and worried about becoming a burden to his family, he was lost in his thoughts. (Bever, 7/25)