Lawmakers Campaigned On Promises To Curb High Drug Prices. Now This Coalition Is Holding Them To It.
The initial ads from Campaign for Sustainable Rx Pricing will focus on insulin costs, and feature a man with diabetes penning a letter pleading with his congressman to follow through on a pledge to lower drug costs. “In your campaign, you said you would act,” the man reads aloud to an unspecified lawmaker. “You said you would do something about drug prices. Keep your commitment: hold Big Pharma accountable.”
The Hill:
Drug Pricing Group Launches Six-Figure Ad Buy Pressuring Congress To Act
A leading advocacy group is launching a six-figure ad campaign pressuring Congress to act to lower drug prices. The TV and digital ads from the Campaign for Sustainable Rx Pricing, a coalition of insurers, hospitals and other groups, come at a time when hopes are high for action on drug prices. (Sullivan, 11/13)
In other national health care news —
The Associated Press:
More Leeway For States To Expand Inpatient Mental Health
The Trump administration Tuesday allowed states to provide more inpatient treatment for people with serious mental illness by tapping Medicaid, a potentially far-reaching move to address issues from homelessness to violence. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar made the announcement Tuesday in a speech to state Medicaid directors, a group that represents Republican and Democratic officials from around the country who are confronting common, deeply-rooted social problems. (11/13)
Roll Call:
With Divided Congress, Health Care Action Hightails It To The States
Newly-elected leaders in the states will be in a stronger position than those in Washington to steer significant shifts in health care policy over the next couple of years as a divided Congress struggles with gridlock. State Medicaid work requirements, prescription drug prices, insurance exchanges and short-term health plans are among the areas with the potential for substantial change. Some states with new Democratic leaders may also withdraw from a multistate lawsuit aimed at killing the 2010 health care law or look for ways to curb Trump administration policies. (Williams, 11/13)
Politico:
HHS Talks To Anti-Abortion Groups, Scientists As It Weighs Canceling Fetal Tissue Research
The Trump administration is continuing to weigh plans to discontinue more than $100 million in research projects that use fetal tissue, alarming scientists and some HHS officials while invigorating the president’s supporters in the anti-abortion community. The White House last week convened a meeting to consider canceling the projects, according to two individuals with knowledge, and anti-abortion groups like Susan B. Anthony List have been invited to give input. Scientists who use fetal tissue in their research also have been invited to defend their work. (Diamond, 11/13)
The Associated Press:
More US Kids Get Paralyzing Illness, Cause Is Still Unknown
More children have been diagnosed with a mysterious paralyzing illness in recent weeks, and U.S. health officials said Tuesday that they still aren't sure what's causing it. This year's count could surpass the tallies seen in similar outbreaks in 2014 and 2016, officials said. Fortunately, the disease remains rare: This year, there have been 90 cases spread among 27 states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. (11/13)
The New York Times:
When Hospitals Merge To Save Money, Patients Often Pay More
The nation’s hospitals have been merging at a rapid pace for a decade, forming powerful organizations that influence nearly every health care decision consumers make. The hospitals have argued that consolidation benefits consumers with cheaper prices from coordinated services and other savings. But an analysis conducted for The New York Times shows the opposite to be true in many cases. (Abelson, 11/14)
The Wall Street Journal:
After NRA Rebuke, Many Doctors Speak Louder On Gun Violence
U.S. doctors and medical societies are increasingly speaking out against firearm violence, calling for gun-control measures and other solutions to what they see as a public-health crisis that shows no signs of ebbing. Their outspokenness picked up in recent days, after the National Rifle Association said in a tweet on Nov. 7: “Someone should tell self-important anti-gun doctors to stay in their lane.” The NRA, which has fought efforts to restrict access to guns, was criticizing an updated position paper that the American College of Physicians had published calling for various ways to keep guns out of the hands of people who are a threat to others or to themselves. (Loftus, 11/13)