On Heels Of EpiPen Outrage, Clinton Unveils Plan Targeting High Drug Prices
But some see the language in the proposal as meant to reassure the pharmaceutical industry.
Reuters:
Clinton Offers Plan To Curb 'Unjustified' Price Hikes On Life-Saving Drugs
Hillary Clinton said on Friday that if elected to the White House she would create an oversight panel to protect U.S. consumers from large price hikes on long-available, lifesaving drugs and to import alternative treatments if necessary, adding to her pledges to rein in overall drug prices. Clinton, the Democratic presidential candidate, would seek to give the panel an "aggressive new set of enforcement tools," including the ability to levy fines and impose penalties on manufacturers when there has been an "unjustified, outlier price increase" on a long-available or generic drug, her campaign said. (Becker and Pierson, 9/2)
The Associated Press:
Progress Slows On Uninsured As Health Law Blame Game Goes On
Progress in reducing the number of people without health insurance in the U.S. appears to be losing momentum this year even as rising premiums and dwindling choice are reviving the political blame game over President Barack Obama's health care law. The future of the Affordable Care Act hinges on the outcome of the presidential election, and it's shaping up as a moment of truth for Republicans. (9/6)
Modern Healthcare:
Another Reason Hospitals Hate Medicare's Site-Neutral Payment Plans
The rule, proposed in July, would eliminate Medicare payments to hospitals for most services provided at off-campus departments that came into operation after Nov. 2, 2015. Instead, the payments would flow to physicians starting on Jan. 1, 2017, making it difficult for health systems to recoup capital or operational costs for the facilities, even though they are responsible for continuing to equip and maintain the off-campus offices. (Teichert, 9/5)
NPR:
FDA Bans Triclosan And 18 Other Chemicals From Soaps
Consumers don't need to use antibacterial soaps, and some of them may even be dangerous, the Food and Drug Administration says. On Friday, the FDA issued a rule banning the use of triclosan, triclocarban and 17 other chemicals in hand and body washes, which are marketed as being more effective than simple soap. Companies have a year to take these ingredients out of their products or remove the products from the market, the agency said. (Kodjak, 9/2)
The Wall Street Journal:
Risky Health Behaviors Don’t Necessarily Stop With A Cancer Diagnosis
A cancer diagnosis doesn’t automatically lead to an overhaul of unhealthy habits, says a study in the Journal of Cancer Survivorship. People who had survived various cancers had similar rates of physical inactivity, unhealthy eating habits and other risky health behaviors as people not diagnosed with cancer, the study found. Some habits, such as smoking, were more prevalent among survivors, particularly women. (Lukits, 9/5)
NPR:
Bariatric Surgery Can Help With Long-Term Weight Loss
Researchers with the Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center in North Carolina recently tracked the progress of 1,787 veterans who underwent gastric bypass surgery. They found that one year after surgery patients lost 98 pounds on average. Ten years later they gained back only about 7 pounds. Earlier studies have tracked gastric bypass patients for relatively short periods of time, about 1 to 3 years. That has led to the assumption that most people who have gastric bypass surgery will eventually regain the weight. (Neighmond, 9/5)