Pharmaceuticals

Latest California Healthline Stories

Court Ruling May Spur Competitive Health Plans to Bring Back Copays for Preventive Services

The Affordable Care Act required that health insurers provide many medical screenings and prevention services at no out-of-pocket cost to health plan members. But insurers and employers may consider adding cost sharing for preventive services now that a federal court ruled the ACA’s mandate is unconstitutional.

No, the Senate-Passed Reconciliation Bill Won’t Strip $300 Billion From Medicare

Under the Medicare drug negotiations provisions in the reconciliation bill, the federal government would see its outlays reduced by about $300 billion. That reduction wouldn’t result from cuts in benefits. Instead, Medicare would be empowered to leverage its market power to pay lower prices for certain drugs.

Watch: The Nitty-Gritty of Medicare Drug Price Negotiations — And Patients’ Potential Savings

KHN chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner discusses the Senate Democrats’ plans to let Medicare negotiate some drug prices, cap out-of-pocket drug costs for seniors, and fund enhanced subsides for ACA marketplace health plans.