CMS Focused On Nursing Home COVID- 19 Booster Data, Transparency

CMS says that while publicly available data on COVID-19 vaccine booster levels for nursing home staff and residents is not part of quality ratings for the sector, the agency is focused on making sure beneficiaries and their families are aware of vaccination rates. CMS and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials told listeners on an April 27 stakeholder call nursing home providers will be asked via survey to track staff and beneficiaries’ “up-to-date" status of vaccinations. The CDC’s definition...
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InsideHealthPolicy.com
CMS Issue: 
Inside CMS - 05/26/2022
CMS Volume: 
Vol. 25, No. 21
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Bipartisan Senate PBM Reform Bill Wouldn’t Ban Drug Rebates

A bipartisan Senate duo on Tuesday (May 24) introduced a bill that would ban spread pricing and pharmacy concessions, unless those concessions are shared with health plans, which they typically already are, and the bill would not ban drug rebates, thereby saving a huge offset for Democrats should they revisit budget reconciliation. The bill also would give the Federal Trade Commission the power to increase drug pricing transparency. Senate commerce committee Chair Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Sen. Chuck Grassley (IA),...
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InsideHealthPolicy.com
IDP Issue: 
Inside Drug Pricing - 05/30/2022
IDP Volume: 
Vol. 5, No. 22
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Analysts Predict Biosimilars To Reduce Drug Spending By $133 Billion By 2025

Up to 43 biosimilars for conditions that include diabetes, immunology, bone health and ophthalmology are expected to enter the market by 2029 and drug distributor Cardinal Health reports that biosimilar are on track to reduce U.S. drug spending by $133 billion by 2025. However, insurers and doctors have been slow to adopt biosimilars, and it remains to be seen whether, or to what extent, that will change. Cardinal Health predicts federal and state governments will institute policies that promote biosimilars,...
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InsideHealthPolicy.com
IDP Issue: 
Inside Drug Pricing - 05/30/2022
IDP Volume: 
Vol. 5, No. 22
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House Dems Step Up Pressure To Extend ARP Credits

A group of moderate, swing state Democrats are the latest to sound the alarm over the impending expiration in December of the more generous ACA tax credits that were part of the American Rescue Plan, urging House and Senate leadership in a letter Monday (May 23) to quickly craft a reconciliation bill that extends the credits and avoids large rate increases and enrollment losses. On Tuesday, Illinois Rep. Lauren Underwood (D) who spearheaded the letter, joined pro-Affordable Care Act advocates...
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InsideHealthPolicy.com
CMS Issue: 
Inside CMS - 05/26/2022
CMS Volume: 
Vol. 25, No. 21
HEA Issue: 
Health Exchange Alert Weekly Report - 05/25/2022
HEA Volume: 
Vol. 10, No. 21
Author: 

FDA Denies Petition To Ban Phthalates In Food Packaging

FDA recently declined to ban certain phthalates -- chemicals that are used to make plastics flexible -- from being used in food packaging and food production equipment, a move that health advocacy and environmental groups, including the Environmental Defense Fund, Center for Food Safety and Center for Science in the Public Interest, say will have detrimental health effects on women, children and other vulnerable populations for years to come. House lawmakers have previously called on FDA to set strict limits...
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FDA Issue: 
FDA Week - 05/27/2022
FDA Volume: 
Vol. 28, No. 21
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