Taking the Pulse, A Health Care and Life Sciences Video Podcast | Episode 115: Dr. Michael Havig, CEO, HealthMe
Thinking About a Concierge Medical Practice? Assure Compliance with Payor Requirements and the Law
Drug Pricing Initiatives During the Trump Presidency
K&L Gates Triage: An Insider’s Perspective on the Health Care Debate in Washington, DC
On August 9, Maryland’s Prescription Drug Affordability Board (PDAB) released its draft action plan for establishing upper payment limits (UPLs) for drugs identified as causing or likely to cause affordability challenges. The...more
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) updated its guidance on the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022’s (P.L. 117-169) (IRA) Medicare Prescription Payment Plan (M3P) with its release of the Final Part Two Guidance on...more
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in conjunction with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), is striving to alleviate the financial strain of medication costs on the elderly and disabled...more
On November 15, 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule titled Contract Year 2025 Policy and Technical Changes to the Medicare Advantage Program, Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit...more
Summary - Employers taking advantage of copay accumulator programs now face unexpected administrative complications following a recent federal court decision....more
On September 29, 2023, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia vacated a Trump-era rule from 2021 that allowed insurers to exclude drug manufacturer co-pay support coupons and assistance from a patient’s annual...more
Although most of the recent focus around the implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act (“IRA”) by the press and industry stakeholders has been on the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program, the IRA has several other...more
New Jersey has passed a landmark law limiting the power of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). On Monday, July 10, 2023, Governor Phil Murphy signed the law, requiring PBMs to disclose their negotiated reimbursement rates for...more
The U.S. Supreme Court recently declined to review a Second Circuit decision that blocked Pfizer from implementing a cost sharing assistance program. Pfizer had sought to cover out-of-pocket expenses for financially eligible...more
Patient assistance programs (PAPs) that seek to subsidize patient co-payments for drugs covered by Medicare may involve compliance challenges. A recent U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector...more
States remain at the forefront of legislative efforts on a range of issues relating to drug pricing, such as increasing price transparency, capping out-of-pocket costs for insulin, and limiting certain PBM practices. These...more
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) will make arguably the most significant changes to U.S. prescription drug pricing regulations ever, but certainly since the creation of the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program in 1990. For the first...more
Impact on Pharmacies, Part D Payors, Pharmacy Benefit Managers, and Drug Manufacturers - On April 29, 2022, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued its final rule, Medicare Advantage and Part D Final...more
On April 29, 2022, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”), issued the final rule on Contract Year 2023 Policy and Technical Changes to the Medicare Advantage and Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Programs...more
On January 19, 2022, OIG posted a favorable Advisory Opinion on a pharmacy-owning retailer’s proposal to expand its existing discount programs for low-income individuals by including enrollment in Medicaid as an additional...more
Although delayed as a result of the COVID-19 public health emergency, there are persistent and ongoing efforts to reform the Medicare Part D benefit. Since its June 2016 Report to Congress, the Medicare Payment Advisory...more
Push to end surprise medical billing - The Senate Finance Committee heard from providers and health insurers on S.309, a bill that prohibits certain provisions in contracts between health insurers and health care...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: Recently, the Trump Administration issued its proposed Notice of Benefit & Payment Parameter for 2021 regulations....more
In its last Advisory Opinion of 2019 (19-06), the OIG approved a proposed arrangement involving a retailer rewards program through which out-of-pocket costs on in-store pharmacy purchases would qualify customers for future...more
The Trump Administration deserves credit for doing something right on hospital prices — but with what likely will be ineffective results....more
What is the Annual Maximum Out-Of-Pocket Limit (“MOOP”)? MOOP is the most a participant must pay for covered services under a group health plan in a plan year. After a participant spends this amount on deductibles,...more
Background. These days, almost all employer-sponsored group health plans require an employee (and any dependents) covered under the plan (each are referred to as a “member”) to pay “out-of-pocket” for covered expenses in the...more
Earlier this month, CMS issued a final rule aimed at lowering drug prices and reducing out-of-pocket expenses in Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D. This rule is the Administration’s latest effort to address prescription...more
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a final rule, to be published on May 23, 2019, amending the Medicare Advantage program (Part C) and Prescription Drug Benefit program (Part D) regulations. ...more
The OHIP+ program, also known as Children and Youth Pharmacare program, was implemented on January 1, 2018 by the Province of Ontario to provide free prescription drug coverage for all children and youth 24 years of age or...more