Health Care Reform from Elsevier Business Intelligence

Hearing Targets Health Account OTC Issue As Reform Law Proxy

Wed, 02 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400

Republicans on the Subcommittee on Oversight oppose the provision in health care reform requiring consumers to have a prescription to purchase OTCs with pre-tax savings account funds. Democrats argue the revenue is needed to pay for health care reform and lower costs for everyone.

Hearing Targets Health Account OTC Issue As Reform Law Proxy

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400

Smaller Players See Opportunity In Large Joints

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400

The business of selling hip and knee implants is dominated by five principal players whose grips have been impossible to break as surgeons have become comfortable working with these market leaders. But health care reform, the sagging economy and other external interferences are putting pressures on hospitals to save money wherever they can, and these pressures could create openings for smaller players.

China Health Minister Promises More Reforms In Essential Drugs Access

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400

China’s Health Minister Chen Zhu promised the three-year-old healthcare reform would continue to make progress, including in the area of making essential drugs available, until service equates with expectations of the public.

The Supreme Court and Biosimilars: What if it All Goes Away?

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400

After the bruising health care reform debate in Congress, biopharmaceutical companies were comfortably on the periphery of the legal arguments playing out in the Supreme Court. But being peripheral has its disadvantages: if the Court sides with the challengers, it is possible that one of the “peripheral” provisions tossed aside will be the new biosimilars pathway.

China To Add Smoking-Cessation Drugs To List Of Basic Medicines

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400

Chinese authorities plan to add smoking-cessation drugs to its list of basic medicines as an integral part of the government’s effort at healthcare reform.

Coalition Pushes Congress On OTC Purchases With Health Savings Accounts

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400

The Health Choices Coalition sent letters urging House and Senate members to support legislation that would strike the health care reform law requirement that consumers obtain a prescription in order to purchase OTCs with a pre-tax savings account.

Supreme Court Health Reform Oral Arguments Leave Open Questions

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400

Device firms should not stop preparing for the 2.3% excise tax, scheduled to take effect next January. Still, justices during oral arguments March 26-28 did not take off the table the prospect of ruling the entire health care reform legislation void.

The Supreme Court and the “Laws of Nature”

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0400

Shortly before taking up the health care reform law, the Supreme Court weighed in on the intellectual property framework for personalized medicine. Here is an excerpt from the court’s March 20 opinion in Mayo v.

Hospital Budgets On The Rise As Purchasing Patterns Shift, Survey Finds

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0400

More than 60% of hospital executives surveyed expect to see increased budgets for overall hospital spending in 2012. However, federal mandates related to health care reform are influencing hospital’s strategic initiatives and their purchasing patterns, according to a recent hospital survey.

Patient Assistance Programs Will Still Have Role In Post Health Care Reform World – Covance Exec

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0400

PAPs will have place even assuming the Affordable Care Act survives Supreme Court review, Covance’s Greg Hall says. Key factors include whether government subsidized individuals remain eligible for PAP aid and to what extent employers drop insurance coverage.

China Healthcare Reform Plan Faces Hospital, Doctor Resistance

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0400

China’s plans for huge reforms in its healthcare system are facing some pushback by the nation’s public hospitals that fear a threat not only to their for-profit status, but also to the income of physicians and administrators.

Health Care Reform Spending Much Lower Than Originally Estimated, Sebelius Testifies

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0400

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius defends fiscal 2013 budget, telling a House subcommittee that implementing the Affordable Care Act has so far cost only a fraction of the $1 billion per year originally forecast by the Congressional Budget Office.

Gov’t Dept Conflict Of Interest Hamper China Health Reform Efforts

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0500

China’s fragmented regulatory systems, division of regulators, and their conflicts of interest are hindering medical health reforms.

Hospital Budgets On The Rise As Purchasing Patterns Shift, Survey Finds

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Hospital Budgets On The Rise As Purchasing Patterns Shift, Survey Finds

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Hospital Budgets On The Rise As Purchasing Patterns Shift, Survey Finds

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Device Tax Repeal As Tax Reform: AdvaMed Makes The Case

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

AdvaMed aims to “decouple” discussion of the device tax from the health care reform debate and link its repeal to broader efforts focused on improving the U.S. tax system.

Device Tax Repeal As “Tax Reform”: AdvaMed Makes The Case

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

AdvaMed aims to “decouple” discussion of the device tax from the health care reform debate and link its repeal to efforts focused on improving the U.S. tax system.

China Gets CSIS Praise For Large Price Reduction In Essential Drugs

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

China got a favorable response in a Center for Strategic and International Studies report about its national healthcare reform effort that reduced the average prices of essential medicines.

Reverse Innovation: Is The US Losing Its Edge In Innovation?

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Is US-style innovation in the medical device industry heading towards extinction? Gone are the days when companies believed they could build robust businesses by serving largely, if not exclusively, the US market.

2012 China Outlook: China’s Year Of The Dragon Will See Continued Growth Grounded By Healthcare Reform Stabilization

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

As China gets ready to celebrate the Lunar New Year, the Year of the Dragon will see continued growth for the pharmaceutical industry despite several policy headwinds.

China Health Reform Draws Bayer, Pfizer, Sanofi To Smaller Cities

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500

China’s massive healthcare reform plan to improve care in the nation’s rural areas has not been lost on global drug makers, despite the challenges they face.

Big Pharma’s Government Bailout

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500

The only thing driving 2010’s prescription drugs spending? Medicare.

China Med IT Market To Be Worth RMB 80 Billion In Next Five Years

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500

China has made the introduction of electronic hospital records one of its priorities in the last year of the country’s three-year health reform.

With Leadership Changes On The Horizon, Chinese Vice Premier Sheds Light On Future Of China Healthcare Reform

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Analysts predict that healthcare reforms will continue and that major policy changes are unlikely during the leadership transition, which starts next year.

As Initial Healthcare Reform Period Closes, China Allows More High-Price Drugs In Community Clinics

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500

SHANGHAI – This year marks the last year for China’s initial RMB 850 billion healthcare reform initiative. The essential drug system – one of the five key elements of the reforms, which aims to provide affordable basic drugs to China’s population – has been a hot topic among industry, which has complained about the magnitude of price cuts on essential drugs.

The Public Policy Implications of the Abbott Split

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Abbott’s decision to spin-off proprietary pharmaceuticals as a stand-alone company is all about Wall Street: investors cheered the move for “unlocking value” by removing the giant shadow cast by Humira over the diversified base business. But it is also an important touchstone for all the key public policy themes playing out in the biopharma space after health care reform.

ACA Would Cover 23 Million Uninsured Even Without Individual Mandate - Lewin Study

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Mandate may not be essential to "successful implementation" of health reform law, authors state.

China's Largest Private Pharma Company Fosun Pharma Targets Biosimilar Market, With Sights On Becoming The Next Teva

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Health care reform in the U.S. is a good opportunity for Fosun to gain a foothold in the U.S. market, company chair says at China's first-ever BIO conference.

PCORI Following Intent Of Legislators, But Needs To Be Careful In Defining “Patient-Centered Outcomes Research” – Former Senate Staffer

Mon, 03 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

A former member of the Senate Finance Committee staff that contributed to the writing of the health care reform law that formed the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute believes the institute is following the intent laid out by the committee, but has concerns on the current draft definition.

"Dollars for Donuts" Deal Revisited: What Pharma Got

Sat, 01 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

A Kaiser Family Foundation report on the impact of the Medicare Part D donut hole reads like an artifact of history. But it helps quantify the benefit to brand name industry from closing the donut hole in the context of health care reform.

China Health Minister Plugs Healthcare Access Gains In U.S. Speech

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400

China's health minister says his nation's massive healthcare reform plan already has lowered medical costs of Chinese and given them more access to treatment

China Commences Mid-term Review Of Healthcare Reform

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400

China has kicked-off the mid-term review of its three-year healthcare reform, health minister Chen Zhu said Sept. 15

U.K. Industry Promotes Real World Data As Backbone Of Value-Based Purchasing, Despite Government Lethargy

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The U.K. government has sidelined the VBP debate, preferring to focus on other aspects of health care reform, but industry is pressing ahead with its vision for pricing and reimbursement evaluation.

GPhA's New CEO Ralph Neas Brings Health Reform Advocacy Experience

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400

When Ralph Neas joins the Generic Pharmaceutical Association as CEO on Sept. 12 he will face many of the same challenges he’s had as CEO of the National Coalition on Health Care: energizing reform-minded partners to advocate for legislative and policy changes.

GPhA's New CEO Ralph Neas Brings Health Reform Advocacy Experience

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400

After 14-month vacancy, GPhA fills its top post with National Coalition on Health Care CEO Ralph Neas, who offers coalition-building skills and long background in civil rights political work.

Carving-In Innovation: Payment Reform and Biopharma

Thu, 01 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400

When it comes to health care reform, Democrats and Republicans don’t appear to agree on very much. But during a BIO annual meeting session, three key policymakers representing both sides of the aisle in the Senate and the Obama Administration did agree on one thing: it is time for industry to stop asking to be “carved out” of new payment systems, and to start proving the value of its products.

State Bills Setting Specialty Tier Limits Await Health Reform Developments

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Legislation is pending in a number of states that would ban or set limits around the use of formulary specialty tiers in private insurance. However, most of the bills appear to be on hold pending implementation over the next six to eight months of new insurance requirements under the health reform law.

Beijing To Announce Health Reform Plans In September

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0400

At a recent healthcare conference, Beijing Deputy Mayor Ding Xiangyang revealed that the city will announce its healthcare reform plans in September

China To Rescue Grassroots Hospitals From Debt

Fri, 12 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The health reform office of China's State Council is in discussions to clear the debt of the country's grassroots medical institutions, which are receiving renewed attention under the healthcare reform plan

New CMS Hospital Readmissions, Efficiency Policies Make Device Companies Nervous

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0400

CMS on Aug. 1 formally adopted two policies from the health care reform law that will have significant implications for its long-term approach to value-based reimbursement.

China Health Reforms Both Attract, Worry Most Drug MNCs

Fri, 05 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0400

China's healthcare reform efforts are seen as a Mecca for sales expansion by multinational drug companies but Pfizer Inc. and Merck & Co. may be seeing a downside to the move

China's Healthcare Reforms Encounter Doubts About Emphasis

Tue, 02 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Although China's healthcare reform is being implemented on many levels, some quarters question if sufficient focus is being given to fixing healthcare system problems

Express Scripts-Medco Deal Fits Post-Health Reform Realities, But Was Hastened By Contract Losses

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Express Scripts’ merger agreement with Medco to form a mega-pharmacy benefits manager may fit into the new realities of the post-health care reform world, but it was also likely hastened by contract losses at Medco.

IOM Recommends Free Coverage Of Three Women's Health Screening Tests

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0400

With major news outlets giving saturation coverage to a July 20 Institute of Medicine recommendation that birth control methods be covered by insurers under the health reform law, diagnostic test makers may have missed the news that the institute also wants HHS to add screening tests for gestational diabetes, human papillomavirus and human immune deficiency virus to the list of insurer-covered preventive services for women

IOM Recommends Free Coverage Of Three Women's Health Screening Tests

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Express Scripts-Medco Deal Fits Post-Health Reform Realities, But Was Hastened By Contract Losses

Thu, 21 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Timing of merger announcement surprises industry observers but follows Medco's loss of a major long-term PBM contract with UnitedHealth.

Industry Fears 'Double Taxation' For Combo Products, Device Kits

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0400

IRS is developing guidance to implement a 2.3% device tax created by the health care reform law and set to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2013. But companies selling drug-device combination products are concerned that they could be liable for both the device tax and a prescription drug manufacturer fee also established in the 2010 reforms.

Humana: Private Insurers Succeeding With Medical Home, ACO Models

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Government health care reform efforts involving accountable-care organizations and medical home models are still being finalized. But insurer Humana has already proven the promise of both concepts to enhance care quality and reduce costs, argues CEO Mike McCallister.