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What We're Reading: Is the GOP Eyeing Changes to Medicare, Too?
What we're reading, January 4, 2017: Republicans in Congress may also make changes to Medicare; churches and faith-based organizations launch syringe exchanges; and judge rules Amgen's PCSK9 patent is valid.
Repealing and replacing Obamacare is definitely on the list for Republican lawmakers, and so is a possible privatization of veterans’ medical care, and even an overhaul of Medicaid. Now, the Miami Herald is reporting that Medicare could also face changes from the Republican-controlled Congress. House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) has been a proponent of moving to a voucher system in Medicare. Others like the idea of subsidies to purchase private plans. Democrats will fight moves to change Medicare, and they may have an unlikely ally in President-elect Donald J. Trump, who said on the campaign trail that he wouldn’t change retirement programs like Social Security and Medicare.
Churches and faith-based organizations that have supported syringe exchange programs sometimes launch their own. These programs are useful in combatting the opioid epidemic and the spread of diseases like HIV and hepatitis C. According to STAT, there are no hard numbers, but more and more faith-based organizations are becoming directly involved in syringe exchanges and running them along with soup kitchens, temporary shelters, and other outreach ministries.
Sanofi and Regeneron lost their bid to overturn a verdict upholding 2 Amgen patents related to the cholesterol drug Repatha. A federal judge refused to throw out a court verdict from March that found Amgen’s patents valid, reported Reuters. Amgen brought the lawsuit in October 2014, claiming Praluent, sold by Sanofi and Regeneron, infringed on Amgen’s patents related to the PCSK9 protein. Damages have yet to be set and the presiding judge has to decide if she will block Sanofi and Regeneron from selling Praluent. Sanofi and Regeneron plan to appeal.
The Impact of Cost Sharing on High-Value Care
March 14th 2025Michael Chernew, PhD, professor of health care policy and director of the Healthcare Markets and Regulation Lab, Harvard Medical School, shares how cost-sharing policies shape access to critical health care services and influence value-based insurance design.
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Varied Access: The Pharmacogenetic Testing Coverage Divide
February 18th 2025On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with the author of a study published in the February 2025 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® to uncover significant differences in coverage decisions for pharmacogenetic tests across major US health insurers.
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PAH Treatment Benefits Extend to Patients With Repaired Congenital Heart Disease
March 14th 2025Historical data show the prevalence of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in adult patients with congenital heart disease ranges from 4% to 28%, according to studies from the US and Europe—and that the prevalence of these comorbid condition is on the rise.
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Regenerating Neurons, Muscle, and Hope in the Field of Muscular Dystrophy
March 13th 2025The 2025 Muscular Dystrophy Association Clinical & Scientific Conference, convening in Dallas, Texas, from March 16-18, will feature clinical updates, expert insights, and breaking trial findings that sum up to a new frontier of care for neuromuscular diseases.
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