Useful Reading

Don’t be Fooled by Big Pharma When it Comes to Lowering Drug Prices

Drug companies have grown used to year after year of sky-high profits while they jack up the price of medications like insulin on working Americans.

Dark Money Group Spends Millions Telling People Lower Drug Prices Will Kill Them

The American Action Network, recipient of millions of dollars from the pharmaceutical industry, running misleading ads to prevent Medicare drug price negotiation.

Medicare Part D Plans Increasingly Place Generic Drugs On Non-Generic Tiers: Warped Incentives Hurt Medicare Patients

Some beneficiaries can pay thousands of dollars out of pocket for higher tiered drugs, which now includes a growing number of (specialty) generic products.

Democrats Eye Medicare Negotiations to Lower Drug Prices

Democrats are united in empowering the Department of Health and Human Services to negotiate the prices of brand-name drugs covered by Medicare.

Democrats Plan Crackdown on Rising Drug Costs

Democrats are hoping 2021 will be the year they accomplish their long-held goal of reining in rising prescription drug costs by allowing the government to negotiate directly with pharmaceutical companies.

Commissioned CBO Report Finds Medicare Part D Pays More than Medicaid for Prescriptions

The report found that on average Medicare Part D pays nearly three times more for brand-name drugs purchased at retail pharmacies than Medicaid.

Pharma Raised Prescription Drug Prices as the Pandemic Threw People Out of Work and Off Insurance

In the middle of a pandemic where the U.S. death count is approaching 500,000, pharmaceutical firms have substantially raised prices for drugs.

Rep. Katie Porter Ripped into Pharma Executive Mark Alles for Repeated Price Hikes on the Cancer Drug Revlimid

“To recap here: The drug didn’t get any better, the cancer patients didn’t get any better — you just got better at making money, you just refined your skills at price gouging,” Porter replied.

House Panel Says Drugmakers Inflated Prices to Boost Profits and Reap Bonuses

Major pharmaceutical companies raised drug prices exponentially by hundreds or thousands of percent to boost profits and executives’ bonuses, “taking full advantage” of Medicare rules, a House panel said Wednesday.

The Insanity of Prescription Drug Prices in America

Television advertising of prescription drugs is one of the main drivers of soaring prices.

The Coronavirus Pandemic Hasn’t Stopped Drug Price Increases

Pharmaceutical companies raised the price of 245 drugs between January 20 and June 20, according to a new analysis by Patients for Affordable Drugs.

State Attorneys General Sue Generic Drugmakers for Inflating Prices

A coalition of 51 state and local attorneys general, including those of New York and New Jersey, filed a lawsuit Wednesday accusing 26 drug companies of conspiring to artificially inflate prices of 80 topical generic drugs.

Trump’s $35 Insulin Plan: A Nickel Solution to a Billion-Dollar Problem

On first blush, President Donald Trump’s $35 insulin discount policy may seem like a serious attack on high prescription drug prices.

Yes, the Government Can Control the Cost of a Coronavirus Vaccine

The claim that the U.S. government has no control over drug prices is, simply put, a lie.

In U.S., 66% Report Increase in Cost of Prescription Drugs

Two-thirds of U.S. adults report that prescription drug prices have increased either a little or a lot since 2017, the first year of the Trump administration. Self-identified Democrats and independents are more likely to perceive an increase in prices than Republicans.

Brand-name Prescription Drug Prices Have Spiked Since 2007

The price of brand-name prescription drugs went up by 60% between 2007 and 2018, after accounting for rebates and discounts, according to a new study in JAMA.

Americans are Skipping Medically Necessary Prescriptions because of the Cost

For many Americans, the cost of regularly taking and filling their medications is too much.

Kaiser Health News: Voters Say Congress Needs To Curb Drug Prices, But Are Lawmakers Listening?

Nearly 8 in 10 Americans say the cost of prescription drugs is unreasonable, with voters from both parties agreeing that reducing the cost of prescription drugs should be one of Congress’ top priorities.

Las Vegas SUN:
Horsford: Prescription Drug Affordability Not a Partisan Issue

Some of the bills Rep. Steve Horsford and other Democrats have backed — including measures to expand access to dental care and cap prescription drug costs — are headed to the House floor after passing through committee mark-up last week.

List Prices for Medicare Part D Drugs Exceeded Inflation in 2016, 2017, Analysis Says

List price increases for many Medicare Part D drugs—both brands and generics—exceeded inflation in 2016 and 2017, in some cases by a substantial margin, according to a recent analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Report: Prescription Drug Prices Climb Nearly 26% in 3 Years

Drug pricing transparency has long been an area of focus for consumers and policymakers, with numerous studies highlighting the inequity in drug spending across various disease states as well as a recent substantial rise in out-of-pocket costs.

Can Washington Deliver on Drug Costs Amid Impeachment Probe?

Major legislation to reduce prescription drug costs for millions of people may get sidelined now that House Democrats have begun an impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump.

Wall Street Journal: Drugmakers, Worried About Losing Pricing Power, Are Lobbying Hard

Pharmaceutical industry attacks proposals in Washington that could cut deeply into companies’ sales.

Bloomberg: Why Millions of Senior Citizens Can’t Get Needed Medications

A new watchdog report says prescriptions are being rejected because doctors and insurers don’t communicate with each other.

Axios: Generic Prescription Drugs are Sometimes Inaccessible to Seniors

Plans providing Medicare’s prescription drug benefit are often slow to cover the first generic competition to a branded medication, according to a new white paper by the Association for Accessible Medicines.