Weekly Policy Update: A Month In Policy and Bioscience In the News

Today, the August Focus newsletter was published for a more detailed look at policy, and other issues, please read Jennifer’s monthly policy update.

BIOSCIENCE IN THE NEWS 

Energy and Commerce News

WASHINGTON, DC – On September 5, 2018, the Health Subcommittee, will have a hearing entitled, “Opportunities to Improve Health Care”. During this hearing the committee will review five bills to improve health care in a variety of ways. One of the bills that CBSA will follow includes:

A discussion draft to prohibit the use of “gag clauses” in Medicare and private health insurance plans. Today, some health insurance contracts prevent pharmacists from informing patients when the cash price for their prescription costs less than their insurance cost-sharing arrangement unless the individual directly asks. As a result, customers may be paying more for their prescriptions. This language aims to ban group health plans offered by employers and individual health insurance plans – as well as Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D Plans – from restricting a pharmacy’s ability to inform a customer about the lower cost, out-of-pocket price for their prescription.

The Hill

Overnight Health Care: Senate approves massive bill including health spending | Bill includes drug pricing measure | Move to block Planned Parenthood funding fails

The Senate passed the Defense, Health and Human Services (HHS), Labor and Education appropriations bill which included amendments on issues like drug pricing and protecting pre-existing conditions.

Categories: CBSA News