WASHINGTON (Reuters)—U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday, Nov. 22, he will soon release a plan to let Florida and other states import prescription medicines to combat high drug prices. He blasted the Democrat-led U.S. House of Representatives for not going far enough in a drug-pricing bill. “We will soon be putting more options on…
Trump Nominates MD Anderson Oncologist as U.S. FDA Commissioner
(Reuters)—U.S. President Donald Trump has nominated Stephen Hahn, MD, chief medical executive of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, to lead the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the White House said on Friday. Dr. Hahn, a radiation oncologist who has been at MD Anderson in Houston since 2015, if confirmed would follow…
Trump Administration Proposes Changes to Healthcare Anti-Kickback Rules
(Reuters)—The Trump administration has proposed changes to federal anti-kickback provisions that restrict the kinds of patient referrals doctors can make, saying it will improve healthcare coordination and foster payments based on the quality of care. The plan will change how the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) enforces the Physician Self Referral Law,…
Trump Administration to Appeal Ruling Blocking Price Disclosure for Drug Ads
(Reuters)—The Trump administration is appealing a court ruling that struck down its plan to compel pharmaceutical companies to disclose wholesale prices of their drugs in televisions advertisements. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) filed a notice of appeal on Wednesday, as it prepares to challenge the July federal court ruling. “If the…
White House Scraps Proposal to Lower U.S. Drug Prices
(Reuters)—The Trump administration on Thursday scrapped one of its most ambitious proposals for lowering prescription medicine prices, backing down from a policy that would have required health insurers to pass on billions of dollars in rebates they receive from drugmakers to Medicare patients. The decision represents a new setback to President Donald Trump’s efforts to…
Trump Slams Drugmakers, Vows to Let U.S. States Buy Cheaper Medicines Abroad
WASHINGTON (Reuters)—U.S. President Donald Trump slammed the pharmaceutical industry for high prices of prescription drugs on Thursday and vowed to allow U.S. states to buy medicines from other countries if they cost less. Trump, who campaigned on a platform to reduce drug prices for U.S. consumers, has taken few concrete steps to lower medication costs…
U.S. to Boost Drug Price Negotiation in Medicare Advantage Health Plans
(Reuters)—The Trump administration said on Tuesday it would give Medicare Advantage health plans for the elderly new tools to negotiate for lower prescription drug prices. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) said Medicare Advantage plans will be allowed to require that patients first try certain lower-cost drugs before moving to a more expensive…
Health Secretary Nominee Indicates Support for Medicaid Overhaul
WASHINGTON (Reuters)—Alex Azar, a former drug industry executive and lobbyist nominated to run the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, indicated on Tuesday he supported a Republican bid to overhaul Medicaid and again vowed to tackle high drug prices. Azar appeared before the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday, which will ultimately decide whether to…
Trump Administration Rule Would Let More People Drop Obamacare
WASHINGTON (Reuters)—The Trump administration proposed a rule on Thursday to allow Americans who are self-employed or work for small businesses to buy health insurance that does not comply with all Obamacare requirements in an effort to unwind the 2010 healthcare law. The rule, put forward by the Department of Labor, would allow individuals and small…
Trump Administration Proposes Medicare Rules Aimed at Opioids, Drug Costs
(Reuters)—The Trump administration on Thursday proposed changes to Medicare drug plans including limits on opioid prescriptions and rules aimed at reducing drug costs for seniors, such as requiring health insurers to pass on discounts to consumers. To help combat overprescription and abuse of addictive painkillers, the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) said…