Most Clicked PCMA SmartBrief Stories
1. Drugstore lobby bill would undermine proven PBM cost-saving tools
PCMA SmartBrief | May 17, 2013
A measure supported by the National Community Pharmacists Association would take away the tools pharmacy benefit managers have used to curb costs, Edward C. Lawrence writes. RxObserver blog (05/16)
2. CMS finalizes MLR rules for supplemental Medicare plans
PCMA SmartBrief | May 20, 2013
Medicare Advantage and Part D prescription drug plans must spend 85 cents of each premium dollar on direct patient care under final rules to be published May 23. Bloomberg BNA (subscription required) (05/17)
3. Pharma success increasingly depends on proving value
PCMA SmartBrief | May 15, 2013
A drug's success in the marketplace increasingly depends on the drugmaker's ability to prove value and additional benefit over existing pharmaceuticals, yet many drugmakers still take a blockbuster approach to development, an international survey by Camelot Management Consultants finds. PharmaTimes (U.K.) (05/15)
4. Companies embrace bare-bones plans for affordable ACA compliance
PCMA SmartBrief | May 20, 2013
Some employers have turned to health plans that offer minimal coverage in an effort to comply with the Affordable Care Act and avoid paying tax penalties. Advisers and brokers are increasingly promoting the plans, which do not cover certain services such as hospital or prenatal care, and are also offering small employers self-insurance options, which are subject to fewer ACA rules than conventional plans. Wall Street Journal, The (05/20)
5. CBO estimates 25 million uninsured will gain health coverage
PCMA SmartBrief | May 15, 2013
A Congressional Budget Office report found that 25 million uninsured people will get coverage through an expanded Medicaid program or subsidized health insurance marketplaces in the next decade, which is 2 million less than its estimate of 27 million in February. The drop is attributed to an administration policy change that will excuse up to 1 million people from the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate, the CBO said. Reuters (05/14) Bloomberg (05/14)
6. Seniors like Part D preferred pharmacy networks, survey finds
PCMA SmartBrief | May 21, 2013
Among seniors enrolled in preferred-network Medicare Part D plans, 85% said they are satisfied, 81% said the pharmacies in the network are convenient and 80% would not be pleased if the plan were eliminated, according to a Hart Research Associates survey. Drug Store News (05/20) Hill, The (05/20) Chain Drug Review (05/20)
7. PCMA: Drugstore lobby's bill would raise prescription drug costs, increase wasteful spending
PCMA SmartBrief | May 17, 2013
Blank (05/17)
8. PBMs offer solutions for N.C. budget woes
PCMA SmartBrief | May 21, 2013
North Carolina could reduce spending by modernizing its Medicaid pharmacy benefit, a Menges Group study found. "The good news is state Medicaid programs can dramatically reduce costs by simply applying best practices already used by Medicare and other large payers that offer pharmacy benefits," PCMA President and CEO Mark Merritt said in a statement. Spending by North Carolina's Medicaid program exceeded the budget by hundreds of millions of dollars for three years in a row, according to the state auditor. American City Business Journals (05/20)
9. Drugmakers use tracking method to market meds
PCMA SmartBrief | May 17, 2013
Drugmakers are using huge databases of doctor and patient information to market treatments, saying the approach helps ensure doctors are prescribing appropriate medicines and can improve adherence. However, some doctors have concerns about the practice, saying drugmakers have become more invasive in their use of data. New York Times (tiered subscription model), The (05/16)
10. Younger people are willing to pay higher premiums, survey finds
PCMA SmartBrief | May 20, 2013
A poll by the American Action Forum found that nearly two-thirds of people under 40 expect their health insurance premiums to go up because of the Affordable Care Act. Fifty-five percent of those with insurance said they would still buy coverage if the price went up 30%. Hill, The (05/17)
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