| News for the PBM Industry |  |
| Featured Story |  |  |
|
| Legislative & Regulatory News | | |
|
- CMS says PPACA will save Medicare $200B through 2016
PPACA rules will save Medicare enrollees $208 billion through 2020 and the federal government $200 billion through 2016, according to data from a CMS actuary report. "In some instances, the private sector is leading to improve the way care is delivered," said Rick Gilfillan, director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation. USA TODAY
(4/23)     
- GAO decries Medicare Advantage quality incentives
A federal program to give some $8.3 billion in quality bonuses to Medicare Advantage plans is wasteful because most of the plans slated to receive the funds are rated average, according to the Government Accountability Office. HHS says the program is designed to "improve the delivery of health care services, patient health outcomes and population health," but Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, says the program is politically motivated. The Washington Post/The Associated Press
(4/23)
- Romney's national health plan differs from his Mass. law
If elected president, Mitt Romney would push a health care plan that gives Americans tax breaks to buy their own insurance. As governor of Massachusetts, Romney implemented a law similar to the PPACA that required residents to buy insurance and guaranteed coverage. Los Angeles Times (tiered subscription model)
(4/23)
| PBM Industry News | | |
|
- PBM industry changes could benefit consumers
The recently approved merger of pharmacy benefit managers Express Scripts and Medco, along with the pending merger of SXC Health Solutions and Catalyst Health Solutions, may set off a wave of mergers and acquisitions that ultimately lowers drug costs for consumers, analysts say. "You get to a point where you're big enough where the big manufacturers have to take you seriously, and that should help them negotiate rebate savings," said Edward Kaplan, senior vice president at consulting firm The Segal Co. Business Insurance (tiered subscription model)
(4/22)
| Drug Industry Spotlight | | |
|
- AstraZeneca snaps up gout drug maker
AstraZeneca will buy Ardea Biosciences for $1.26 billion, adding a gout drug to Astra's pipeline. Bristol-Myers Squibb, GlaxoSmithKline and Roche Holding recently failed in attempts to purchase biotech firms. Reuters
(4/23)
| Opinion, Commentary & Analysis | | |
|
| SmartQuote | | |
|
 | It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer."
--Albert Einstein,
German-born physicist
|
| |
| |
|
| |
| About PCMA |
|
PCMA is the national association representing America's pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), which administer prescription drug plans for more than 210 million Americans with health coverage provided through Fortune
500 employers, health insurance plans, labor unions, and Medicare Part D. PCMA is dedicated to enhancing the proven tools and techniques pioneered by PBMs that generate savings and access for consumers and payors.
|
|
| |
| | Recent PCMA SmartBrief Issues:
- Friday, April 20, 2012
- Thursday, April 19, 2012
- Wednesday, April 18, 2012
- Tuesday, April 17, 2012
- Monday, April 16, 2012
| | | Lead Editor: Melissa Turner
Mailing Address:
SmartBrief, Inc.®, 555 11th ST NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20004 | |
| |
|
| © 1999-2012 SmartBrief, Inc.® Legal Information |
|
