Policy & Sector Insights

By Rachel CohrsSTAT Obviously, pharmaceutical companies are upset that they’re going to lose money from Medicare under Democrats’ new drug pricing law. But there’s another, less obvious group that’s concerned as well — long-term care pharmacies that serve almost entirely Medicare patients, and dispense the drugs that will likely enter the price negotiation program first.  […]

Military Retirees Will Lose Long-Term Care Pharmacy Services as soon as Oct. 24, 2022 TRICARE and its Pharmacy Benefit: The TRICARE program, operated by the Department of Defense (Defense Health Agency), covers 9.6 million active-duty service members and their family members, along with military retirees, many of whom live in long-term care (LTC) facilities like […]

By Rachel Sachs Health Affairs This past year was filled with news in the prescription drug policy area, from the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) most controversial drug approval in many years to ongoing discussions in Congress over drug pricing reform. Through it all, the importance of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic has remained at […]

By Fred D. Ledley STAT News Public debate over legislation to allow Medicare to negotiate the price of drugs has been dominated by stories of personal suffering caused by high drug prices, accounts of lifesaving cures provided by pharmaceutical innovations, and arguments regarding nuanced economic models of how reducing drug prices could affect government spending and pharmaceutical innovation. Big questions related […]

A Compendium of Findings About the Retirement Outlook of U.S. Workers By Catherine Collinson, Patti Rowey, Heidi Cho Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies A Compendium of Findings About the Retirement Outlook of U.S. Workers (“Compendium”), a collaboration between nonprofit Transamerica Institute® and its Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies® (TCRS), explores the health, employment, and finances […]

By Juliette Cubanski, Tricia Neuman, and Meredith Freed Kaiser Family Foundation On November 19, 2021, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5376, the Build Back Better Act (BBBA), which includes a broad package of health, social, and environmental proposals supported by President Biden. The BBBA includes several provisions that would lower prescription drug costs for people […]

By Edem Hado and Brendan Flinn AARP Public Policy Institute Demand for home and community-based services (HCBS) is expected to continue to increase over time as the 65+ population grows larger and older and has a greater need for long-term services and supports. More than 80 percent of adults have expressed a desire to remain […]

Published by The National MLTSS Health Plan Association The COVID pandemic forced the nation to confront a harsh reality with respect to the consequences of various gaps in our long-term care system supporting older adults with complex medical needs and individuals with disabilities. The pandemic shed light on the need for more integrated, individualized home […]

By Kelly Dean GLASGOW, Ky. (WBKO) – Governor Andy Beshear declared this week in Kentucky as Health Care Hero Appreciation Week. The purpose is to celebrate nurses, doctors, nurses and hospital/clinic staff who have worked round-the-clock to treat patients during the Covid-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, Kentucky’s pharmacies have also played a special role in the pandemic by […]