-
Trump, Drug Companies Make Deal on Discounted Drugs Through Trump Rx
Consumers will be able to buy discounted brand-name drugs through a government direct sales exchange called Trump Rx, starting in early 2026. On October 16, the Trump team worked out an agreement with a drug maker to directly sell fertility drugs at a deep discount to lower the cost of in vitro fertilization treatments (see…
-
Hospitals Not Meeting Charity Requirements, Ways and Means Chairman Says
U.S. hospitals receive nearly $40 billion annually in federal and state tax benefits through their nonprofit status, yet are coming up short in meeting their “community benefit standard,” testimony at a House Ways and Means Committee hearing revealed. Ways and Means chairman Jason Smith recounted key moments from the September 16 hearing in a news…
-
Federal Agencies Are Using Data Analytics to Stop Health Care Fraud
Health care fraud enforcement remains a top priority of the Trump administration, warns a law firm specializing in False Claims Act and Whistleblower/Qui Tam Defense. “All individuals and businesses working in any aspect of the health care field should pay close attention to the government’s planned use of data analytics to spot anomalous billing,” wrote Jonathan S.…
-
Democrats Fight to Extend Obamacare’s Costly Middle-Class Subsidies – Commentary
Democrats in Congress have been desperately trying to keep Obamacare on life support. A recent scare tactic is from the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), which estimates Obamacare premiums will rise 114 percent without extending the so-called enhanced subsidies. “In 2021, the American Rescue Plan Act, a pandemic relief law, temporarily increased the amount of the…
-
Government Shutdown Exposes Obamacare’s True Costs
The COVID-19 pandemic-era enhanced subsidies for Obamacare are set to expire on December 31, and members of Congress are at odds over whether to extend them. On October 1, the federal government shut down when Democrats in the Senate would not join Republicans to pass a continuing resolution (CR) bill to fund the government unless…
-
States Consider Dozens of Bills to Protect 340B Drug Price Subsidy Abuse
Lawmakers in states across the country are working through a spate of bills written to shield a growing source of revenue for large hospital systems and drug chains. Congress created the 340B drug pricing program in 1992 to help a small set of safety-net hospitals purchase discounted prescription drugs from manufacturers by subsidizing purchases for…
-
White House Announces Policies to Expand IVF, Fertility Treatment
The White House announced two initiatives it claims will significantly reduce the costs of in vitro fertilization (IVF). On October 16, President Donald Trump announced drugmaker EMD Serono would offer its fertility drug GONAL-F at a 796 percent discount or more, in line with the lowest price paid by other developed nations, known as the…
-
MAHA Report Sets the Stage for Health Care Policy Changes
The Make American Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission released its “strategy plan” to combat an epidemic of chronic disease among the nation’s children. The “Make Our Children Healthy Again Strategy” follows a less condensed draft version that was leaked to the media on August 18. The official version, released on September 9, contains 120 initiatives. The…
-
Massive Fraud Found in Minnesota Medicaid Housing Assistance Program – Commentary
“Nonmedical social determinants of health” is a fancy way of saying external conditions can affect people’s well-being. Being homeless is not terribly conducive to good health, and the stress of not having access to affordable housing can worsen an individual’s mental health. Under that premise, numerous states have been diverting Medicaid funding to housing assistance. In 2024,…
-
Minnesota Lawmakers Approve Medicaid Payment for Home Births
Minnesota lawmakers approved legislation requiring Medicaid to pay for home births, including paying nurses and midwives the same rate as doctors. The bill, sponsored by a state senator who gave a political speech in 2022 while in labor, was passed as part of a special session agreement with Gov. Tim Walz in June. The legislation…
Latest Issue – December 2025
2025 Archived Editions: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Aug, Sep, Oct, Dec
2024 Archived Editions: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, June Aug, Sept, Oct, Nov
2023 Archived Editions: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov
2022 Archived Editions: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, July, Aug, Sept, Oct, Nov
2021 Archived Editions: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, June, July, Aug, Sept, Oct, Nov
2020 Archived Editions: Jan, Mar, Apr, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
For back issues and articles published before January 2020, click here.
