Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
High Costs, Future Reforms: How Health May Feature In Biden-Trump Debate
When President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump face off Thursday during the first general election debate, health policy experts say tackling the exorbitant cost of health care is as much a top issue for voters as the U.S. economy. Health care costs in the United States continue to rise — and Americans increasingly say they are unable to afford the care they need. (Lovelace Jr., 6/26)
Â鶹ŮÓÅ Health News: Battleground Wisconsin: Voters Feel Nickel-And-Dimed By Health Care Costs
The land of fried cheese curds and the Green Bay Packers is among a half-dozen battleground states that could determine the outcome of the expected November rematch between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump — a contest in which the cost and availability of health care are emerging as defining issues. ... Wisconsinites said they’re struggling to pay for even the most basic health care, from common blood tests to insulin prescriptions. (Hart, 6/27)
More on the high cost of health care and prescriptions —
The Biden administration on Wednesday said it will impose inflation penalties on 64 prescription drugs for the third quarter of this year, lowering costs for certain older Americans enrolled in Medicare. ... A provision of Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act requires drugmakers to pay rebates to Medicare, the federal health program for Americans over age 65, if they hike the price of a medication faster than the rate of inflation. (Kim Constantino, 6/26)
Drug manufacturers are rolling back their limitations on 340B drug discounts as more states pass laws aimed at making the program's benefits more accessible. Missouri is the latest state to pass legislation requiring pharmaceutical manufacturers to distribute discounted drugs to pharmacies that contract with hospitals, federally qualified health centers and other 340B-covered providers. (Kacik, 6/26)
Employee health care costs are increasingly eating up larger shares of payroll costs for America's smallest businesses, according to a new analysis from the JPMorgan Chase Institute. (Reed, 6/27)
On racial inequity —
The National Academies of Sciences Engineering and Medicine on Wednesday said law and policy changes aimed at eliminating health disparities have made slow and uneven progress improving racial inequities over the past 20 years. The Ending Unequal Treatment report found that people of color in 2024 are still disproportionately uninsured, underutilizing care services and underrepresented in the healthcare workforce. (Devereaux, 6/26)
