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For months, the trade group representing big drug makers has argued that Valeant Pharmaceuticals and Turing Pharmaceuticals, which was once run by Martin Shkreli, were outliers for brazen pricing practices that outraged Americans. At every turn, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America has worked hard to convince lawmakers and the public that its members are not the equivalent of “hedge funds” that exist to set sky-high prices while failing to sufficiently invest in developing new medicines. But earlier this month, the trade group made a curious move. Among five companies that were just added to its roster, two of them — Jazz Pharmaceuticals and Horizon Pharmaceuticals — have also relied on excessive pricing to fuel their growth, while investing much less than other drug makers in research and development. (Silverman, 7/26)

Controlling healthcare costs was one of the main goals of the President’s healthcare law, but millions of American patients have seen quite the opposite happen over the past six years. Facing higher compliance and coverage expenses on top of onerous mandates, healthcare companies have increased costs dramatically. Pharmaceutical companies, for instance, have struggled with the large up-front costs associated with navigating life-saving medications through the convoluted approval processes at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). And insurance companies, in order to meet all coverage requirements while insuring high-risk policy holders at the same rates as low-risk policy holders have hiked premiums while simultaneously increasing out-of-pocket costs for enrollees. (Christine Harbin, 7/26)

If you wonder why doctors are not mobilizing against the opioid epidemic, or the ridiculously high price of prescription drugs, just look at this statistic: drug and medical-device makers made payments of more than a quarter of a billion dollars in 2015 to California doctors. That’s from federal records. Other research by the ballot initiative campaign to mandate lower price prescription drugs through Prop 61 shows the California Medical Association’s (CMA) president has a medical practice that in Riverside that received more than $1.6 million from drug and medical device makers from August 2013 through the end of 2015. Other CMA trustees got big payments too, and the Association’s foundation itself is funded big time by drugmakers. (Jamie Court, 7/21)

As both political parties are completing the process of selecting their presidential candidates, we have a unique opportunity to draw attention to issues affecting all Americans. One topic so far overshadowed by the horse race election coverage is the skyrocketing cost of medicine. Out-of-control prices for prescription drugs are steadily bankrupting our healthcare system. Price hikes are putting treatment out of the reach of too many people, as well as raising health insurance premiums for all of us. And the rising costs are stealing from our state and federal healthcare programs, including Medicare. (Marian Tasco, 7/23)

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission has highlighted "two underlying trends" affecting Medicare Part D, the prescription-drug program. The trends cited in the March 2016 status report follow the classic good news-bad news scenario. (7/26)