Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Should Drug Companies Be Able To Bypass Physicians?; RFK Jr. Wants To Cause Chaos
Want to self-prescribe a prescription drug? No problem! Some of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the U.S. are piloting websites that essentially sell their drugs directly to consumers. (Adriane Fugh-Berman and Judy Butler, 11/6)
鈥淚鈥檓 gonna let him go wild on health,鈥 Trump told the crowd at his recent Madison Square Garden hatefest. 鈥淚鈥檓 gonna let him go wild on the food. I鈥檓 gonna let him go wild on medicines.鈥 The Washington Post reported that Kennedy could be given 鈥渟ignificant control over health and food safety 鈥 with discussions about some Cabinet and agency officials reporting to him.鈥 (Robin Abcarian, 11/5)
When it comes to health care reform and payment policy, what happens in Massachusetts often doesn鈥檛 stay just there鈥攂efore there were ACOs, there were BCBSMA鈥檚 Alternative Quality Contracts, and before there was Obamacare, there was Romneycare. Payers in Massachusetts hope to use the principles of value-based care and pay-for-performance to reduce health care disparities. (Michael S. Gerber, 11/4)