The Health Care Reform Corner – From the editors of "The Pink Sheet" September 2009
What are policymakers and stakeholders in Washington saying and doing about health care reform? In this periodic BioPharma Today feature, the editors of "The Pink Sheet" and "The Pink Sheet" DAILY highlight some of the major developments chronicled in those publications.
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WASINGTON, D.C. – Should the public plan option remain part of a final health care reform package, there is one line in the House version of the bill that could transform the insurance industry's approach to patient copayments for drugs.
The line is contained in Section 224 (c) of "America's Affordable Health Choices Act," headlined "Encouraging the Use of High Value Services." It simply states that "the public health insurance option may modify cost sharing and payment rates to encourage the use of services that promote health and value."
Granting this leeway in the public plan option would allow the plan to become a large-scale demonstration of how to incorporate "value-based insurance design" into a plan and serve as a strong example to be followed by the private insurance industry. Read the story here…
Sen. Chris Dodd is viewed as a likely candidate to succeed Kennedy as head of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, given his seniority and recent stint as acting chair of the committee during its consideration of health reform legislation. The Connecticut Democrat has a relatively limited record in pharmaceutical legislation - especially in comparison to the late Sen. Ted Kennedy - but his initiatives include establishing incentives for pediatric drug development and supporting increased government oversight in the areas of drug safety and direct-to-consumer advertising.
Other senior members of the committee who could move into the chairman role include Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., and Tom Harkin, D-Iowa. Kennedy passed away on Aug. 25 from brain cancer. Read the story here…
- Scott Steinke
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