The Trump administration continues to spar with the pharmaceutical industry. The latest jab is the reemergence of the discussion on drug importation. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar reversed the administration’s course on whether drugs could be purchased outside of the United States and reimported. The reality is that drugs… [Read More]
What Washington Gives, It Takes Away – or Is It the Other Way Around?
The White House has been busy these past few weeks, writing regulations that will significantly impact healthcare. The most important rule will upend the use of Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs) by employers. For plan years that start on or after January 1, 2020, HRAs will be a lot more flexible. Reversing policy established by the… [Read More]
Fixing the Drivers of Healthcare Cost Increases in the U.S.
A March 2018 JAMA study found that the main reason healthcare costs in the U.S. are higher than the rest of the world is the price of labor and goods, and not utilization. Plan administration makes up 8% of costs as compared to 1%–3% abroad. Drugs cost $1,443 per person as compared with a mean of $703 in other developed countries, and… [Read More]
