- Trump Officials Say a New Plan Will Cut Drug Prices. It's Not That Simple Stat by Erin Mershon — When the Trump administration unveiled a new Medicare proposal this week to cut payments to hospitals as part of a drug reimbursement program, Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price called the plan a "significant step toward fulfilling President Trump's promise to address rising drug prices." It may not be that simple. The proposal takes aim at a controversial drug discount program, known as the 340B program, which is designed to boost revenues for hospitals that primarily serve low-income patients. The program requires drug makers to offer those hospitals sizable discounts on certain drugs. The hospital can then bill Medicare and other insurers at regular reimbursement rates when patients take the drugs, banking the extra savings to spend elsewhere.
- The Myth Of Drug Expiration Dates ProPublica by Marshall Allen — ProPublica has been researching why the U.S. health care system is the most expensive in the world. One answer, broadly, is waste — some of it buried in practices that the medical establishment and the rest of us take for granted. We've documented how hospitals often discard pricey new supplies, how nursing homes trash valuable medications after patients pass away or move out, and how drug companies create expensive combinations of cheap drugs. Experts estimate such squandering eats up about $765 billion a year — as much as a quarter of all the country's health care spending. What if the system is destroying drugs that are technically "expired" but could still be safely used?