5 Principles of Good Insurance Coverage for Heart Patients
About 655,000 Americans die from heart disease each year — that’s one in every four deaths. But when health plan coverage empowers people to be proactive about their heart health, everyone benefits – patients, families, communities, workplaces and the health care system at large. Optimal insurance coverage meets at least five important criteria. Read Guide
Fast Facts: Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services oversees the policy and benefits administration for the roughly one in three Americanswho are insured through Medicare and Medicaid. Over the years, the agency has explored ways to improve by optimizing patient care whileconserving costs. In 2010, that effort was formalized with the creation of the Center for […]
Fast Facts: Reference Pricing
Health care costs weigh heavy on the minds – and budgets – of many Americans. In recent years, policymakers have explored ways to reduce health care spending, looking specifically at prescription drug costs. This “Fast Facts” examines one approach that has generated much debate: reference pricing. Read Fast Facts
Clinical Diagnosis Guidelines for Transthyretin Amyloidosis
Amyloidosis is a rare disease caused by a buildup of abnormal proteins in the body’s organs and tissue. Diagnosing amyloidosis can be difficult because symptoms often seem unrelated. In fact, an amyloidosis diagnosis is generally delayed three to four years. The disease is also frequently misdiagnosed. Read Fast Facts
Medicare Part D Drug Coverage
Millions of Americans, including those with cancer and other life-threatening diseases, depend on Medicare for their medications. It’s an increasingly complicated and perpetually changing system that often leaves seniors—and their caregivers—confused about payment responsibility. And looming policy issues related to beneficiaries’ costs could soon make the situation worse by increasing what seniors have to pay […]
Naming Biological Medicines
Patients with chronic and complex conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, high cholesterol and Crohn’s disease are among the many people who benefit from innovative biological medicines. Unlike traditional drugs, biological medicines derive from cells or living systems. They are typically infused or injected, either by a health care provider or through a self-injectable device patients use […]
The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review
Patients, in consultation with their doctors, should make their own medical decisions. But with increasing frequency, an outside organization known as the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review is influencing what treatment options are available for consideration. Today, patients’ access to innovative drugs, life-saving devices and diagnostic testing often rides on this third-party’s value assessment. […]
Fast Facts: Biosimilars Policy in 2018 & Beyond
Since Congress created an approval pathway for follow-on biological drugs in 2009, nearly a dozen biosimilars have been approved by the FDA. Many more are in the pipeline.
Fast Facts: Pharmacovigilance
As many as one out of three drugs on the U.S. market may have safety issues, according to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.1 The statistic highlights a key challenge of modern medicine: the need to track adverse events long after regulatory agencies have approved new drugs. Read the […]
Fast Facts: Co-Pay Coupons
People are living longer, healthier lives today with the help of advanced medicine. But innovative drugs can be expensive. Insurance companies increasingly shift these drug costs to patients through coinsurance and co-pay requirements. In recent years, drug manufacturers have responded by offering co-pay coupons and co-pay assistance programs to help patients manage higher out-of-pocket expenses […]
