06/04/2019

Important Oncology Related News

Oncology Reimbursement Reform Leaves Stakeholders With More Questions Than Answers 
 
During the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s Annual Meeting, which took place May 31-June 4, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois, oncologists and representatives from UnitedHealthcare and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) took the stage to discuss oncology reimbursement reform and whether there are changes on the horizon for the promotion of higher value care.  READ ARTICLE

Court Again Rules That HHS’s Medicare 340B Drug Price Cuts Are Illegal, But Gives The Agency A Chance To “Unscramble The Egg”

As previously reported, last December the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) had overstepped its bounds when it slashed the 2018 Medicare Part B outpatient reimbursement rates for covered drugs purchased under the 340B Program. READ MORE

COA News: New PBM Abuses Campaign, Step Therapy in MA Plans, Hill Day Update

COA Launches Major National Campaign to Stop PBM Abuses and Highlight Patient Horror Stories COA recently launched a major national campaign to highlight the negative impact of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) on patients with cancer. The “PBM Abuses” campaign will ensure that PBM middlemen's abuse of patients with cancer is not lost in policy....READ MORE

ASCO Town Hall Brings Tense Conversation About Drug Pricing

(AJMC Managed Markets Network) June 2, 2019 - Drug pricing seemed like an appropriate topic for ASCO's town hall as the Trump administration has made lowering the cost of medications a major objective. READ ARTICLE

White House Wants Patients to Know Health-Care Prices Up Front

The Trump administration has been working behind the scenes for months on a strategy to force greater price disclosure across much of the $3.5 trillion health-care industry. READ MORE

Judge Rips Insurance Company for ‘Immoral, Barbaric’ Cancer Denials

A federal judge blasted UnitedHealthcare last month for its "immoral and barbaric" denials of treatment for cancer patients. He made the comments in recusing himself from hearing a class-action lawsuit because of his own cancer battle -- and in so doing thrust himself into a heated debate in the oncology world.  READ MORE