Latest Updates
Read the latest news that impacts the oncology community.
COA Applauds Bipartisan Congressional Legislation Targeting PBM Abuses
The Community Oncology Alliance (COA) strongly supports the “PBM Reform Act,” a new reform package introduced today by Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA-1) and a bipartisan group of lawmakers that takes direct aim at the entrenched practices of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) driving up drug costs and undermining care for patients with cancer and other serious conditions.
Read MoreMany 340B Disproportionate Share Hospitals Fail to Reinvest in Patient Care
WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A new analysis of 340B hospital data found that the number of Disproportionate Share Hospitals (DSHs) participating in the 340B Drug Pricing Program1 has surged more than sixfold, rising 565% from 2004 to 2023, with little evidence of commensurate growth in benefit to vulnerable populations. Yet, following 340B enrollment, DSHs’ financial investments, including stocks, bonds and other financial instruments, soared.
Read MoreOpinion | Protect Wisconsin cancer patients from drug profiteers
As an oncologist in Wisconsin, I’ve seen the toll that high drug costs take on cancer patients. Even with insurance, many struggle to afford life-saving medications.
Read More200% drug tariffs loom as Trump pushes reshoring of pharma manufacturing
The Trump administration is threatening to impose large tariffs on drugs imported into the United States, although they wouldn’t take effect for at least a year.
Read MoreHow Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act will increase employer healthcare costs
Employers should expect to see hikes to their healthcare costs as a result of upcoming cuts to Medicaid outlined in the Trump administration's One Big Beautiful Bill, passed into law at the start of July. Preparing for the ripple effects now can help benefit leaders reduce the connected negative impact on their workforce.
Read MoreThe Overarching Implications of PBM Reform on the State Level
As its constituents wait for release of a temporary legislative hold, Iowa is getting ready to begin enforcing Senate File 383—which prohibits a variety of pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) practices. Despite a federal judge temporary blocking the bill, whenever it’s finally placed into law, SF 383 has the potential to bolster pharmacy access in Iowa and encourage similar actions on the federal level.
Read MoreFraud, Nuisance Claims Offer a Winning Strategy to Defeat PBMs
While the Federal Trade Commission’s lawsuit against pharmacy benefit manager giants is paused by a temporary stay, lawsuits from state attorneys general and private plaintiffs offer prime opportunities for attorneys to hold pharmacy benefit managers accountable.
Read MoreCOA Applauds Technical Fix to IRA Drug Pricing Policy That Threatens Cancer Care
The Community Oncology Alliance (COA) strongly supports the reintroduction of the Protecting Patient Access to Cancer and Complex Therapies Act in the United States House of Representatives. The bipartisan bill, championed by Congressmen Greg Murphy, MD (R-NC-3), Neal Dunn, MD (R-FL-2), and Adam Gray (D-CA-13), addresses a critical flaw in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) that threatens to devastate independent medical practices – especially those providing cancer care.
Read MoreMurphy Introduces Bipartisan Legislation to Preserve Seniors’ Access to Critical Drugs
Washington, D.C. — Congressman Greg Murphy, M.D., alongside Congressmen Adam Gray (D-CA) and Neal Dunn (R-FL), introduced the Protecting Patient Access to Cancer and Complex Therapies Act, legislation to revert physician reimbursement for administering drugs under Medicare Part B to Average Sales Price (ASP) plus 6 percent, create an additional rebate paid by manufacturers, and hold patients harmless by basing coinsurance rates off the Maximum Fair Price (MFP).
Read MoreCancer Patients Are Overmedicated To Enrich Health Systems, Study Claims
Are patients being prescribed more medications not for their health, but to generate profit? A new economic study published in The Journal of Health Economics reveals that cancer patients treated by physicians participating in the 340B Program receive more medications—including those outside clinical guidelines—without improvements in survival.
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