Description and Analysis of the Health Policy Issue & Its Implication for Health Care

Use one video as the source. Two other references. APA format

1. https://www.c-span.org/video/?435552-2/changing-health-care-systems
2. https://www.c-span.org/video/?431873-4/senators-republican-health-care-legislation

example 1

Title of Event / Sponsors: 

Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee;

Prescription Drug Costs Representatives from prescription drug manufacturing, distribution, and retail industries testified at a hearing on the causes of rising prescription drug costs.

Preparation Steps Taken:

Prior meeting for review of Prescription Drug Costs reconvened due to some Senators did not discuss drug prices or solutions but debated Affordable Care Act.

Place / Date / Time / Length:

On the C-SPAN Networks

Date: Tuesday, October 17, 2017

Time: 10:00 AM, for a total time 2:08 hours

Location: 430 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Topic Under Discussion: Representatives from prescription drug manufacturing, distribution, and retail industries testified at a hearing on the causes of rising prescription drug costs.

Names of Participants and Their Titles:

• Lamar AlexanderU.S. Senator (Class 2)[R] Tennessee
• Tammy BaldwinU.S. Senator (Class 1)[D] Wisconsin

• Bill Cassidy M.D.U.S. Senator (Class 2)[R] Louisiana
• Susan M. CollinsU.S. Senator (Class 2)[R] Maine
• Chester "Chip" Davis Jr.President and CEO Association for Accessible Medicines
• Al FrankenU.S. Senator (Class 2)[D] Minnesota
• Elizabeth GallenaghSenior Vice President and General CounselHealthcare Distribution Alliance
• Maggie HassanU.S. Senator[D] New Hampshire
• Tim KaineU.S. Senator (Class 1)[D] Virginia
• Thomas MenighanPresidentAmerican Pharmacists Association
• Mark MerrittPresident and CEOPharmaceutical Care Management Association
• Lisa MurkowskiU.S. Senator (Class 3)[R] Alaska
• Christopher "Chris" S. MurphyU.S. Senator (Class 1)[D] Connecticut
• Patty MurrayU.S. Senator (Class 3)[D] Washington
• Lori ReillyExecutive Vice PresidentPhRMA->Policy and Research
• Elizabeth WarrenU.S. Senator (Class 1)[D] Massachusetts
• Sheldon WhitehouseU.S. Senator (Class 1)[D] Rhode Island

Brief Description of the Testimony / Meeting / Event: why the meeting was important, and your take on the process.  Also, did you attend the meeting in person back in May, or watch it online?

I watch the video online which was helpful to have the opportunity to go back and review sections of interest and areas which were not as easily understood.  I found the footage exceptionally interesting and informative of information in how prescription medications distributed to pharmacies around the country. Also equally informative was where the prices for medicines priced. Surprising was that the owner of rights to a drug could inflate the price when they did not change the drug in any way not do any studies on medication. My big question is why is gouging the price on a medication legal? The second problem is what can be done to prevent this type of behavior in the future?

All patients need to benefit from prescription drugs that are available and have reasonable costs to the public.  Rebates could be stopped and reduce the list price to make a more transparency between the consumer and the manufacturer. Rebates are used by insurance companies, and the consumer does not always see a lower price for the consumer.  The patent system prevents generics from manufacturing a patented medication which also keeps the prices up.  Pharmaceutical companies have also petitioned the courts to increase their patents for up to 20 years.

Description and Analysis of the Health Policy Issue & Its Implication for Health Care:        

The Cost of prescription drugs and the delivery system to the public by bipartisan request from senators.

This is the second hearing on prescription drug prices.  The goal of this meeting was to stabilize the market on drug cost. 15 percent of Medicare costs for prescription drugs including medications distributed in retail and hospitals.  85 percent is spent on doctors visit, surgeries.   This meeting is to work on getting these costs under control. The focus of this hearing is to be on the cost of prescription drugs.

Science can saves lives and discoveries at a remarkable pace. The issue is New drugs are too expensive for the general public to afford. Drug prices are increasing far faster than any other aspect of health care. They went up 10% in 2015 and 14% in 2014 when they were a top cause of the 5.3% increase in overall health care costs. (O’Donnell, 2016). The problem is the innovations and breakthroughs cannot help if the people cannot pay for these new scientific discoveries.  The prescription drug delivery system from how the drug distributed from the manufacturer to the patient is complicated and needs to be more transparent.  The payments for these prescription medications paid for in a complicated way. Patients often pay a copay or coinsurance which pays a percentage, and some pay 100% out of pocket for the entire cost if they have not met their deductible.  The price is often determined by what type of insurance patient have.  

The delivery system of medications often affects the cost of the medications.  The delivery system is the manufacturers who develop the drugs, the generic manufacturers who produce 89% of all prescriptions at a lower cost to the public, drug wholesalers who purchase the drugs then distribute the drugs to pharmacies. Then the pharmacies benefit who use their buying power to purchase medicines and set up the cost at the pharmacy to the consumer.  

The FDA gold standard regulates which drugs are safe for consumer use. Questions have arisen if importing drugs from other countries and by pass, the FDA Gold Standard would be an option to help reduce drug prices. Unanimously this was rejected by the panel.  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER). The center's best-known job is to evaluate new drugs before they can be sold. The center's evaluation not only prevents quackery but also provides doctors and patients the information they need to use medicines wisely. CDER ensures that drugs, both brand-name and generic, work correctly and that their health benefits outweigh their known risks. (FDA, 2016).

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