The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has been an issue in every Congress since it was enacted in 2010 and this next Congress will be no different. There are so many health care issues that need to be debated—a national vs state pandemic strategy; funding for testing; additional relief for health care providers; surprise billing; treatment … Continue Reading
Joan Kutcher and Gary Heimberg delivered remarks during Covington’s post-election conference call with clients on November 8, 2018 on health care and drug pricing. The health care segment follows: The Affordable Care Act has been an issue in every election since it passed in 2010. This election was the first time the Democrats could fully … Continue Reading
Drug pricing presents intriguing political dynamics. Whether and what policy prescriptions actually come to fruition in the next two years remain to be seen, but the rhetoric around the imperative to lower drug pricing — and the political pressure to act — will be more intense than we have seen to date. President Trump and … Continue Reading
Today, the President will submit the Administration’s Fiscal Year 2019 budget blueprint to Congress. The document will set in motion an annual process to analyze the substance, business implications and prospects for various proposals. Draft documents have already begun to circulate that suggest that both the budget and a forthcoming addendum would, if enacted, have … Continue Reading
On January 20, 2017, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order instructing federal agencies to work to “minimize the unwarranted economic and regulatory burdens” of the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”), and to increase the flexibility provided to States to run healthcare programs. While the Executive Order itself does not change any regulation or specific … Continue Reading
It is safe to observe that modifying or repealing the Affordable Care Act (aka as Obamacare) will be the top health care-related priority of the Trump Administration. Trump spoke about repeal and replace often — he even called for a special session of Congress to repeal it — and while it was not among his … Continue Reading
The post-election period — from the lame duck congressional session to the first 100 days and beyond of a new Administration and Congress — is expected to be a time of extraordinary, if not unprecedented, public policy debate on issues that impact pharmaceutical/life sciences companies and interest groups. These issues present both significant threats and … Continue Reading
