MD Drug Affordability Board Zeroing In on Eight Drugs, More Docs Working for Corporate Entities Than Ever & More

MD Drug Affordability Board Weighing Caps on Eight Drugs

Maryland’s Prescription Drug Affordability Board could soon impose price limits on up to eight drugs on state-run health insurance plans, including diabetes and weight loss medication Ozempic, ADHD medication Vyvance and asthma medication Dupixent. All of the drugs cost more than $100 a month or $30,000 a year, meeting the board’s definition of being cost prohibitive. (WYPR)

Docs’ Migration Away From Independent Practice Continues

The percentage of physicians employed by hospitals and other corporate entities reached a new high of 77.6% this year, continuing its significant rise over the past decade, according to a new report commissioned by the Physicians Advocacy Institute. In 2012 the rate was 25.8%.

“Corporate entities are assuming control of physician practices and changing the face of medicine in the United States with little to no scrutiny from regulators,” Kelly Kenney, PAI’s CEO, said in a statement. (FIERCE HEALTHCARE)

Medical Debt Relief Not Life-Changing

The nonprofit group R.I.P. Medical Debt estimates it has eliminated over $11 billion of consumer medical debt with the support of philanthropists and city governments. But a study by a group of economists found that debt relief didn’t improve the credit scores or mental health of those whose bills were paid, or make them any less likely to forgo medical care than those whose bills weren’t paid. (NEW YORK TIMES)

—Compiled by SNCJ Managing Editor KOREY CLARK

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