Tag Archives: Antitrust

Aetna’s Bertolini counters accusation of power play against DOJ

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http://www.healthcaredive.com/news/aetnas-bertolini-counters-accusation-of-power-play-against-doj/426236/

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http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-bertolini-senators-20160912-story.html

  • Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini has responded to a letter from a group of senators who accused the company last week of exiting the majority of its ACA markets as a ploy against the federal government for challenging Aetna’s proposed merger with Humana.
  • Bertolini dismissed the senators’ arguments as”unfounded accusations,” the Hartford Courant reported.
  • Aetna spokesman T.J. Crawford told the Courant the company had not received a response from the senators.

The rise of ‘super regional systems’ and what it means for healthcare

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http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/hospital-transactions-and-valuation/the-rise-of-super-regional-systems-and-what-it-means-for-healthcare.html

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Consolidation has touched all facets of healthcare, including hospitals of all sizes, medical groups and insurers, and this trend will significantly affect the industry as a whole.

Mergers, acquisitions and other types of partnerships are critical as hospitals focus on providing coordinated, cost-effective care. There has been an increase in hospital M&A in recent years, with transactions rising 18 percent in 2015 compared to the year prior, according to an analysis by Kaufman, Hall & Associates.

Through consolidation, hospitals become more efficient and, many times, improve care quality. However, consolidation also increases leverage and causes revenue to rise. This has led to the creation of “super regional systems,” says Gregory F. Hagood, senior managing director and president of SOLIC Capital. This trend is noted in almost every major market, but it is most visible in metro areas like Chicago.

Rise Of The Megamergers: Inside The Record Year For Healthcare M&A

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http://www.forbes.com/sites/baininsights/2016/08/22/rise-of-the-megamergers-inside-the-record-year-for-healthcare-ma-infographic/#660b429b5a8b

Healthcare M&A Is Growing Fast [Infographic]

http://www.bain.com/publications/articles/global-healthcare-private-equity-and-corporate-ma-report-2016.aspx

 

42 hospital transactions and partnerships in August 2016

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http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/hospital-transactions-and-valuation/42-hospital-transactions-and-partnerships-in-august.html

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The following hospital mergers, acquisitions and general transactions took place or were announced in August.

Top 10 Medicaid insurers represent over half of U.S. managed care market

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http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/payer-issues/top-10-medicaid-insurers-represent-over-half-of-u-s-managed-care-market.html

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Fifty-seven percent of the U.S.’s managed Medicaid market is held by the top 10 Medicaid insurers, an analysis from a Washington, D.C., publishing and information company Atlantic Information Services found.

AIS’ Medicare and Medicaid market data found four of the top 10 payers are involved in mergers and acquisitions that may allow them to gain more market share. Specifically, Hartford, Conn.-based Aenta’s proposed acquisition of Louisville, Ky.-based Humana would allocate more than 400,000 Medicaid beneficiaries to Aetna, if the deal is not blocked by the U.S. Department of Justice. In addition, the third ranked insurer, St. Louis-based Centene, acquired Woodland Hills, Calif.-based Health Net in July, leaving the resulting entity with the highest market share.

Here are the top 10 insurers with the most Medicaid beneficiaries and market share.

Is There a Cure for High Drug Prices?

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http://www.consumerreports.org/drugs/cure-for-high-drug-prices/

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The cost of prescription drugs for tens of millions of Americans rose $2 billion last year, and all signs point to a continued rise. At stake is nothing less than the ability of Americans to afford the medicines they need. Can we stop the madness?

5 Reasons Prescription Drug Prices Are So High in the U.S.

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http://finance.yahoo.com/news/5-reasons-prescription-drug-prices-172518972.html

Blame it on “government-protected” monopolies.
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The “most important factor” that drives prescription drug prices higher in the United States than anywhere else in the world is the existence of government-protected “monopoly” rights for drug manufacturers, researchers at Harvard Medical School report today.

The researchers reviewed thousands of studies published from January 2005 through July 2016 in an attempt to simplify and explain what has caused America’s drug price crisis and how to solve it. They found that the problem has deep and complicated roots and published their findings in JAMA, the journal of the American Medical Association. The study was funded by the Laura and John Arnold Foundation with additional support provided by the Engelberg Foundation.

“I continue to be impressed at what a complex and nuanced problem it is and how there are no easy solutions either,” said lead study author Dr. Aaron Kesselheim, a professor who runs the Program on Regulation, Therapeutics and Law at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. “As I was writing, the enormity of the problem continued to shine through.”

Five key findings in the JAMA review:

Showdown Looming on High Drug Prices?

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http://www.medpagetoday.com/PublicHealthPolicy/HealthPolicy/59898?xid=fb_o_

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Government intervention helped fuel the steep rise in prescription drug costs by granting monopolies to drug manufacturers and by mandating coverage in government-funded healthcare programs, authors of a review concluded.
In the U.S., per-capita spending on prescription drugs reached $858 in 2013, more than double the average for 19 other industrialized nations. Prescription spending accounted for 17% of the total cost of personal healthcare services.

The cost and complexity of drug development have contributed to the higher prices. However, the federal government essentially blocked the two most effective means of controlling prescription costs by delaying access to generics and placing constraints on government agencies’ ability to negotiate prices with drug manufacturers, Aaron S. Kesselheim, MD, JD, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and co-authors wrote in the Aug. 23/30 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

A timeline of eye-popping drug prices

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http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/08/25/timeline-eye-popping-drug-prices/89335852/

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The firestorm over steep price increases for the EpiPen — which can rescue people having life-threatening allergic reactions  — is just the latest in a long line of controversies over high prescription drug prices. A decade ago, much of the concern over prescription drug prices involved new high-tech cancer drugs, used by only a few thousand patients a year. In recent years, the prices for decades-old generic drugs have soared, as well, as pharmaceutical companies purchase the rights for drugs with no competition.

Here’s a recap of some of the most eye-popping prices.

Pfizer’s Involvement in EpiPens Could Complicate Drug Price Debate

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https://morningconsult.com/2016/08/26/pfizers-involvement-in-epipens-could-complicate-drug-price-debate/

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Mylan Pharmaceuticals has come under intense fire for massive price hikes of EpiPens over the last week, facing scrutiny from lawmakers and industry groups. It is less well known, however, that while Mylan markets and prices the drug, Pfizer Inc. actually manufactures the drug and has seen increased revenues from EpiPens over the last few years.

The financial relationship between the two drug companies is unclear, and Pfizer declined to elaborate. Mylan did not respond to a request for further comment about EpiPens or how the two companies divide revenues.

“Meridian Medical Technologies is the contract manufacturer of EpiPen and takes great pride being able to supply a high quality and life-saving product. The terms of our supply agreement are confidential,” said Rachel Hooper, a Pfizer spokeswoman. Meridian Medical Technologies is a Pfizer subsidiary.

The EpiPen outrage centers around a 400 percent hike for the dispenser, used for emergency allergic reactions, since 2009, even though the product remains unchanged. It now costs as much as $600 for a pack of two EpiPens, which must be replaced every 12 to 18 months.