In November 2020, four months after the Trump Administration issued a series of Executive Orders reiterating its policy goals on reducing the costs to consumers for prescription drugs and directing the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (“HHS-OIG”) to implement those policy objectives, HHS-OIG issued a Final Rule to amend certain provisions in the safe harbor regulations under the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute (“AKS”). The Final Rule included three key provisions:

  1. Elimination of discount safe harbor protection for manufacturer rebates paid directly, or indirectly through a pharmacy benefit manager (“PBM”) to Medicare Part D or Medicare Advantage plans (the “Rebate Rule”);
  2. Creation of a new safe harbor to protect point-of-sale (“POS”) price reductions paid by manufacturers to Medicare Part D plans, Medicare Advantage plans, and Medicaid managed care organizations (“MCOs”); and
  3. Creation of a new safe harbor to protect fair-market-value (FMV) service fees paid to PBMs by manufacturers.

The Final Rule imposed a January 1, 2022, effective date for the Rebate Rule. However, in January 2021, two months after issuance of the Final Rule and in connection to a lawsuit brought by the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association challenging the Rebate Rule, the Biden Administration agreed to delay the Rebate Rule’s effective date to January 1, 2023, as reflected in an Order by the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.

In the intervening time though, Congress passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (the “Infrastructure Act”). That law, signed by President Biden on November 15, 2021, further delayed implementation of the Rebate Rule to January 2026. Thus the rule, which many thought would be eliminated as part of paying for the cost of the infrastructure bill, was still alive, if only delayed until the middle of the next presidential term.Continue Reading Future of discount safe harbor for prescription drugs remains uncertain

Reducing prescription drug prices is a major theme in the Trump Administration’s fiscal year (FY) 2020 budget proposal, with policies intended to increase competition, encourage better negotiation, incentivize lower list prices, and cut out-of-pocket costs for beneficiaries.  The Administration’s projected savings from its designated prescription drug budget proposals top $69 billion over 10 years, although that does not include savings for provisions for which the budget impact was not available or that were included in other sections of the budget (e.g., a Medicaid State Drug Utilization Review provision within the Medicaid budget section).

We summarize below the major prescription drug pricing and related proposals in the President’s proposed budget, covering Medicare Parts B and D, Medicaid, and the 340B discount drug program.  All budget savings reflect the 10-year period of FYs 2020-2029.  Note that while most of these provisions would require legislative approval, Congressional committees have already held several hearings this year on prescription drug pricing.  Stay tuned for more action in this area.

Major Medicare Part B Proposals

The proposed Trump budget would:
Continue Reading Trump Administrations’ Proposed FY 2020 Budget Targets Prescription Drug Prices

CMS has announced that it is delaying until April 1, 2020 its controversial change in the definitions of “States” and “United States” included in the February 1, 2016 Medicaid covered outpatient drug final rule with comment period.  Specifically, in that rulemaking CMS defined “States” and “United States” to include the U.S. territories (American Samoa, the

CMS has received questions from manufacturers regarding whether price concessions and services offered to payers within Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) arrangements in the pharmaceutical marketplace could impact their drug’s Medicaid best price and increase their Medicaid rebate obligations.  In recent guidance, CMS notes that, in general, prices included in best price include all prices, such

CMS has announced that it is delaying until July 1, 2016 enforcement of new rules regarding the determination of the average manufacturer price (AMP) for inhalation, infusion, instilled, implanted or injectable drugs (“5i drugs”) that are not generally dispensed through retail community pharmacies. The 5i policy, which was included in CMS’s February 1, 2016 Medicaid

The Obama Administration’s proposed fiscal year (FY) 2017 budget, released on February 9, 2016, includes a number of legislative proposals that would revise Medicare and Medicaid policies to achieve budget savings and make other program reforms.  The largest pool of Medicare savings would result from various Medicare prescription drug proposals, including the following (all savings over the 10-year period of FYs 2017-2026):  
Continue Reading Medicare and Medicaid Drug Policy Provisions in the Obama Administration’s Proposed FY 2017 Budget

After months of speculation and waiting, CMS yesterday released its final rule to revise Medicaid reimbursement for covered outpatient drugs and reform Medicaid drug rebate requirements.  While we are still digesting what the rule means for drug manufacturers and other health care providers, we promise a full analysis of the final rule, as well as

On November 2, 2015, President Obama signed into law H.R. 1314, the “Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015” (BBA).  The two-year, $80 billion budget/debt-ceiling deal is funded in part by several significant Medicare and Medicaid policies, including an extension of Medicare sequestration, changes to Medicare payment for services provided in “new” off-campus hospital outpatient departments (OPDs), and extension of inflation-based Medicaid drug rebates to generic drugs.
Continue Reading Bipartisan Budget Law Extends Medicare Sequestration, Includes Medicaid Drug Rebate, Off-Campus Hospital Outpatient Department, CMP Inflation Policies

Outgoing House Speaker John Boehner and the Obama Administration have reached agreement on a two-year, $80 billion budget/debt-ceiling deal that includes Medicare and Medicaid “offsets” to finance other spending. For instance, while the budget would provide $80 billion in discretionary spending sequestration relief over two years, it would extend Medicare sequestration for an additional year, through 2025. The deal also would:
Continue Reading Pending Budget Deal Includes Medicare Sequestration Extension, Other Medicare/Medicaid Cuts

On February 2, 2015, the Obama Administration released its proposed federal budget for fiscal year (FY) 2016. The budget would impact all types of health care providers, health plans, and drug manufacturers if adopted as proposed – which is unlikely given Republican control of the House and Senate. Nevertheless, Congress can be expected to consider the Medicare and Medicaid savings proposals (many of which are carry-overs from prior budgets) during expected debate in the coming months on Medicare physician fee schedule (MPFS) reform legislation or during future budget negotiations. The following is a summary of the major Medicare, Medicaid, and related policy proposals contained in the FY 2016 budget proposal.
Continue Reading Obama Administration Releases FY 2016 Budget Proposal with Medicare/Medicaid Provisions

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has released data comparing retail prescription drug prices paid by the Department of Defense (DOD), Medicaid, and Medicare Part D for a sample of 78 high-utilization/high-expenditure drugs. In general, the GAO determined that Medicaid paid the lowest average net prices for both brand-name and generic drugs in the sample based

In a recent report, “Average Manufacturer Price Determinations by Selected Drug Manufacturers Generally Were Consistent With Federal Requirements,” the OIG has determined that the methodologies used by 20 selected (unnamed) drug manufacturers to determine average manufacturer price (AMP) for drugs reimbursed by Medicaid generally were consistent with federal requirements. In particular, the manufacturers consistently included

On March 4, 2014, the Obama Administration released its proposed federal budget for fiscal year (FY) 2015. Virtually all types of health care providers, health plans, and drug manufacturers would be impacted by the budget provisions if adopted as proposed – an unlikely scenario given the Republican House leadership’s reaction to the document. Nevertheless, the Medicare and Medicaid savings proposals (many of which are carry-overs from prior budgets) could resurface as spending offsets in the pending negotiations on Medicare physician fee schedule reform legislation or in future budget negotiations. Highlights of the Administration’s Medicare and Medicaid legislative proposals include the following (all savings estimates are for the 10-year period of FYs 2015-2024):
Continue Reading Obama Administration Proposes FY 2015 Budget with Medicare, Medicaid Savings Provisions

The GAO recently issued a report on CMS efforts to implement Medicaid drug pricing reforms mandated by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Specifically, the report discusses CMS development of the National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC) benchmark of retail pharmacy acquisition costs, and how NADAC amounts compare to ACA-based federal upper limits (FULs). Based on first