Welcome to this week's issue of the Capitol Pulse.
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TOP STORY
U.S. Finds Many Failures in Medicare Health Plans
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Federal officials say they have repeatedly criticized, and in many cases penalized, Medicare health plans for serious deficiencies, including the improper rejection of claims for medical services and unjustified limits on coverage of prescription drugs. Read more...
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Board of Pharmacy Update:
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The Board of Pharmacy will be holding a hearing on November 4th at the DCA Headquarters in Sacramento for their proposed regulations regarding compounding drug preparations. Written arguments or feedback on the proposed amendments must be submitted to Carolyn Klein at [email protected] by October 20th. CPhA has led a sub-committee to review the proposed amendment changes and provide written recommendations to the Board. CPhA staff will be submitting a formal letter and written feedback on the proposed regulations and will also be present at the hearing on November 4th to voice any concerns over the language. CPhA will keep members updated after the hearing and provide timely information on any specific changes that took place.
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Other Pharmacy-Related News
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Prop 46 Update: New TV Ad
Last week, the No on 46 campaign released its newest TV ad featuring Matt Cate, Executive Director of the California State Association of Counties. In the 30-second ad, Cate details the high cost of Proposition 46 to state and local governments and, ultimately, taxpayers. In addition, Prop. 46 is now opposed by every major newspaper in California that has chosen to take a position. You can read each editorial here.
Medicare Part B Premiums, Deductibles To Remain Flat
California Supreme Court will decide whether the state's medical board breached patient privacy when it used data from a state prescription database to discipline a physician. Read more...
Formulary Could Save Workers' Comp Millions
Adopting a state-mandated workers' compensation prescription drug formulary similar to systems in place in Texas and Washington could reduce California workers' comp pharmacy payments by between $124 million and $420 million per year, a California Workers' Compensation Institute study shows. Read more...
FDA Policy Shift on Fixed-Dose Drug Approvals
After months of anticipation, the FDA has issued a so-called final guidance for approving new treatments that contain more than one drug. And the agency decision is likely to stir controversy because untold amounts of money may be at stake. Read more...
State Health Policy Leaders Examine Reform Landscape
Starting with an assessment of how far the U.S. health system still has to go and ending with a look back at how far it's already come, state policy leaders got a wide range of perspectives last week at the 27th Annual State Health Policy Conference. Read more...
Probe Sought in California No-Bid Health Contracts
California's health insurance exchange faced calls Monday for a state investigation of its contracting practices, while a state senator urged the agency to account for deals that steered millions of dollars to a firm whose employees have long-standing ties to the agency's executive director. Read more...
Santa Rosa Press Democrat & Others Opposing Prop 45
The Santa Rosa Press Democrat published a strong editorial opposing Proposition 45, calling the measure "premature" and "an unnecessary complication" to Covered California. The newspaper joins the San Francisco Chronicle, the Los Angeles Times, the Sacramento Bee and others from across the state to oppose Prop 45 because it jeopardizes health care reform in our state and threatens to turn back the clock on the historic progress made in insuring millions through the Affordable Care Act. Read more...
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The California Pharmacists Association is part of the No on Prop 46 coalition.
For more information on Prop 46 and the No on 46 campaign,
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