Anthem is exiting 17 counties in Missouri where it sells Affordable Care Act plans, the health insurer said Friday, but will remain as the lone ACA option in 65 Missouri counties.
Between the lines: Anthem is doing in Missouri what it did in Georgia. It's exiting counties where it faced competition, but is staying where it will be the monopoly insurer and can dictate prices. ACA enrollees in Missouri will not face "bare counties," but their choices have dwindled.
The biggest question on everyone's minds yesterday following the FDA's decision to approve Novartis' new cancer drug therapy known as CAR-T: What's the price? Now we know: $475,000 for a one-time treatment. And that does not include any other costs like doctors' fees or staying in an intensive care unit, so a full course of CAR-T treatment could cost well above a half-million dollars.
Why it matters: The lofty figure represents another heated episode in the nation's debate over high drug prices versus the diseases they attempt to cure.
