New York's surprise billing law — which providers hope will become the model for a national solution — has resulted in providers receiving some very high payments, according to a new analysis by the USC-Brookings Schaeffer Initiative for Health Policy.
Why it matters: Surprise medical bills impact two groups of people: The patients directly responsible for paying them, and the rest of us, who pay higher premiums as a result of their existence.
Generic drugs are becoming both more available and cheaper, but that can have steep consequences, including shortages and safety issues.
The big picture: The number of generics being approved keeps hitting new records, they now make up 90% of all prescriptions dispensed, and these generics keep getting cheaper.
Several hospital systems are lobbying Medicare to stop basing certain payments on their sticker prices, also known as "chargemasters" — prices the Trump administration has required them to disclose publicly.
The intrigue: Hospitals aren't advocating for lower Medicare payments. They want to reduce the prices they list publicly, while retaining the same Medicare revenues.
