Humira will control the market for many autoimmune conditions in the U.S. until 2023, and AbbVie executives already have a plan for when cheaper alternatives roll out.
Driving the news: AbbVie CEO Richard Gonzalez said at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference that two newly approved drugs — Skyrizi and Rinvoq — that treat the same conditions as Humira could hit or surpass $20 billion in combined sales in the future (they generated $153 million in the first nine months of 2019). Gonzalez revealed Skyrizi's net price is "roughly the same as Humira," which is around $40,000 annually.
The Affordable Care Act reduced racial disparities in health insurance, but that progress has stalled since 2016, a new Commonwealth Fund analysis says.
Between the lines: The uninsured rate among people of color leveled off in 2016, and racial disparities in actual care still persist, even with lower uninsured rates.
Humana CEO Bruce Broussard told investors at a small Goldman Sachs conference last week that the recent repeal of the Affordable Care Act's health insurance tax is "a substantial benefit to the company's stakeholders," according to a summary of the meeting from Goldman Sachs.
The bottom line: This policy reversal will translate into hundreds of millions of dollars going toward Wall Street, but Broussard was more sheepish at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference this week, where he would not say exactly how much of that money would be booked as profit.
The latest poll from Gallup shows more Americans are putting off medical care because of the cost.
Why it matters: Despite a declining unemployment rate and growing GDP, an increasing number of Americans say they are forgoing often necessary medical procedures because of the cost.
A billionaire with an interest in health care, state legislatures and a well-respected policy shop are all aligning in 2020 to take on hospital costs.
Driving the news: Modern Healthcare reports that the National Association for State Health Policy will be coming up with model legislation in 2020 to help states rein in hospital spending, in addition to work on drug costs.
Emergency doctors — which are at the center of the surprise billing debate — saw their compensation go up more than any other physician specialty between 2013 and 2017.
Why it matters: This translates into higher health care costs, which we all pay for through our taxes, premiums and out-of-pocket spending.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar spoke on the Affordable Care Act and how she believes it's better to build on the plan than try to bring in something new, splitting from Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren who back Medicare for All.
"The Affordable Care Act is 10 points more popular than the president of the United States. The answer is to build on it."
