A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked a pair of Florida bans on gender-affirming care for three minors while a legal challenge plays out, arguing that both are likely to be found unconstitutional.
Why it matters: U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle, a Clinton appointee, wrote that "gender identity is real" and agreed with the plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the state that gender-affirming care is "medically necessary."
Why it matters: Merck will litigate the case up to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary, the company said in a news release accompanying the lawsuit.
The details: The pharmaceutical company claims the Medicare drug price negotiation program is unconstitutional and a "sham" that doesn't involve real negotiations or agreements.
Merck alleges the law violates the Fifth Amendment, which requires the government to compensate appropriately when it takes property.
It also says the law goes against the First Amendment by forcing the company to say it's agreed to the Health and Human Service Department's mandated price for a drug and to say the price is fair.
What they're saying: "This is not 'negotiation.' It is tantamount to extortion," the complaint reads.
Remember: The pharmaceutical industry has been hinting at a lawsuit since Congress passed the drug pricing legislation.
Under an administration timeline, HHS is due to reveal in early September the first 10 high-cost drugs that will be subject to talks with manufacturers. Discussions would begin next February and the maximum negotiated prices will be announced in September 2024.
The new prices will take effect starting on Jan. 1, 2026.
Merck says its diabetes drugs Januvia and Janumet and the cancer treatment Keytruda are projected to be subject to negotiations.
Health insurers responded to the 2015 Supreme Court decision recognizing same-sex marriage with more equitable coverage for LGBTQ couples, including spousal benefits, according to a new study published in Health Affairs.
What they found: The percentage of all LGBTQ adults with a usual source of health care access increased from 64% to 75% from 2013 to 2019.
A federal appeals court will hear arguments today on whether to lift a freeze on a decision halting the Affordable Care Act's requirement that employers fully cover the cost of specified preventive health care services.
Driving the news: If the New Orleans-based U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals affirms the ruling, it could eliminate cost-free coverage for certain cancer screenings, behavioral counseling, HIV prevention and other services recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.
More states are pushing their own plans to lower drug costs, viewing it as an extension of efforts to set payment rates for utilities, transportation and other essential services.
Driving the news: Colorado, among the states to create a state prescription drug affordability board, is rolling out a dashboard this week that will show which drugs are the likeliest to have price caps.
An unexpected policy change has left some hospital outpatient clinics potentially shut out of the government's discount drug program, rattling health systems with a lot of poorer patients that are accustomed to buying medicines at cheaper prices and keeping the savings.
Why it matters: The change means health systems may incur higher drug costs at a time when many are trying to push more care outside hospital walls, to offsite clinics.
Cancer doctors and dozens of lawmakers in Congress are questioning whether the federal health department overreached when it blocked medical practices from mailing specialty drugs like oral cancer and blood clotting treatments directly to patients at the end of the COVID public health emergency.
Why it matters: At issue is the Biden administration's interpretation of a federal anti-fraud law that bars doctors from steering Medicare and Medicaid patients to facilities and services in which they have a financial interest.
