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Biotech / Medical : Ligand (LGND) Breakout! -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Machaon who wrote (28377)	2/23/1999 4:48:00 PM
From: Cheryl Galt	Respond to of 32384

Re: Drug Price/Access Issues that affect the evaluation of biotechs. >> I keep hearing on CNBC about prescription prices continuing to jump higher. Sooner or later this has to filter down into the evaluation of biotechs. << Now that we have two drugs on the Market, and soon another that will have off-label opportunities, there are many new issues that I'm interested in -- such as Medicare/Medicaid policy, formularies, insurance coverage of the various plans available (or NOT available) to us ... Two issues recently surfaced BIG time in the Seattle area: the life-and-death need for clear disclosure to customers about what their plans cover, and the limits. A local woman discovered that Primera Blue Cross covered her transplant operation, but allows about one year of coverage for the expensive anti-rejection drugs she'll need to take for life. Primera has stated, changed, re-stated, then RE-stated again it's policy. Because of this case, Deborah Senn, WA State insurance commissioner, has started working on disclosure standards. -------------- IMO Such issues affect both our stocks AND our our own future healthcare. These issues are on the table now. If we can use these boards to educating ourselves about them, we have a chance to be pro-active, a chance to influence the outcome of many of them. ----------- Bob, I don't want you to think I'm following you around. For 2-3 days, I've had time to barely skim posts, and your ideas just happened to be ones on the top screen that triggered my ideas. Lucky you! <hee hee> Maybe with that sort of luck, this might be your day to win the lottery. (WHY don't I have much confidence in that latest speculation of mine ... ??? <g>) Cheryl

To: Machaon who wrote (28377)	2/23/1999 5:00:00 PM
From: Cheryl Galt	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 32384

2/19/99 news of Medicare Proposal that might impact biotechs. (At least, the cancer newsline at U Penn thought it was worth posting ...) Premium support model could save Medicare up to $850 billion annually nisc8a.upenn.edu Some quoted excerpts from the above: As reported by Reuters Health on January 25, Senator Breaux released a working document of the proposed changes to the Medicare program, which included a plan to convert the Medicare program to a premium support system based on the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. The system would mesh existing government protections with market-based competition. The premium support system would replace Medicare's Part B premium and Medicare+Choice system. Under the system, beneficiaries whose incomes were 500% of the poverty level would pay extra premiums of 15% of a plan's cost, while beneficiaries with incomes between 300% and 500% of poverty would pay additional premiums based on a sliding scale. The government's contribution to plans would depend on each plan's premiums compared with the national average. The modified proposal circulated on Wednesday also includes coverage of prescription drugs in the benefit package under premium support. An analysis of the cost of this benefit is forthcoming, according to Senator Breaux. The commission is scheduled to meet next Wednesday to review the proposal. The commission has a March 1 deadline to propose changes in the Medicare program to Congress. ------------------- I think we all realize that -- except for specific, narrowly defined exceptions -- Medicare currently does NOT cover prescription drugs. (Greg and some of the docs on board could perhaps tell us about the exceptions. I've heard of one good one recently, and hope it would have implications for Targretin.) I will ask Slade Gorton, Patty Murray, and Jennifer Dunn about their position (if any) about this issue, particularly the drug-benefit portion. I'll also poll Christine Gregoire, who will likely be running against Gorton. Is anyone else interested in such issues? Or are they too far off thread, perhaps needing a separate thread ... ? Cheryl