Water insecurity and food insecurity are often seen as separate issues. However, people who lack clean drinking water also tend to struggle with food access & safety, new USC Schaeffer research finds. The findings underscore the need for coordinated global action on these issues.

#HTA bodies are informally moving the goalposts on what counts as “cost-effective” for some severe and rare diseases. Often overlooked is how these ad hoc exceptions may reshape global pricing dynamics in light of MFN policies, writes USC Schaeffer’s William Padula in Health Affairs Forefront.

Insured patients with higher cost-sharing on generic drugs can usually get a better deal through the Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company, finds new research co-authored by USC Schaeffer's Erin Trish.

As #Alzheimers clinical trials increasingly target early, biomarker-defined stages of disease, eligibility depends on how reliably biomarkers can be assessed across populations. New USC research on biomarker variability provides important nuance to this challenge.

Traditional Medicare now spends $55B annually on medical care for beneficiaries with #dementia, with costs expected to grow as the population ages. Our updated interactive data-viz makes it easy to explore how this spending has changed over two decades.

USC Schaeffer’s Dima Qato discusses her pharmacy mapping tool, which reveals where access has collapsed and highlights how policymakers can combat pharmacy deserts.

A deal to embed a Massachusetts health system’s clinics inside CVS is unlikely to boost primary care access while weakening price competition in important but hard-to-measure ways, USC Schaeffer's John Romley tells @medcitynews.com.

Declining civic participation is a threat to democracies worldwide, warns former UK PM Gordon Brown. As chair of USC Schaeffer’s new Center for Civic Society, he says a renewed commitment to community engagement is essential to bolstering democracy.

USC Schaeffer's Geoffrey Joyce in @nytimes.com discusses research suggesting that statins and drugs treating hypertension can reduce dementia risk.

Mail-order pharmacy dispensing of mifepristone rose sharply after FDA lifted in-person requirements—a move now under Supreme Court review, USC Schaeffer researchers reported in JAMA.

The structural divide between #MedicareAdvantage drug coverage and standalone #PartD plans is widening under IRA cost pressures, according to research from USC Schaeffer's Geoffrey Joyce.

A big obstacle to developing #Alzheimers treatments: slow & uneven trial recruitment. The USC Clinical Trial Recruitment Lab convened leaders to share strategies that speed recruitment, strengthen patient trust and ensure representative enrollment. Our report ⤵️

About 1 in 3 kids and teens use dietary supplements, despite limited evidence of their safety and effectiveness, USC Schaeffer’s Dima Mazen Qato finds in new research.

There are often long delays between FDA approval and Medicare coverage of new devices. The agencies' plan to speed reimbursement for some devices could expand access to new technologies, USC Schaeffer’s William Padula told the @financialtimes.com.

"Most-favored nation" has some drugmakers weighing whether to skip parts of Europe entirely, @bloomberg.com reports. USC Schaeffer’s Darius Lakdawalla says companies face a stark calculation: launching a treatment in Europe could end up halving the U.S. price.

A value-based contracting approach proposed by USC Schaeffer offers a sustainable path to expanding Medicare access to GLP-1s.

Patients are responsible for a growing share of hospital revenue, with the gap between rural and metropolitan hospitals’ share of allowed amounts widening, finds USC Schaeffer research.

Redesigning low-income neighborhoods may help reduce childhood obesity, a USC Schaeffer study suggests. Two years into redevelopment of South LA’s Jordan Downs, obesity and overweigh rose 50% more slowly, kids were more active and they had fewer sugary drinks.

Women aren’t just at higher risk of developing dementia—they’re also more likely to be caregivers, often unpaid. Dementia cost estimates from USC Schaeffer, cited in TIME Magazine, highlight the staggering financial impact.

New government data shows drug prices recently declined even as overall inflation increased. USC Schaeffer's William Padula in @washingtonpost.com explains what's likely behind the shift.

A proposed rule to increase visibility into #PBM compensation is a key step toward stronger accountability, Schaeffer scholars wrote to DOL. Their letter outlines targeted changes to ensure the final rule delivers meaningful transparency.

After the FDA lifted in-person dispensing requirements for mifepristone, less than 2% of pharmacy prescriptions were filled at retail locations, finds new USC Schaeffer research in @jama.com.

The Center for Economic and Social Research, a global leader in generating data on how people live, work and make critical decisions, is joining the USC Schaeffer Institute and USC Price. The move advances @usc.edu's role as a hub for social science research and policy translation.

Rising premiums are, in effect, a hidden pay cut for working families, writes USC Schaeffer's Glenn Melnick in @calmatters.org. When employers spend more on health insurance, there is less money available for wages.

Research from USC Schaeffer, featured in a special issue of Alzheimer’s & Dementia journal, sheds light on opportunities to better serve patients with dementia and care partners.

The next step in #PBM reform: greater transparency around PBM compensation and enforceable fiduciary responsibility so PBMs must act in clients' best interests, USC Schaeffer's Neeraj Sood writes in Stat. Read here: schaeffer.usc.edu/research/pbm...

Almost quietly, there has been tremendous scientific progress in cognitive disease. It's now time to expand access to #Alzheimers testing, writes USC Schaeffer's Dana Goldman in RealClearHealth.

China's emergence as a hub for pharmaceutical innovation could upend how the U.S. funds and regulates R&D, USC Schaeffer's Lowell Schiller tells @axios.com.

📅How do we rebuild global trust in democracy? Join us 4/22 for a timely conversation on strengthening democratic institutions and civic life with former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, chair of USC Schaeffer's new Center for Civic Society. 🔗Event info: schaeffer.usc.edu/event/restor...

By using past prices as the starting point for Medicare drug negotiations, the IRA weakens incentives for innovation, USC Schaeffer's Joe Grogan argues in the @washingtonexaminer.bsky.social. Instead, CMS should consider a drug's value to American patients and caregivers.

Washington took the first steps toward #PBM reform this year. In a @statnews.com op-ed, USC Schaeffer’s Neeraj Sood explains why making PBMs more accountable to employers and patients—through enforceable fiduciary responsibility—should be the next step.

TV news stories about severe weather can boost concern about climate change and support for policies to protect against extreme weather, according to a new USC Schaeffer study.

Tune in 3/26: USC Schaeffer Scholar Joe Grogan talks with @thehill.com about how Medicare reforms can boost access to new #Alzheimers early detection tools.

Cell and gene therapies hold tremendous promise for patients, but most lack access. Current efforts to expand access fall short. Our new white paper proposes a phased approach, starting with a private-sector financing model to address systemic barriers. 🔗 schaeffer.usc.edu/research/cel...

Slow clinical trial recruitment is a major bottleneck in the search for new #Alzheimers treatments. Our new review of almost 1,000 trials points to major gaps in the science of trial recruitment, but also critical opportunities to improve our knowledge of what works to recruit patients into trials.

The narrowing gap between Medicare Advantage and traditional Medicare payment rates suggests a CMS effort to curb MA overspending is working, USC Schaeffer's Paul Ginsburg tells @modernhealthcare.bsky.social.

"Critics argue that GLP-1s cost too much to broaden access. That case is fading quickly" as prices drop significantly, writes USC Schaeffer Scholar Alison Sexton Ward.

Total medical costs for Traditional Medicare beneficiaries with #Alzheimers and related dementias reached $54 billion in 2022. Our interactive visualization shows these costs have been changing over time, populations and care settings.

Could #Alzheimers be preventable within a decade? USC Schaeffer Sr. Scholar Paul Aisen discusses how new early-detection tools and treatments are offering hope for tackling the disease years before symptoms arise.

There was a 72% drop in the number of FDA advisory committee meetings last year, according to analysis by USC Schaeffer’s @profgenkanter.bsky.social.

Teen cannabis use 2x the risk of being diagnosed with psychotic and bipolar disorders later in life, finds a large study co-authored by USC Schaeffer's Rosalie Liccardo Pacula. There was also increased risk for depressive and anxiety disorders.

What's driving high healthcare costs -- and will what it take to get them under control? USC Schaeffer's Paul Ginsburg shares his insights in this @medpagetoday.com video interview.

In formal comments, Schaeffer experts urged CMS to withdraw the GLOBE and GUARD international reference pricing models and instead pursue a value-based drug pricing approach grounded in American values.

Call it the era of “Big Patient.” Recent drug pricing developments in Washington signal an effort to shift power toward patients and away from established interests, USC Schaeffer's Joe Grogan writes in @newsweek.com.

New #PBM reform provisions could help keep pharmacies open and improve patient access to medicines and care, USC Schaeffer Sr. Scholar Dima Qato tells @morningbrew.bsky.social.

To ensure Medicaid remains a vital safety net, policymakers should take a close look at the program’s “mission creep” into housing, write USC Schaeffer’s Virat Agrawal and Neeraj Sood in @thehill.com.

Insurer formularies often favor opioid pain medications over non-opioid alternatives, USC Schaeffer's Dima Qato tells @stateline.org @nhassanein.bsky.social. Some states are moving to change that.

The FDA is increasingly turning to ad hoc expert panels instead of federal advisory committees for external advice. FDA watchers generally agree these expert panels "are likely unlawful," USC Schaeffer's @profgenkanter.bsky.social tells Regulatory Focus.

The question of whether to ban drug ads isn’t so clear cut, USC Schaeffer research suggests. @nytimes.com cites Schaeffer research finding that ads led to increased use of non-advertised substitutes, including cheaper generics.

USC Schaeffer's Geoffrey Joyce in @modernhealthcare.bsky.social explains why the FTC settlement with Express Scripts matters: "[It] really gets to the heart of a lot of things PBMs do to make money and increase drug spend." www.modernhealthcare.com/politics-reg...