Media Mentions Archive

Both the work and the people associated with the Johns Hopkins Drug Access and Affordability Initiative (JHDAAI) make frequent appearances in the media. 

View the archived "Media Mentions" involving the JHDAAI project team below.

2022 Media Mentions

  • Here's one good way to lower the cost of insulin
    Insulin has been making life better for people with diabetes since it first saved the life of a Canadian teenager in 1922. As the ensuing century passed, however, the drug also became a poster child for the dysfunctionality of America’s drug-pricing system.   Gerard Anderson is quoted.
    Washington Post | March 10, 2022

  • What's in a name?  When it comes to prescription drugs, a lot, experts say
    Although drug brand names seen in television advertisements, magazine ads and elsewhere may seem bizarre, typically there's a method behind the madness, experts said.   Caleb Alexander is quoted.
    UPI Health News | January 21, 2022

  • Medicare to restrict Aducanumab coverage
    The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced a preliminary National Coverage Determination restricting Medicare coverage of the Alzheimer’s disease drug aducanumab-avwa (Aduhelm, Biogen) to patients who are participating in approved placebo-controlled clinical trials.  Caleb Alexander is quoted.
    Pharmacy Practice News | January 13, 2022

2021 Media Mentions

  • Med cost makes 12 million Americans miss their medications every year
    The latest figures from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development indicate that Americans spend more than $1,100 on prescription drugs a year. The average person pays more than anyone else in a developed country.   Gerard Anderson is quoted.
    The NU Herald | December 10, 2021

  • Medicare negotiating drug prices could be the game changer Americans need
    All hopes for decreased drug pricing seemed lost last week, after President Biden dropped all efforts to do so in his social spending bill.   House Democrats successfully reinserted a plan to lower drug costs—albeit a pared-back version of the original.  Mariana Socal is quoted.
    Fortune | November 5, 2021

  • Despite restraints, democrats' drug pricing plan could still aid consumers
    The Medicare prescription drug pricing plan Democrats unveiled this week is not nearly as ambitious as many lawmakers sought, but they and drug policy experts say the provisions open the door to reforms that could have dramatic effects.  Gerard Anderson is quoted.
    News-Medical Life Sciences | November 5, 2021

  • Democrats reach deal aimed at cutting drug prices for seniors
    As part of President Biden’s yet-to-be-settled social-spending plan, Democrats in Congress have reached a deal to lower the cost of prescription drugs for older Americans.  The agreement would cap out-of-pocket spending for seniors at $2,000 a year and, for the first time, give Medicare the power to negotiate prices directly with drugmakers.  Mariana Socal is quoted.
    Marketplace | November 3, 2021

  • Neustatter:  Spoiling the ship for a ha'p'orth of tar
    A “Ha’p’orth of Tar” and Profitability -- this quaint old expression means spoiling the whole project for stinting on that last little bit of “tar,” which in this case was his medication.  Gerard Anderson is quoted.
    The Free Lance-Star | October 30, 2021

  • America's substance use crisis has spiraled during the pandemic
    The forced isolation, disruption to treatment and resource demands created by the pandemic have set America back in its efforts to end the opioid epidemic.   Caleb Alexander is quoted.
    Axios | October 30, 2021

  • Federal pharma ingredient stockpile is under construction in Virginia
    Some basic medications are in short supply in the United States. Part of the problem is that most of the ingredients for generic and over-the-counter drugs produced in the U.S. are imported, mainly from China and India.  And those countries cut their exports during the pandemic.  One possible solution?  A new government stockpile of the ingredients used to make these medicines.  Mariana Socal is quoted.
    Marketplace | October 19, 2021

  • The FDA’s accelerated approval process: When drugs are cleared for sale based on limited evidence
    Accelerated approval is an important topic for journalists to consider in their ongoing coverage of drug costs in America. This article explains how the process works -- including examples of successes and controversies. Plus: 5 reporting tips.  Caleb Alexander is quoted.
    The Journalist's Resource | October 18, 2021

  • Pfizer loses legal battle with big implications for drug pricing
    A federal court has rejected Pfizer’s claims against the government in a case with major implications for drug pricing.  Ge Bai is quoted.
    MarketWatch | October 1, 2021

  • The Price We Pay: Why Is Medication So Expensive?
    Americans spend twice as much on medical care as people in other wealthy countries, and one of the reasons is the high prices of our prescription drugs.  We pay, on average, 2 1/2 times for the same medicines.  Many experts say the problem is American brand name drugs — not all drugs.  And the drug companies aren’t the only ones who benefit.  Ge Bai is quoted.
    WAFE / The Takeaway | September 22, 2021

  • Brand name prescription drugs are costing Americans billions more than generics
    Brand name prescription drugs are something many patients simply trust more than their generic (or no-name) alternatives.  However, the cost of these drugs is taking a staggering toll on the American health care system.  Researchers from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health find that opting for brand name prescriptions over generics costs the Medicare Part D program $1.7 billion more each year.  Gerard Anderson and Ge Bai are featured.
    Studyfinds | September 8, 2021

  • Murky math: Senate shelves lower drug prices
    The Senate’s release of its bipartisan infrastructure plan signals that lawmakers are poised to throw former President Donald Trump’s belated bid to lower Medicare drug prices under the bus — not to mention trains, bridges, tunnels and broadband connections.  Gerard Anderson is quoted.
    Galion Inquirer | August 11, 2021

  • Study: Prescription drug coupons used on fewer than 20% of purchases
    Roughly one in five pharmacy purchases include use of a manufacturer coupon, but researchers say the discounts generally only apply new, pricey drugs -- and their availability is often based on those available for rival drugs.  So Yeon Kang is featured.
    Health News | August 13, 2021

  • What does the infrastructure bill have to do with Medicare drug rebates?
    The massive spending bill is likely to at least delay the so-called Medicare rebate rule released at the end of the Trump administration.  Gerard Anderson is quoted.
    Benefits Pro | August 5, 2021

  • Court battle over Pfizer's Medicare copays could result in "gold rush" sales
    The Pfizer company paid $24 million to resolve allegations that it had paid kickbacks and allowed Medicare patients to choose their pharmacy out of pocket.  Gerard Anderson is quoted.
    PV Post | August 2, 2021

  • FDA panel advisor who panned new Alzheimer's drug speaks out 
    An outside advisor to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's review of the controversial Alzheimer's drug Aduhelm is now speaking out, arguing that the approval was based on dodgy science and involved questionable collaboration between regulators and the drug's maker.  Caleb Alexander is featured.
    Health Day | July 28, 2021

  • Pfizer court fight could legalize Medicare copays and unleash ‘gold rush’ in sales
    Three years ago, pharma giant Pfizer paid $24 million to settle federal allegations that it was paying kickbacks and inflating sales by reimbursing Medicare patients for out-of-pocket medication costs.  Gerard Anderson and Michelle Mello are quoted.
    Fortune | July 28, 2021

  • Biohackers could drive insulin price down 98 percent
    Diabetes is the seventh-leading cause of death in America.  About 463 million people (including 34 million Americans) are diabetic.  The cost of insulin continues to surge, so the Open Insulin Project is fighting back by replicating medical-grade insulin that can be made at a lab in your neighborhood.  Mariana Socal is quoted.
    Big Think | June 29, 2021

2020 Media Mentions

COVID-19 Related:

 

Drug Pricing Related:

2019 Media Mentions
2018 Media Mentions
  • How Sen. Orrin Hatch shaped America's health care in controversial ways 
    Though his politics are right of center and he lobbied hard against the Affordable Care Act, Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch also has been key to passing several landmark health laws with bipartisan support.   Jeremy Greene is quoted. 
    National Public Radio | December 31, 2018 
     
  • Naloxone maker rolls out cheaper generic, after pricing outcry 
    The overdose-reversal drug is a critical tool to easing America’s coast-to-coast opioid epidemic.  But not everyone on the front lines has all they need.  Baltimore’s health department is rationing its supplies of naloxone because it says it can’t afford an adequate stockpile.  Gerard Anderson is quoted. 
    The Washington Times | December 12, 2018 
     
  • Price slashed for Trump Medicare, cancer, HIV, and depression not covered 
    The latest change to occur in Trump Medicare is a price slash for pharmacy bought drugs and exclusion of coverage for specific ‘protected’ categories of drugs used in treatment of cancer, depression and HIV.  Gerard Anderson is mentioned. 
    Business Industry News | December 9, 2018 
     
  • The amount Americans spend on healthcare is still growing, but more and more slowly 
    The amount of money spent on healthcare in America is still growing, but at a slower rate than recent years, according to the U.S. government’s annual account.  Gerard Anderson is quoted. 
    Forbes | December 6, 2018 
     
  • Trump Medicare plan promises lower prescription prices for seniors, but also risks losing coverage ... 
    The Trump administration is making good on its latest effort to lower out-of-pocket drug costs for Medicare recipients, but its approach could also limit drug options or even risk eliminating coverage of some prescriptions.  Gerard Anderson is featured. 
    CNBC | November 27, 2018 
     
  • Playing on feat and fun, hospitals follow pharma in direct-to-consumer advertising 
    Hospitals are using TV spots like this one to attract lucrative patients into their hospitals as health care costs and industry competition escalate.   Gerard Anderson is quoted. 
    Kaiser Health News | November 19, 2018 
     
  • Could free healthcare for all ever be a reality in the US? 
    Healthcare was a big driver in the outcome of the recent US mid-term elections. But could the Democrats' vision of a truly reformed healthcare system ever become a reality?  Gerard Anderson is quoted. 
    Public Finance International | November 13, 2018 
     
  • Quick:  What's the difference between Medicare-for-all and single-payer? 
    Across the country, catchphrases such as “Medicare-for-all,” “single-payer,” “public option” and “universal health care” are sweeping state and federal political races as Democrats tap into voter anger about GOP efforts to kill the Affordable Care Act and erode protections for people with preexisting conditions.  Gerard Anderson is quoted. 
    California Healthline | November 2, 2018 
     
  • Q&A:  Medicare-for-all is getting a shot of attention.  But what does it really mean? 
    Medicare-for-all is now drawing a surprising amount of attention and support. The bill would create a single national health insurance program that would replace the country’s hodgepodge system in which people get health insurance through employers, Medicare, Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or buy it privately.  Gerard Anderson is featured. 
    Journal Sentinel (USA Today Network) | October 31, 2018 
     
  • Trump says new proposal will lower some USA drug prices 
    In a speech Thursday at the Department of Health and Human Services, Trump said his administration would be taking the "revolutionary" move of allowing Medicare to directly negotiate prices with drug companies, which he says have "rigged" the system, causing USA patients to pay more for their medicines.  Gerard Anderson is featured. 
    Click Lancashire Independent News | October 29, 2018 
     
  • Why Trump’s Medicare Plan Won’t Cut Prices Anytime Soon 
    President Trump’s newly unveiled test plan to lower Medicare Part B drug costs may have limited resonance in the days before the midterm elections — and could face a difficult, if not impossible, road over the longer-term as well, given resistance from the pharmaceutical industry and doctors as well as some conservatives worried that the plan runs counter to their free-market principles and some Democrats who say the plan doesn’t go far enough..  Gerard Anderson is quoted. 
    The Fiscal Times | October 26, 2018 
     
  • Pharmaceutical industry challenges Trump plan forcing companies to reveal drug prices in TV ads 
    The Trump administration is proposing that companies be required to disclose the cost of drugs in legible print on all video advertisements.  The pharmaceutical industry is fighting back, arguing that consumers should be able to find the price elsewhere and that few people end up paying the list price anyway.  Gerard Anderson is quoted. 
    Washington Times | October 24, 2018 
     
  • Millennials dropping primary care physicians in exchange for expedited and less expensive alternatives:  Convenience and price transparency are driving the switch 
    Millennials seem to like what they see in drugstore-based clinics and urgent care centers that can cater to their needs when they need it.  Gerard Anderson is quoted. 
    Consumer Affairs | October 9, 2018 
     
  • Behind your rising health-care bills:  Secret hospital deals that squelch competition 
    Contracts with insurers allow hospitals to hide prices from consumers, add fees and discourage use of less-expensive rivals.  Gerard Anderson is quoted. 
    Wall Street Journal | September 18, 2018 
     
  • Here’s what it costs to give birth in 18 places around the world 
    The United States has one of the highest costs, with "surprise billing" skyrocketing some bills to six figures.  Gerard Anderson is quoted. 
    Business Insider | July 20, 2018 
     
  • What Pfizer, Trump, and consumers got out of a surprising deal -- and what they didn't 
    After months of pledging he would get pharmaceutical companies to lower their prices, President Trump can now say that he pressed the CEO of a major drug maker, Phizer, to back down on a series of price hikes.  However, none of it might make any difference in the amount they pay for their prescription drugs, analysts say.  Pfizer's prices will likely go right back up at the end of the year.  Gerard Anderson is quoted. 
    Stat News | July 11, 2018 
     
  • Address regulatory burdens, antikickback laws to lower healthcare cost 
    The skyrocketing cost of healthcare is a result of a system working as intended -- to "extract resources from" the people using it, experts say.  Because patients have limited ability to navigate the system, they have limited power to negotiate or push for change in the cost of care.  Gerard Anderson is featured. 
    Fierce Healthcare | July 2, 2018 
     
  • Failed Bush-era drug-pricing program may make more sense under Trump 
    A failed Bush-era program aimed at curbing the cost of doctor-administered drugs might actually work if the Trump administration has the political will to revive it, a number of independent drug experts agree.  The Competitive Acquisition Program, which allows third parties to negotiate with manufacturers for drugs that physicians then buy, was among the ideas included in President Trump's blueprint on lowering drug prices.    Gerard Anderson is quoted. 
    Politico | May 29, 2018 
     
  • Trump rolls out drug price plan but it's still a work in progress 
    Many of the policies the government listed in its 44-page "American Patients First" plan are either modest steps the administration has already taken, or policies that it has identified as needing further time and study.    Gerard Anderson is quoted. 
    Politico | May 11, 2018 
     
  • California considers medical price control 
    Proponents of medical price controls in California argue that government intervention is necessary to counter the anti-competitive market power of key providers.  Gerard Anderson is quoted. 
    New York Magazine | April 21, 2018 
     
  • A Maryland law to prevent ‘unconscionable’ price hikes on old drugs has been struck down 
    A Maryland law crafted to deter companies from instituting large price increases on old, off-patent drugs was struck down by a federal appeals court Friday, in a decision that could give pause to other states considering similar legislation.  Gerard Anderson is quoted. 
    Washington Post | April 13, 2018 
     
  • Bill of the month:  A tale of 2 CT scanners — one richer, one poorer 
    Benjamin Hynden, a financial adviser in Fort Myers, Fla, got two cat scans, one at an imaging center, the other in a hospital ER. The first bill was $298. The second, from the hospital, was $10,174.75. The segment unpacks the price difference.  Gerard Anderson is quoted. 
     
  • Sewage and water leaks in hospital operating rooms cited in lawsuit over patient’s death 
    Persistent water and sewage leaks in and around the operating rooms of Washington’s largest hospital are at the center of a lawsuit seeking millions in damages in the infection-related death of a retired Northern Virginia schoolteacher. Gerard Anderson is quoted. 
    Washington Post | April 2, 2018 
     
  • Trump’s drug-price crackdown misses the mark, experts say 
    Experts and advocacy groups say policies in the administration’s latest budget proposal don’t tackle the biggest driver of high prices:  Nothing prevents a drugmaker from setting a price at whatever level it wants.  Gerard Anderson is quoted. 
    Washington Examiner | March 13, 2018 
     
  • Cigna to buy Rx manager for $67B 
    In another mega deal to reshape the business of negotiating drug prices, health insurer Cigna said Thursday that it will acquire Express Scripts Holding, the nation’s largest pharmacy benefit manager, in a package valued at $67 billion. Gerard Anderson is quoted. 
    Northwest Arkansas Online | March 9, 2018 
     
  • Daily on healthcare: Trump gives a nod to Obamacare insurer payments 
    Professor Gerard Anderson is quoted in this article about Obamacare insurer payments. An interesting addition to President Trump’s budget is a call for insurers to get cost-sharing reduction payments and risk corridor payments, which many conservatives have attacked as a “bailout” for insurance companies. 
    Washington Examiner | February 13, 2018 
     
  • Trump budget’s reforms unlikely to make big dent in high drug prices, experts say 
    President Trump’s budget request contains several proposals to lower drug prices, but experts say they won’t help much since they aren’t targeting the priciest, brand-name products.  Gerard Anderson is quoted in the article. 
    Washington Examiner | February 12, 2018 
     
  • Big Pharma is thriving off the flu 
    As more Americans get sick, the economy stands to lose more than $10 billion.  Professor Gerard Anderson explains how nearly $2 billion may be trickling into the pockets of vaccine and medication makers and distributors, pharmacies, and health care providers. 
    Daily Mail | February 12, 2018 
     
  • Hospitals made $21B on Wall Street last year, but are patients seeing those profits? 
    The booming stock market has been good for ordinary Americans with retirement accounts, and it also has enriched another class of investors to an extent some find problematic:  Some medical economists say that nonprofit hospitals are using lucrative Wall Street portfolios to fatten their bottom lines rather than lower what patients pay for health care. 
    NBC News | February 12, 2018 
     
  • Reducing healthcare costs doesn’t require Bezos/Buffet/Dimon magic:  Every other country already knows how 
    Bezos, Buffett and Dimon didn’t even have to look beyond the U.S. boundaries to find clues to how to reduce healthcare costs — they merely had to look at America’s public healthcare programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and CHIP. All place limits on reimbursements to doctors and hospitals, some more stringent than others. 
    LA Times | January 31, 2018 
     
  • Another sticking point in Highmark-UPMC break up:  Emergency care costs 
    Picture for a moment this unsettling scenario:  Some time after June 30, 2019, when Highmark and UPMC have finally gone their separate ways, a Highmark-insured pedestrian is seriously injured and unconscious after being struck by a car while crossing Fifth Avenue in Oakland.  Gerard Anderson is quoted. 
    Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | January 21, 2018 
     
  • Pharma, under attack for drug prices, started an industry war 
    With national and state advertising campaigns, white papers and cartoon infographics, the powerful and well-funded drug industry lobby spent 2017 working to redirect public anger about drug prices to pharmacy benefits managers (or PBMs): links in the supply chain that sits invisibly between the patient and the drug maker. 
    Washington Post | January 2, 2018 
2017 Media Mentions
  • Lawmakers zero in on next target in fight against high drug prices 
    Both Republican and Democratic senators have criticized moves by drug makers to extend the life of their monopolies on sales.  But action on high drug prices, a major concern for consumers, has been so far negligible in this Congress.  Gerard Anderson is quoted. 
    Washington Examiner | December 18, 2017
     
  • CVS-Aetna merger aims to transform healthcare 
    If completed, the deal would combine one of America’s largest drugstore retailers with a health benefits provider, giving the combined companies’ additional leverage in negotiating drug prices from pharmaceutical companies.  Gerard Anderson is quoted. 
    Consumer Affairs | December 7, 2017 
     
  • At drug hearing, senators discuss meanings of price and value – and debate health reform 
    Most of the extra $933 billion Americans spent on health care in 2013 versus 1996 is due to higher charges for care and patients getting more intense, expensive care.  Gerard Anderson is quoted. 
    Forbes | November 16, 2017 
     
  • D.C. public hospital’s report on patient death omitted key details 
    Officials at the District’s only public hospital failed to report to regulators key details about the death of a patient in the facility’s nursing home in August, an incident report submitted to the D.C. Department of Health shows.  Gerard Anderson is quoted. 
    Washington Post | November 6, 2017 
     
  • Ohio Issue 2 ballot initiative proponents overstate impact on EpiPen prices 
    Issue 2, a ballot initiative that would require drugs prices be transparent to consumers, is aimed at lowering health care costs.  However, an EpiPen ad has misinterpreted the population that Issue 2 benefits, as approximately 70 percent of EpiPen users are privately insured, and Medicaid patients already pay nothing out of pocket. 
    Politifact | October 16, 2017 
     
  • California governor signs law to make drug pricing more transparent 
    California Governor Jerry Brown defied the drug industry Monday when he signed the most comprehensive drug price transparency bill in the nation.  This bill will force drug makers to publicly justify big price hikes. Gerard Anderson is quoted in this article. 
    NPR | October 12, 2017 
     
  • California bill would compel drugmakers to justify price hikes 
    Gov. Jerry Brown is scheduled to sign a bill that would force pharmaceutical companies to justify big price hikes on drugs in California.  The bill would require drug companies to give California 60 days’ notice anytime they plan to raise the price of a drug by 16 percent or more over two years. 
    NPR | October 6, 2017 
     
  • Dr. Gerard Anderson discusses barriers to accessing medications 
    Gerard Anderson is featured in this article.  Accessibility to affordable medications have been increasingly limited due to rising drug prices.  Dr. Anderson suggests that the remedy to this issue is editing the pricing algorithms in place. 
    The American Journal of Managed Care | September 8, 2017 
     
  • What the Carolinas HealthCare megadeal means for patients, employees – and Charlotte 
    Carolinas HealthCare System and UNC Health Care have teamed up, and their partnerships will bring about vast changes to residents of North Carolina. Health care will be expanded through this effort, and treatments to serious issues such as cancer, mental health, and substance abuse will be upped.  Gerard Anderson is quoted. 
    Charlotte Observer | September 1, 2017 
     
  • Here’s how expanding Medicare could set us on the path to universal health coverage 
    The legislative impasse over health-care reform has given rise to the idea of single-payers.  The road from here to there is uncertain, but several routes are being weighed.  Gerard Anderson's research is mentioned. 
    LA Times | August 21, 2017 
     
  • Why the world should pay attention to America’s civil war over healthcare 
    The proposed changes to the U.S. healthcare system defy comparison to the limited privatization that exists in Britain, for example.  The “social fabric,” Gerard Anderson states, is very different between the U.S. and Britain, and this exposes “a lack of social solidarity.”  Gerard Anderson provides further insight. 
    The Guardian | June 30, 2017
     
  • Trump administration signals initial steps to deal with drug prices 
    The noted effort by the Trump administration would likely have a limited impact, affecting prices of older drugs whose patents and exclusivity have expired and lack competitors.  In contrast, the major driver of drug spending growth in 2016 was new brands that had been on the market for less than 2 years. 
    Washington Post | June 26, 2017