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Kaiser Health News reported on some updates regarding the plan to allow at least some drugs to be imported from Canada. Apparently, each state needs to be individually approved and the legislature of six states have decided to pursue the process.

Kaiser Health News reported on some updates regarding the plan to allow at least some drugs to be imported from Canada. Apparently, each state needs to be individually approved and the legislature of six states have decided to pursue the process.

As with other large policy changes, there are multiple ways that the intended effect might not be as big as hoped. The Canadian government is reported to have responded "Canada will employ all necessary measures to safeguard access for Canadians to needed drugs." Additionally, there are some concerns about whether states would be limited to working with only one Canadian wholesaler, and whether the approval would be long enough for partners to fully invest in the changes. Nevertheless, if this policy takes root, the pharmaceutical industry might need to re-think its overall pricing strategy.

We have been working on a number of changes in the background, and this past week, we released our next iteration of the pricing tab. Previously, we had the procedure volume, the price, and the Medicare negotiated rate on all one chart. Now, we have separated those charts for improved clarity. In some cases, we also display ranges for prices and negotiated rates when the underlying data suggests a range (when viewing the data for a group of related, but distinct, procedures).

We have been working on a number of changes in the background, and this past week, we released our next iteration of the pricing tab. Previously, we had the procedure volume, the price, and the Medicare negotiated rate on all one chart. Now, we have separated those charts for improved clarity. In some cases, we also display ranges for prices and negotiated rates when the underlying data suggests a range (when viewing the data for a group of related, but distinct, procedures).

As with many of these decisions, there is a trade-off between information density and readability. The new visualization increases the number of charts on that tab, but hopefully, each chart is easier to read. If you have any ideas on how we can improve the visualization of the data, feel free to let us know.

Kaiser Health News earlier reported that the California legislature approved a measure to pave the way for California to become a distributor of generic drugs. The article reports that this is a separate effort from the governor's earlier effort.

Kaiser Health News earlier reported that the California legislature approved a measure to pave the way for California to become a distributor of generic drugs. The article reports that this is a separate effort from the governor's earlier effort.

The startup funding -- reported to be less than $2 million -- along with the operating costs seems to be fairly small for the effort. If this measure is signed into law, it will be interesting to see if the costs remain as low as projected and how effective the state will be in lowering drug costs for its residents.

Kaiser Health News reports that California approved legislation to relax restrictions in how nurse practitioners can practice. There has been a long-running disagreement as to the extent to which nurse practitioners can practice medicine independently. Not surprisingly, nurse practitioners believe they can practice medicine mostly independently in a variety of primary care settings, while many doctors believe that nurse practitioners require more oversight.

Kaiser Health News reports that California approved legislation to relax restrictions in how nurse practitioners can practice. There has been a long-running disagreement as to the extent to which nurse practitioners can practice medicine independently. Not surprisingly, nurse practitioners believe they can practice medicine mostly independently in a variety of primary care settings, while many doctors believe that nurse practitioners require more oversight.

Nurse practitioners argue that allowing them to practice more independently allows society to benefit from more providers, particularly at a time when many areas face a shortage of primary care providers. Doctors frequently counter that nurse practitioners are not as extensively trained and therefore provide a lower quality of care. Not surprisingly, there may be a substantial financial impact at stake for both sides.

Kaiser Health News reported on public sentiment regarding the Affordable Care Act (ACA) changing. Soon after the ACA passed, a number of Republican legislators campaigned on the idea of overturning or limiting the impact of the ACA. Several years later, especially in a time of great economic uncertainty, polls show public sentiment being supportive of the ACA.

Kaiser Health News reported on public sentiment regarding the Affordable Care Act (ACA) changing. Soon after the ACA passed, a number of Republican legislators campaigned on the idea of overturning or limiting the impact of the ACA. Several years later, especially in a time of great economic uncertainty, polls show public sentiment being supportive of the ACA.

The article reports that "The foundation's polling found that, in July 2014, 55% of voters opposed the law, while 36% favored it. By July 2020, that had flipped, with 51% favoring the law and 38% opposing it." Now, Republican candidates seem to find their opposition to the ACA a liability instead of an asset.