WASHINGTON — Republicans want to replace the Affordable Care Act with “universal access” to health care, House GOP members said. The goal is to ensure that everyone can buy or find coverage, a House leadership aide said at a briefing organized by top Republicans. The briefing came amid growing concern about the 20 million people
WASHINGTON — Four pharmacy organizations, including the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, have asked the incoming White House administration and congressional leaders to maintain Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries’ pharmacy access. “Policies that reduce local pharmacy access lead to poorer health outcomes, ultimately resulting in increased future health care costs,” the associations wrote to President-elect
HARTFORD, Conn. — Twenty states have accused six generic drug manufacturers of price fixing. The states’ attorneys general also said their lawsuit, filed in federal court here, may be just the start of a much broader legal action. The suit charges that the drug makers, led by New Jersey-based Heritage Pharmaceuticals, conspired to artificially elevate
NEW YORK — Holiday sales at drug chains edged up slightly versus a year ago, as uncertainty over the economy left consumers wary of boosting their spending. Another crimp on sales growth was deep discounts. While retailers trimmed inventory for the holiday season to avoid having to clear out overstocks with price cuts, consumers were
KEASBEY, N.J. — Chris Lane has been promoted to executive vice president of Wakefern Food Corp. He had been senior vice president of product divisions. Lane, a 13-year Wakefern veteran and former vice president of pharmacy at Duane Reade, will guide day-to-day operations and strategy planning. “Our goal was to select an individual who would
WASHINGTON — Health care spending in the United States grew 5.8% to $3.2 trillion during 2015, according to a new study by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). On a per capita basis, U.S. health care spending grew 5% to $9,990 per person. The overall increase exceeded the 5.5% rise projected by CMS
SEATTLE — Amazon.com Inc. continues to push the retail innovation envelope, recently unveiling a store without checkouts and field testing delivery by drones in the United Kingdom. The 1,800-square-foot Amazon Go store perhaps most closely resembles a high-end, high-tech convenience store. Customers do not need to scan their purchases or go through a checkout line.
DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens and the University of Miami Health System have announced a collaboration focused on delivering coordinated clinical care and pharmacy excellence to patients across South Florida. As part of the agreement, UHealth — the University of Miami Health System, will manage and provide all clinical services at 17 Walgreens Healthcare Clinics insides
ARLINGTON, Va. — The National Association of Chain Drug Stores has appointed William Tighe as vice president of federal government affairs and Amber Manko as director of federal government affairs. Tighe reports to Tom O’Donnell, NACDS’ senior vice president of government affairs and public policy. He began his new position with NACDS on December 12.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Meijer Inc. president Rick Keyes has added the title of chief executive officer. Keyes took the CEO reins effective January 1. He succeeded Hank Meijer, who has become executive chairman of Meijer, which operates 230 supercenters and grocery stores, with pharmacies, in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin. “We have
WASHINGTON — The National Association of Chain Drug Stores welcomed a final rule issued by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that allows pharmacies greater flexibility to extend their reward and loyalty programs to beneficiaries in government programs, including Medicare and Medicaid. NACDS said Wednesday that the final rule, issued by HHS’ Office
The agreement struck last month for the sale of 865 Rite Aid Corp. drug stores to Fred’s Inc. is a momentous development for those companies, as well as Walgreens Boots Alliance, which after 14 months is still working to finalize the acquisition of Rite Aid. The $950 million all-cash deal will bring Fred’s stores and
The new year is finally here. On balance, 2016 was a year best forgotten. Very few events of a positive nature will be remembered. On the other hand, many unsettling moments would best be reviewed at another time — if at all. As 2017 dawns, several important questions remain to be resolved, a few of
