As 2024 approaches, it’s anyone’s guess whether an already complex health care ecosystem gets to turn the corner on the mixed legacies of 2023—including record high prices on new blockbuster medications coupled with drug shortages on existing generics, persistent staff shortages and battered hospital margins, and a continued emphasis on value-based care programs by insurers.
A federal judge has blocked the Health Resources and Services Administration from rolling out a pilot program that would reimburse safety net hospitals that get a discount on drugs through the 340B program via a rebate, as opposed to the status quo of up-front savings. The preliminary injunction was issued on Dec. 29, just a few days before the program was slated to begin on Jan 1.
