By Paul R. La Monica; CNNMoney ~ Dec 04, 2017
CVS-Aetna merger could transform health care industry
Who needs to go to the doctor when you can go to your local CVS drug store instead?
Combining the operations of CVS (CVS), which also owns pharmacy benefits manager and mail order pharmacy Caremark, with a major insurer like Aetna (AET) could make it easier for people to monitor diseases without having to see a doctor.
From Stacy Washington; The Hill ~ Dec 04, 2017
Remember when then-President Obama said that passage of the Affordable Care Act would save middle-class families $2,500 a year on their health insurance premiums, Americans would get to keep their doctors, and a tax aimed at a few rich folks on their so-called “Cadillac plans” that offered “overly generous” health care benefits would generate money to help pay for ObamaCare?
By Kate Zernike and Alan Rappeport, New York Times – Dec 2, 2017
As the tax cut legislation passed by the Senate early Saturday hurtles toward final approval, Republicans are preparing to use the swelling deficits made worse by the package as a rationale to pursue their long-held vision: undoing the entitlements of the New Deal and Great Society, leaving government leaner and the safety net skimpier for millions of Americans.
By Ramesh Ponnuru; Bloomberg ~ Nov 30, 2017
A technical change in the Republican tax bills adds up to a significant tax increase over time. The legislation would change the way tax brackets are adjusted for inflation each year. The new measure of inflation, called the chained CPI, would be less generous than the old one. As a result, each year slightly more people would move into higher tax brackets than under the current measure.
By Emma Court; MarketWatch ~ Nov 27, 2017
Drugstore chains and pharmacy-benefit managers are likely at risk, Wall Street analysts say
Amazon.com: books, music, movies, apparel, food — and prescription medicine?
A report earlier this year that the massive online retailer was mulling a pharmaceutical-industry entry has had observers all aflutter.
By Beth Mole; Ars Technica ~ Nov 20, 2017
Late last month, the Food and Drug Administration raided nine stores in Central Florida that help customers illegally order affordable prescription drugs from verified pharmacies overseas, particularly those in Canada, according to a report by Kaiser Health News.
By Alan Breznick; Light Reading ~ Nov 20, 2017
AT&T’s proposed $85 billion takeover of Time Warner has now run into a brick wall, with the US Department of Justice suing this evening to block the merger.
As reported by Reuters and other news outlets, the DOJ antitrust division is moving to block the deal after AT&T Inc.
By Philip Moeller; PBS News Hour ~ Nov 20, 2017
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced that the 2018 premium for Part B of Medicare will remain at $134 a month. But even with no change, millions of Social Security recipients will pay sharply higher Part B premiums that will eat up all or most of next year’s 2 percent cost of living adjustment (COLA) for Social Security.
From Robert Stammers; The Hill ~ Nov 16, 2017
With the unveiling of the House Republican tax bill, many U.S. retirement savers are breathing a sigh of relief in the knowledge that they will be able to continue their same tax-deferred contributions to their retirement plans.
By Yuval Rosenberg; The Fiscal Times ~ Nov 14, 2017
As they look to advance their tax bills, Congressional Republicans will have to work through — or around — a few potentially problematic budget rules. One is the Senate’s Byrd Rule, which says that any legislation passed by a simple majority, as the Republicans plan to do with the tax bill, can’t add to the deficit beyond the 10-year budget window.