Drug company middlemen likely to be a focus in 118th Congress
WASHINGTON — Factions of the health care system and members of Congress are turning their fire on an oft-maligned part of the drug pricing system — the middlemen who negotiate discounts with drug companies on behalf of health plans.
The business practices of pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, have attracted the ire of community pharmacies, health care providers, drug companies and both Republicans and Democrats, who argue the middlemen lead to increased costs for patients.
“We want to address the whole kit and caboodle,” said Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter, R-Ga., referring to the full suite of PBM business practices. He said he and other lawmakers, including Democrats, will soon launch a bipartisan “Patient Access Caucus” to focus on issues impacting access to health care.
“That is going to be the first issue that we address: PBMs.” PBMs work with health plans — and, in some cases, are owned by them — to decide what drugs will be on a covered list of drugs called a “formulary” and how much a patient will have to pay for them.
—CQ-Roll Call
Citing ‘Stop WOKE’ law, Valencia cancels faculty classes on diversity
ORLANDO, Fla. — Valencia College has canceled optional faculty development courses on diversity-related topics, another casualty of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ push to rid campuses of what he calls “woke indoctrination.”
College leaders determined eight courses planned for the spring semester might violate House Bill 7, which Republicans dubbed the “Stop WOKE” law, prohibiting the teaching of critical race theory on K-12 and college campuses.
A total of 64 faculty members had signed up for the courses, which planned to address topics like racism, microaggressions, privilege and inequities in the LGBTQ community. Three of the canceled courses had the word “diversity” in their titles.
Faculty members who had signed up to take the courses received an email from college leaders last week saying the courses had been put on hold.
—Orlando Sentinel
School librarians vilified as the 'arm of Satan' in book-banning wars
In her time as a Texas school librarian, Carolyn Foote watched the image of her profession veer from "shrinking violets behind spectacles" cataloging titles to "pedophiles and groomers" out to pollute the minds of the nation's youth.
"Librarians came from a climate of being so appreciated to hearing this message that we're reviled," said Foote, co-founder of Freadom Fighters, an advocacy group for librarians that has nearly 15,000 Twitter followers. "It was an astonishing turn of events." A lot of librarians are asking themselves whether they want to remain in the profession, she added. "At least five people I know have retired early."
Once a comforting presence at story circle and book fairs, librarians have been condemned, bullied and drawn into battles over censorship as school and library boards face intensifying pressure from conservatives seeking to ban books exploring racial and LGBTQ themes. Those voices have grown stronger in red states since the pandemic, when parental groups opposed to mask mandates expanded their sights and became more involved in how and what their children were taught.
Recent polls suggest most Americans are not in favor of banning books. But concentrated pressure by politically connected parental groups, said Peter Bromberg, a board member at EveryLibrary, a nonprofit library advisory group, "has librarians facing a great deal of stress. There are signs on people's lawns calling librarians pedophiles." They face pressure from principals and administrators over book displays, and "neighbors talk about them being an arm of Satan."
—Los Angeles Times
Jerusalem shooting leaves 7 Israelis dead
A gunman shot to death seven Israelis in an attack on a synagogue in a Jewish neighborhood of East Jerusalem as tensions soared following the Thursday killing of nine Palestinians in a clash with Israeli security officials in the West Bank.
Police who raced to the scene shot and killed the assailant. Israeli media reported he was 21, from East Jerusalem and without a history of political violence.
It was one of the highest death tolls in an attack on Israelis in years and was bound to lead to exceptional outrage since the dead were worshipers leaving Sabbath prayers.
While no group claimed responsibility, in the Gaza Strip, the Islamic Hamas movement celebrated by firing into the air, and in the West Bank cars honked and fireworks were shot into the sky.
—Bloomberg News
