Originally written by Tanya Albert Henry and published by AMA on 12/1/2021. The parties to a case in the U.S. Supreme Court dealing with a mail-order pharmacy program that created a host of problems for patients have reached an agreement. Oral arguments in the case, CVS Pharmacy Inc. et al. v. John Doe One et al., were set for Dec. 7.    The AMA had joined a friend-of-the-court brief in the case, in which people with HIV sued CVS Pharmacy Inc. on behalf of themselves and others. They alleged that the company’s mandatory mail-in pharmacy program for specialty medications, includ ..read more

Join HRC and the Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation of Harvard Law School for three exciting discussions about new regulatory changes that improve the availability of pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, used to prevent the transmission of HIV. In 2019, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force gave PrEP a Grade A rating, in recognition of the overwhelming efficacy and safety of the intervention. As a result of this rating, most private health insurance plans and Medicaid expansion programs are required to cover PrEP without cost sharing. This year, new federal guidance has underscored an ..read more

On Monday a federal district court in Austin granted final approval of a class action settlement between the Texas Health & Human Services Commission (“HHSC”) and Medicaid enrollees, radically expanding access to prescription drugs that cure hepatitis C virus (“HCV”) for Medicaid enrollees throughout Texas. In the initial complaint for Coleman v. Wilson, Plaintiffs Dorena Coleman, Curtis Jackson and Federico Perez alleged that the HHSC prioritized financial concerns over their health by restricting coverage of direct-acting antiviral treatment (“DAAs”) for HCV to only those Medicaid enroll ..read more

The Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation of Harvard Law School and Feeding America highlight the nuts and bolts of addressing patients’ food-related needs. A growing number of health care systems are partnering with food banks, food pantries, and other community-based organizations, acknowledging the major role that food plays in impacting health outcomes. Yet, laws designed to protect patients in traditional medical settings have emerged as barriers to these innovative community-clinical partnerships.  A new report by the Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation of Harvard Law ..read more

This was originally published by Consumer Watchdog on PRNewswire on November 11, 2021. CVS Health Corporation’s dismissal today of an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court of a health care civil rights lawsuit involving the rights of numerous HIV-positive “John Does” should be commended, according to consumer groups and a law firm representing the plaintiffs. The plaintiffs allege that CVS’s prescription drug program for obtaining HIV medications put their lives at risk. “We commend CVS for recognizing the potentially damaging impact of its appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. Now, CVS should tak ..read more

This article was originally written by Liz Scherer and published in Medscape on November 4, 2021.  A firestorm of controversy over access to HIV medications and protection against discriminatory insurance practices has been making its way through US district courts for the past 3 years, pitting HIV patients against pharmacy benefits managers and, ostensibly, the healthcare industry itself. The case, CVS Pharmacy Inc. v. Doe, scheduled for oral arguments before the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) in December, is a weighty one for patients with HIV and t ..read more

The Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation of Harvard Law School and 23 other organizations submitted an amicus brief to the Supreme Court of the United States highlighting harmful impacts of mandatory mail-order pharmacy programs. With an estimated 1.2 million people living with HIV in the United States, access to antiretroviral therapy remains a vital component of individual HIV care and broader public health goals to end the HIV epidemic.  Unfortunately, many health plans are requiring people living with HIV to receive their HIV drugs only through mandated mail-order pharmacy prog ..read more

The blog post was written by Daniel Necz, Harvard Law School LL.M Candidate, and Rachel Landauer, Clinical Instructor New research from North Carolina adds to the evidence that participation in nutrition assistance programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has a positive impact on health outcomes. However, the researchers also found that many study participants who were eligible for SNAP did not enroll—a pernicious pattern across many different types of public assistance programs. Health care has a role to play in boosting take-up rates (i.e., the per ..read more

The Harvard Law School Center for Health Law & Policy Innovation (CHLPI) is pleased to present our very first Law & Policy Technical Assistance podcast! Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation · Episode 1: Using Policy To Drive Change Enjoy this dynamic discussion with leaders in the health care field who are going the extra mile to ensure that our health care and public health infrastructure is truly person-centered. Using Policy to Drive Change features insights on CHLPI’s policy work and sustainability efforts from Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation grantees: Erica Martinez, Asso ..read more

This article was written by Phil Waters and Maryanne Tomazic and published in The Regulatory Review on October 25, 2021.  Ending the HIV epidemic is within reach. Community advocacy and medical advances have provided the tools to prevent the transmission and contraction of HIV, but health care barriers prevent many individuals from accessing this care. Recent guidance aims to clarify practices around the coverage of HIV preventive care but faces a potential threat from the courts. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a medication that prevents the transmission of HIV when used as prescribed ..read more