USC Schaeffer
Home to the Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics and the Schaeffer Fellows in Government Service. Transforming policy through rigorous, independent research and close engagement with public and private sector leaders.
- A new USC Schaeffer white paper shows how #PBM accounting practices and mergers with other players in the pharmaceutical supply chain obscure where profits are generated.
- In formal comments to CMS, Schaeffer scholars identified key deficiencies in the current #MedicareAdvantage risk adjustment approach—namely favorable selection and upcoding—and offered specific considerations for reform.
- Controlling blood pressure is one of the most effective ways to save lives, but the US is going backward. Nonresident Sr. Scholar Bob Kocher in @nejm.org outlines how realigned incentives could reward prevention and sustained control.
- Delinking compensation for #PBMs and other middlemen from drug prices – and using fair, transparent fees instead – could save about $95B annually, according to an analysis from USC Schaeffer’s Geoffrey Joyce.
- PBMs often cite low profit margins as evidence they don’t drive up drug costs. However, a new Schaeffer Center white paper shows these margins are heavily influenced by accounting choices and that industry consolidation has further obscured #PBM profits.
- USC Schaeffer's Darius Lakdawalla quoted in @opinion.bloomberg.com: "Let's have a serious and reasoned conversation about what drugs are worth here in America, and let's develop an American system for aligning prices with value as we perceive it."
- 📢 The USC Clinical Trial Recruitment Lab (CTRL) has awarded funding to support four research pilots focused on accelerating and improving #Alzheimers clinical trials through #AI and other digital strategies.
- 📊 This new interactive from USC Schaeffer lets researchers and policymakers explore how medical spending for Medicare beneficiaries with #dementia has changed across time, states, demographics and care settings. Explore the data here ⤵️
- 📽️The search for new #Alzheimers treatments depends on faster, more effective trials. The USC Clinical Trial Recruitment Lab recently brought together leading experts to explore promising recruitment strategies. Watch the full event here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qm47...
- USC Schaeffer's Glenn Melnick in Health Affairs Forefront notes a critical but overlooked factor behind rising health insurance premiums: a post-COVID surge in prices paid by commercial insurers to hospitals.
- Most Americans are wary of relying entirely on AI to make a diagnosis, but they're more optimistic about its potential to help clinicians detect cancer. USC Schaeffer's @michaelsobolev.bsky.social discusses his new research on patient trust in AI with @medicaleconomics.bsky.social.
- Just 1 in 5 L.A. County pharmacies stock #PrEP, finds new USC Schaeffer research. And far fewer prescribe it, even years after California became the first state allowing pharmacists to do so.
- High-profile government efforts to reduce drug costs take effect in 2026, including Medicare-negotiated prices and new direct-to-consumer pricing deals. USC Schaeffer’s Geoffrey Joyce discusses the potential impacts on patients with @bloomberglaw.com.
- Benchmarking drug prices to inflation is misguided. Instead, we should ask if value is outpacing inflation, argues Schaeffer's William Padula in HA Forefront. "Holding pharmaceutical innovation to the same metric we use for breakfast cereal is not fiscal prudence, it’s conceptual confusion.”
- As pharmacy closures accelerate, states have a potential lifeline. Designating vulnerable community pharmacies as “critical access” may be the most immediate way of protecting patient access, USC Schaeffer postdoctoral researcher Emily Gravlee writes in Health Affairs Forefront.
- While cannabis may soon be considered a lower-risk drug, a USC Schaeffer white paper highlights growing evidence of health risks from heavy or long-term use. The authors argue federal regulations are needed to protect consumers & promote responsible use.
- Even the most advanced medical technology means little if patients in need can’t access it, USC Schaeffer's Darius Lakdawalla told lawmakers last week. Read his testimony on how forward-thinking regulatory reform can promote tech that makes good health more accessible & affordable.
- The projected growth in #Alzheimers could drive families & the US toward fiscal disaster, warn USC Schaeffer’s Joe Grogan & Ryan Long. The good news: Policies that support prevention, early detection, and innovation today can add healthy years of life and protect budgets.
- 📢Making #Alzheimers clinical trials faster, stronger and more representative. Our new Clinical Trial Knowledge Hub shares lessons from the field and key insights on what works. Explore here: schaeffer.usc.edu/clinical-tri...
- More money can't fix the ACA, but there's a better way to cover every American without increasing costs, writes USC Schaeffer's Dana Goldman. Meet the USA Plan: ✅Basic protection for all ✅Income-based deductibles ✅No-cost preventive care
- Newer, transparent #PBMs are gaining some ground in a marketplace dominated by 3 major firms. But as USC Schaeffer’s Neeraj Sood tells @modernhealthcare.bsky.social @noahtong.bsky.social, the fate of these alternative PBMs is still tied to the Big 3.
- The declining prices of anti-obesity medications show the power of competition and transparency in the pharmaceutical market, USC Schaeffer’s Dana Goldman writes in the @wsj.com.
- USC Schaeffer Scholar William Padula spoke with @reuters.com about the new round of Medicare-negotiated drug prices announced yesterday.
- 📅 Meeting the urgent need for #Alzheimers treatments requires a stronger, more efficient system for recruiting patients into trials. Join the USC Clinical Trial Recruitment Lab on Dec. 4 to hear from leading experts. Info and registration: schaeffer.usc.edu/event/improv...
- The #340B drug discount program has grown rapidly while straying from its mission of serving poorer patients and providers, Schaeffer scholars write in the @washingtonexaminer.bsky.social. True reform must target the "buy low, sell high" incentive that largely benefits wealthier entities.
- Prescription drug ads get blamed for a lot. But the evidence for banning them is actually thin, USC Schaeffer’s Neeraj Sood writes in @jamahealthforum.com.
- Just how hard is it to navigate rising costs and narrowing options in #Medicare Part D? 🎧Check out the latest @tradeoffs.org episode, as Schaeffer Center Co-Director Erin Trish helps her mother sort through the rapidly shifting marketplace.
- 📅 From AI to blood biomarkers, new tools are poised to transform #Alzheimers clinical trial recruitment. Join USC’s Clinical Trial Recruitment Lab on Dec. 4 in San Diego for a symposium on faster, more efficient, and inclusive trials. Register here ⤵️
- Five years after Congress banned #SurpriseBills, patients are still waiting on some key cost transparency protections promised in the law. USC Schaeffer Scholar Erin Duffy in Health Affairs Forefront argues patients can't afford further delays.
- The White House's efforts to expand access to anti-obesity medications address a critical public health challenge. USC Schaeffer research demonstrating the health and economic benefits of broader coverage helped inform the move.
- The White House’s deals on anti-obesity medications could have a ripple effect: They may encourage more insurers to offer coverage, USC Schaeffer’s Darius Lakdawalla tells @cnbc.com.
- People with #diabetes are living healthier lives due to medical advances over the past few decades—but surprisingly, their workforce participation hasn’t improved. 🎧 USC Schaeffer's Jack Chapel dives into his research on this “diabetes paradox" on The Academic Minute.
- Expanding #Medicare coverage of anti-obesity medications would be one of the most effective public health investments the U.S. could make, USC Schaeffer research shows. ⤵️Our scholars have identified ways it can be done affordably.
- While Congress continues to weigh #PBM reform, many states have passed laws this year targeting middlemen practices. USC Schaeffer's Geoffrey Joyce tells @stateline.org @chatlanis.bsky.social these efforts can help bring down patient costs.
- How can the U.S. keep its biotech edge as China surges? USC Schaeffer’s Lowell Schiller told the Senate HELP Committee how #FDA modernization can support the innovation ecosystem and ensure patients benefit from today's scientific advances.
- While the US #biosimilar market has developed more slowly than Europe’s, USC Schaeffer research shows early biosimilars are delivering on their promise to lower biologic #drugprices.
- CMS staffing shortages could make the ongoing #Medicare enrollment season challenging for beneficiaries, warns USC Schaeffer’s Jon Blum in @thehill.com: “We don’t have the infrastructure right now in place to really make sure those benefits get delivered well and get communicated well."
- As health insurance costs rise, more Americans may skip coverage or seek cheaper care outside their health plan. USC Schaeffer’s Erin Duffy tells @nbcnews.com @berkeleyjr.bsky.social why that’s risky and explains how patients can negotiate to make #MedicalBills more manageable.
- Doctors often prescribe sleep drugs to older adults long term, despite the risk of serious side effects. New USC Schaeffer modeling in @lancetrh-americ.bsky.social shows that reducing prescriptions to adults 50+ would improve quality of life, boost longevity and save the U.S. over $100 billion.
- What do the White House’s recent drug pricing agreements really mean? USC Schaeffer’s Darius Lakdawalla explains why it's hard to make sense of them. 👇
- There’s bipartisan agreement on the need for #340B reform. A recent USC Schaeffer white paper illustrates why meaningful reform must target “spread pricing” incentives that benefit wealthier providers.
- As the average workplace family health plan hits $27k this year, employers face a growing challenge in managing the costs of high-priced specialty drugs, USC Schaeffer’s Paul Ginsburg tells the @nytimes.com @reedabelson.bsky.social.
- A recent draft report by health technology assessment (#HTA) organizations on how to account for “novel” benefits in economic evaluations fundamentally misses the mark, USC Schaeffer experts and colleagues argue in a new comment letter.
- Congratulations to Darius Lakdawalla, chief scientific officer at USC Schaeffer, on his election to the National Academy of Medicine! He was recognized for transforming the study of value in healthcare, with a focus on the patient perspective.
- For the first time, Medicare-negotiated drug prices will become available to beneficiaries in January. This will require complex technical coordination. A new USC Schaeffer issue brief examines: 💠CMS' implementation plans 💠Roles of key stakeholders 💠Potential challenges for drugmakers & pharmacies
- Enrollment in #Medicare plans opens today, with millions facing a similar headache: Too many plan choices, not enough reliable info. USC Schaeffer Scholars in @statnews.com share how policymakers can simplify the process. After all, that's what beneficiaries want.
- Medicare may soon overhaul the system for determining physician pay, which has largely been shaped by an influential industry group. USC Schaeffer's Paul Ginsburg, a former MedPAC vice chair, tells @medscape.com @lizszabo.bsky.social why reform is long overdue.
- Pfizer and now AstraZeneca struck deals with the White House to provide "most-favored nation" pricing in Medicaid. But as USC Schaeffer’s Darius Lakdawalla explains to @cbsnews.com, the effect may be small since Medicaid already gets the “best price” by law.
- While the White House’s Pfizer deal may not change prices much, the company’s pledge to invest in U.S. research and manufacturing could be a strong boost for domestic drug production, USC Schaeffer Scholar William Padula tells @investopedia.com.
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- California’s new tax cut on legal cannabis is designed to undercut the illicit market. But efforts to rein in illegal sales continue to lag, partly due to weak enforcement, USC Schaeffer’s Rosalie Pacula told @annenbergmedia.bsky.social.
