| ■ Children's Hospitals Lose Drug Discounts | 2010.12.10 |
| Drug companies are notifying children's hospitals across the United States that they no longer qualify for significant discounts on orphan drugs, which are medications used to treat rare medical conditions. The apparent unintended consequence of the new health care law means that prices are increasing for these specialized drugs used to treat diseases that affect fewer than 200,000 people in the U.S., The New York Times reported. Children's hospitals say the loss of the 30 percent to 50 percent discounts on orphan drugs is costing them hundreds of millions of dollars. The loss of the discounts "jeopardizes our ability to care for some of the sickest children with the most complex health care needs," Joshua D. Greenberg, vice president of Children's Hospital Boston, told The Times. |