If you don't know the nuts and bolts of the current Health and Human Services (HHS) proposal to nix Pharma's ability to pay pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) rebates, then it's possible you might want to listen to EP216 with Chris Sloan first. In this episode, we don't talk much about the impact of the HHS proposal on patient premiums or drug costs. That's EP216. What we do talk about today is the impact on pharmaceutical companies. We also discuss the drug-buying transaction. Kuo Tong is my guest today. Kuo is a managing director in the life sciences practice of Navigant, focusing on how pharma companies interact with insurance companies and get reimbursement for their drugs. And that's actually the burning question we aim to answer today: Will Pharma's interactions with and reimbursement from insurance companies change after this proposed HHS rule goes into effect, assuming it goes into effect? We also talk about what Pharma could and should be doing right now to improve the odds of a smooth transition into a new contracting model.

You can learn more at navigant.com, connect with Kuo on Twitter at @NavigantHealth,
or email him at [email protected].

Kuo Tong is a managing director in the life sciences practice of Navigant and oversees its US Market Access Center of Excellence. He joined the firm in November 2017 to lead a team focused on health economics, pricing, and market access engagements.