Prescription for Better Access

Mark Hansan and Dr. Scott Howell
  • 5.0 (20)
  • MEDICINE
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

With pharmaceutical and biotech manufacturers launching more high-cost specialty drugs and the insurance industry increasing the use of more restrictive barriers to access, those who need these medicines—the patients themselves—are caught in the middle, not only shouldering the cost of higher copays and deductibles, but for many, rationing or even abandoning treatment altogether. While manufacturers invest in programs to help navigate the challenges impeding access and affordability, the entire healthcare industry can agree -- the status quo is unsustainable. There has to be a better way. And two industry veterans have joined forces to co-host a new interview-focused podcast to help shape the future of patient access and affordability.

  1. JAN 9

    From Policy to the Employer Front Lines: A Conversation with Dan Mendelson of Morgan Health

    Employers sit at the center of the U.S. health system as the primary funders of coverage for more than 150 million Americans, yet they struggle with rising costs, fragmented vendors, and uneven outcomes. In this episode, we talk with Dan Mendelson, MPP, CEO of Morgan Health at JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Founder and former CEO of Avalere Health. We explore his journey from health policy to now leading Morgan Health’s efforts to improve the quality, affordability and equity of employer-sponsored healthcare. We’ll learn how Morgan Health evaluates the employer market, where they’re placing investment bets, and how they are testing new care models inside JPMorgan’s own benefit. We then turn to Washington: Dan shares his take on the policy currents that matter most for employers and innovators over the next few years. Dan Mendelson, CEO, Morgan Health LinkedIn Forbes Contributions Avalere Health Balanced Budget Act of 1997 Jamie Dimon, Chairman and CEO of JPMorgan Chase & Co. Continuation of Health Coverage (COBRA) Vera Whole Health, Central Ohio Primary Care Centivo Embold Health Cigna Healthcare Quantum Health Thyme Care 60 Minutes, “$2 million gene therapy could save her baby’s life. But insurance wouldn’t pay” PBM Alternatives Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) Individual Coverage Healthcare Reimbursement Accounts (ICHRA) Questions or comments? Email us at comments@prescriptionforbetteraccess.com. Find us on social media! Follow us on X, LinkedIn, YouTube and Threads.

    39 min

  2. 11/25/2025

    Understanding the Impact of the Accelerated Approvals Program

    The FDA’s Accelerated Approval Program (AAP) aims to bring promising, potentially life-saving medicines to patients sooner by allowing approvals based on surrogate endpoints while requiring timely confirmatory evidence. In this episode, we speak with Bridget Doherty, MPH, MS (Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine), and Jeff Allen, PhD (Friends of Cancer Research). Bridget discusses her team’s review of the AAP’s real-world impact, showing that hundreds of thousands of meaningful life-years have been gained for patients. Jeff shares findings from work strengthening biomarkers as reliable surrogate endpoints—helping define when increased speed can still preserve scientific rigor. We also explore the core access challenge: how payer coverage and utilization management help or hinder patients the AAP is designed to serve. We close with practical policy steps to ensure that earlier regulatory access truly leads to better outcomes for people who need treatments most. Bridget Doherty, MPH, MS, Johnson & Johnson Jeff Allen, Friends of Cancer Research J&J Center for U.S. Healthcare Policy Research Friends of Cancer Research Accelerated Approvals in Oncology Tracker Drug Development Dashboards 30 Years of Accelerated Approval: Data-Driven Insights Analysis of FDA Biomarker Qualification Program Original JNCCN Study How Gleevec Transformed Leukemia Treatment Immunotherapy Surrogate Endpoints Confirmatory Trials Years Gained from the FDA Accelerated Approval Program (2024) Circulating Tumor DNA (ctDNA) ctMoniTR Project Questions or comments? Email us at comments@prescriptionforbetteraccess.com. Find us on social media: X, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Threads.

  3. 10/17/2025

    Charting a Path Forward for More Patient-Centered Value Assessment Methods

    In this episode, we talk with Richard Xie, Senior Health Economist at RA Capital, and Gunnar Esiason, Senior Director of Patient Engagement at Raven (RA Capital Ventures), about value frameworks in pharma. We unpack how Generalized Cost-Effectiveness Analysis (GCEA) builds on traditional Cost-Effectiveness Analysis (CEA) and differs from ICER’s model. The conversation explores what these approaches mean for pricing, access, and patient voice—especially in rare and high-innovation settings. Through the Cidara CD388 flu drug case, we discuss how assumptions shape value and trade-offs from manufacturer and patient perspectives. The episode highlights how evidence, incentives, and outcomes align—or conflict—in today’s system, and what reforms could better connect value frameworks to affordability and equitable access. Richard Xie, Senior Health Economist, RA Capital Management Gunnar Esiason, MBA, MPH, Senior Director, Head of Patient Engagement and Patient-Centered Innovation, Raven (RA Capital Ventures) Patient-Centered Value Assessment Models Episode 26: Sarah Emond, ICER Peter Kolchinski, The Great American Drug Deal NICE (UK) CDA (Canada) Australia CHAP Trikafta ICER Report on Cystic Fibrosis No Patient Left Behind GCEA Calculator Boomer Esiason Foundation Aurora Biosciences Most-Favored-Nation Drug Pricing Order Questions or comments? Email comments@prescriptionforbetteraccess.com. Follow us on X, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Threads.

  4. 09/18/2025

    IRA, Part D Redesign & the Future of Drug Access: A Conversation with Jon Blum, Former CMS Principal Deputy Administrator and COO

    In this episode, former CMS official Jon Blum reflects on the evolution and impact of the IRA’s drug provisions—from foundational drivers and political trade-offs to how 2026 Part D redesign and the M3P cost-smoothing program are reshaping access. We explore why M3P adoption remains limited, how CMS is monitoring plan behavior around negotiated pricing, and what shrinking standalone Part D options may mean for patients, especially in rural areas. Jon also challenges the “blame game” in Washington—emphasizing the systemic incentives behind each actor—and shares his own prescription for equitably balancing drug affordability, innovation, and policy integrity, including thoughts on MFN and future reform paths.

  5. 07/17/2025

    The Future of Access, a Live Podcast Recording from the ACCESS US 2025 Conference

    At ACCESS US 2025, our live podcast The Future of Access features four experts exploring how to improve drug affordability and access while maintaining innovation. With rising drug costs, we ask: What bold models are emerging? We cover benefit design, PBMs, AI, evolving pharmacy models, and whether markets can act before regulation. Conference Overview Sarah Emond – ICER John O’Brien – National Pharmaceutical Council Annette Powers – Bristol Myers Squibb Ray Pressburger – Accenture Stuart Altman – Power, Politics and Universal Health Care PBMs 340B Program Copay Maximizers Net Price Lilly Direct Indolent Disease, PFS Concomitant Drug HIV & AZT Orphan Drugs Calquence vs Imbruvica Value-Based Contracts Outcome-Based Contracts Disruptive PBMs CostPlus Drugs Fair Access 2024 Drug Rebates Drug Carve-Outs Dynamic Pricing Accelerated Approvals ICER Assessment Questions? Email comments@prescriptionforbetteraccess.com. Follow us on X, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Threads.

  6. 05/21/2025

    The Domino Effect: 2025 Trends in Specialty Drug Benefits Report

    Specialty drug benefit design isn't just one decision — it triggers a domino effect impacting employer and health plan costs, patient access, care delivery and patient cost-sharing. In this episode, we unpack PSG’s latest research on how employers and health plans are rethinking specialty strategies amid rising pressure: cost management as a top priority, movement toward rebate alternatives, shifting site of care models, and evolving approaches to affordability and utilization management. Our guests break down where the biggest shifts are happening, what’s still missing, and how smarter benefit design can create better outcomes across the healthcare system. PSG (Pharmaceutical Strategies Group) 2025 Trends in Specialty Drug Benefits Report Specialty Drugs Drug Utilization PBM (Pharmacy Benefit Manager) Copay Assistance (Maximizers & Accumulators) Drug Rebates Drug “Carve Outs” Value-Based Agreements Utilization Management Step Therapy Biosimilars Site-of-Care Questions or comments? Email us at comments@prescriptionforbetteraccess.com. Find us on social media! Follow us on X, LinkedIn, YouTube and Threads.

    51 min

  7. 04/17/2025

    Inside the Cost Curve: An Interview with Brian Reid

    In this episode, we interview Brian Reid, the founder of Reid Strategic and the creator and editor of our favorite industry newsletter, the Cost Curve. Brian shares his journey to create the Cost Curve and how he navigates the onslaught of information to identify the most important issues of the day. We also get his take on what he calls the highest “importance-to-attention” healthcare stories, highlighting critical topics that are undercovered related to their significance. We also get the opportunity to understand his perspectives on the threats to innovation, the risks to patient affordability programs, and what all of us should be doing to be better healthcare consumers. Brian Reid- Reid Strategic Cost Curve Newsletter Martin Shkreli & Daraprim BioPharma Dive: Biotech and Pharma Industry News GLP-1s Net Price– “a drug’s net price equals the actual revenues that a manufacturer earns from a drug after rebates, discounts, and other reductions” Source: Drug Channels  Armamentarium Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) Mark Cuban Pharmacy Psuedo-Generic Medication CVS Cordavis Quallent Nuvalia Biosimilars Lilly Direct Novo 340B Drug Pricing Program Copay maximizers AFPs Questions or comments? Email us at comments@prescriptionforbetteraccess.com. Find us on social media! Follow us on X, LinkedIn, YouTube and Threads.

    45 min

  8. 03/20/2025

    Value in Prescription Drugs – What Does It Really Mean?

    In this episode, we explore the complex and often debated concept of value in prescription drugs. They discuss how different stakeholders—payers, manufacturers, providers, regulators, and patients—define value, and how methodologies like health technology assessments (HTA) and cost-effectiveness analyses shape drug pricing and access. With insights from leading experts, the conversation examines the controversies surrounding value-based pricing, including the role of real-world evidence, quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), and innovation incentives. Can we strike a balance between affordability, innovation, and patient access? And what does the future hold for value-based drug pricing in the U.S.? Tune in for a deep dive into one of the most critical issues in healthcare today. Daniel Ollendorf, Chief Scientific Officer and Director of HTA Methods and Engagement Lou Garrison, Professor Emeritus at University of Washington CHOICE Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) FDA GLP-1 Drugs Medicare Biosimilars Generics Versus Biosimilars PBMs (Pharmacy Benefit Managers) 340B Drug Pricing Program Questions or comments? Email us at comments@prescriptionforbetteraccess.com. Find us on social media! Follow us on X, LinkedIn, YouTube and Threads.

    52 min
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5
out of 5
20 Ratings

About

With pharmaceutical and biotech manufacturers launching more high-cost specialty drugs and the insurance industry increasing the use of more restrictive barriers to access, those who need these medicines—the patients themselves—are caught in the middle, not only shouldering the cost of higher copays and deductibles, but for many, rationing or even abandoning treatment altogether. While manufacturers invest in programs to help navigate the challenges impeding access and affordability, the entire healthcare industry can agree -- the status quo is unsustainable. There has to be a better way. And two industry veterans have joined forces to co-host a new interview-focused podcast to help shape the future of patient access and affordability.

Information

  • Creator
    Mark Hansan and Dr. Scott Howell
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    35
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Prescription for Better Access Mark Hansan and Dr. Scott Howell
  • Show Website
    Prescription for Better Access