Joshua Cohen

Boston

Contributor at Forbes

Health economist, researcher and writer on healthcare policy, drug pricing and reimbursement, political centrist, weather nut, diehard Red Sox and Bruins fan.

Articles

Medicare Cuts Haven’t Been Included In Lawmakers' Plans But May Soon

1 week ago | forbes.com | Joshua Cohen

Thus far, Medicare seems off limits when it comes to budget cuts. With the exception of talk of reducing waste, fraud and abuse, the federal government health insurance program for the elderly and certain designated groups of disabled people has escaped discussion by Republican lawmakers with respect to their austerity plans. Medicaid, on the other hand, has not been as lucky.
Trump Administration Reinforces Medicare Advantage’s Dominant Position

2 weeks ago | forbes.com | Joshua Cohen

Privately run Medicare Advantage plans will get a considerable boost in payments from the federal government. The Trump administration announced this week that it would pay the insurers 5.1% more in 2026 than in 2025. This represents a $25 billion increase. The decision made by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services differed from the 2.2% increase that the Biden administration had proposed in January. The difference reflects updated data on spending patterns within the Medicare program.
MAHA Focus Is Disease Prevention, But HHS Policies Have Been Opposite

2 weeks ago | forbes.com | Joshua Cohen

Chronic disease prevention is a noble goal. And it’s one the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has talked about a lot as part of his Make America Healthy Again campaign. But HHS is gutting or deprioritizing some of the nation’s most successful efforts at prevention, from smoking and HIV prevention to promotion of vaccinations.
Drug Patent Reform’s Often Been Postponed, Is Congress Ready To Act?

2 weeks ago | forbes.com | Joshua Cohen

The Senate Judiciary Committee moved six bills forward this past week that address prescription drug pricing, several of which would overhaul the patent system. Drug patent reform has been on hold for years, despite having broad bipartisan support. Is this time different? Is the 119th Congress ready to act? Perhaps, given the sense of urgency among constituents and policymakers. But in light of the recent history of failure to pass changes, it’s not a done deal.
Trump Administration Nixes Plan To Allow Obesity Med Medicare Coverage

2 weeks ago | forbes.com | Joshua Cohen

The Trump administration yesterday nixed a Biden-era plan that would have lifted the prohibition on coverage of obesity medicines by Medicare and considerably expanded access to these products in Medicaid. Medicare coverage of products prescribed for weight loss only has been prohibited by law for more than two decades.
Trump Administration Takes Aim At Trans Health And Identity

2 weeks ago | forbes.com | Joshua Cohen

In his State of the Union Address last month, President Trump told Congress that the Department of Government Efficiency had uncovered $8 million dollars allocated by the federal government to “make mice transgender.” There is of course no such thing as a transgender mouse. But there are transgenic mice. Yet in his speech the President wasn’t referring to transgenic mice.
RFK Jr. May Want To Ban Prescription Drug Ads, But Can He?

2 weeks ago | forbes.com | Joshua Cohen

It’s been rumored for quite some time that the Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. may pursue banning prescription drug advertisements on television. But can he? Probably not. During President Trump’s first term in office, his administration tried to require disclosure of list prices in pharmaceutical commercials. This was then shot down by a federal court judge. Attempts now at a (partial) ban are unlikely to come to fruition.
Amid NOAA cuts, scientists warn of weather and climate risks

3 weeks ago | salon.com | Joshua Cohen

In 1807, President Thomas Jefferson founded the nation’s first scientific agency. It was tasked with surveying the coasts of the United States. Roughly 60 years later, a national weather bureau was created, and a fish and fisheries commission soon followed. The focus of these three agencies was eventually brought together in 1970 as part of the new National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA.
RFK Jr Ends Public Comment On HHS Policy Despite Promised Transparency

3 weeks ago | forbes.com | Joshua Cohen

With the mass layoffs and general upheaval going on currently at agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services, perhaps lost in the shuffle is a policy change that could have far-reaching consequences for the public at large. A three-page rule published in the Federal Register at the end of February and signed by the Secretary of HHS, Robert F.
Cuts in Medicaid And SNAP Spending Could Impact Economy

3 weeks ago | forbes.com | Joshua Cohen

Signs of a potential recession this year have been flashing in recent weeks. This may be partly a function of the natural business cycle. Nevertheless, mass layoffs throughout the federal government, along with the likelihood of cuts to programs such as Medicaid, could also be contributing to an economic downturn.