DaVita Healthcare Partners agrees to pay $450 million (ultimately $495 million) to resolve False Claims Act allegations that it knowingly created unnecessary waste in administering dialysis drugs Zemplar and Venofer, then fraudulently billed Medicare and Medicaid for the avoidable waste. …
DaVitaKent ThiryAlon J. VainerDaniel D. BarbirDepartment of Justicehealthcaredialysismedicare-fraudwhistleblowerpatient-harm+1 more
Wall Street Journal reporter John Carreyrou publishes the first investigative article exposing Theranos’ fraudulent blood-testing technology, revealing that the company was using traditional blood testing machines instead of its proprietary ‘Edison’ devices and that test results …
John CarreyrouElizabeth HolmesTheranosWall Street JournalWalgreens+1 morecorruptionfraudregulatory-capturetechhealthcare+3 more
In September 2015, Turing Pharmaceuticals under CEO Martin Shkreli purchased the American marketing rights to Daraprim (pyrimethamine) and immediately raised the price from $13.50 to $750 per pill—a price increase of over 5,000%. The move became a symbol of pharmaceutical price gouging and exposed …
Martin ShkreliTuring Pharmaceuticalshealthcarepharmaceutical-price-gougingcorporate-crimeregulatory-capture
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in King v. Burwell that premium tax credits are available to qualifying individuals in all states, rejecting a challenge that would have eliminated subsidies for millions in the 34 states using the federal healthcare exchange (HealthCare.gov). The lawsuit, filed by …
U.S. Supreme CourtChief Justice John RobertsJustice Antonin ScaliaKing (Plaintiff)Sylvia Burwell (HHS Secretary)healthcareaca-sabotagesupreme-courtsubsidieslegal-challenges+1 more
Senator Marco Rubio successfully inserted a provision into the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act of 2015 that prohibited the Department of Health and Human Services from using general appropriations to fund the ACA’s risk corridor program, limiting payments to only user …
Senator Marco RubioU.S. CongressDepartment of Health and Human ServicesInsurance Companieshealthcareaca-sabotageinsurance-marketslegislative-sabotagerepublican-obstruction+1 more
DaVita Healthcare Partners, the nation’s second-largest dialysis provider, agrees to pay $350 million to resolve False Claims Act allegations that it paid illegal kickbacks to physicians to induce patient referrals to its dialysis clinics from 2005-2014. The scheme involved DaVita offering …
DaVitaKent ThiryDepartment of JusticeHHS Office of Inspector Generalhealthcaredialysismedicare-fraudkickbacksregulatory-capture+2 more
The Senate confirmed former Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) as U.S. Ambassador to China by a vote of 96-0, ending his 36-year congressional career. Baucus had served as chairman and ranking member of the powerful Senate Finance Committee, where he was the chief architect of the …
Max BaucusSenate Finance CommitteeMerckUnitedHealth GroupJeffrey Forbesrevolving-doorlobbyingcongressional-corruptionhealthcareregulatory-capture
The Healthcare.gov launch on October 1, 2013 became one of the most expensive government IT failures in history, with costs ballooning from an initial $93.7 million CGI Federal contract to over $1.7 billion total. The site crashed within minutes of launch, with only 6 people successfully enrolling …
The Supreme Court ruled 5-3 in FTC v. Actavis that the Federal Trade Commission could bring antitrust challenges against “pay-for-delay” agreements where brand-name drug manufacturers pay generic competitors to delay bringing cheaper alternatives to market. The decision reversed lower …
Supreme Court of the United StatesFederal Trade CommissionSolvay PharmaceuticalsActavisWatson Pharmaceuticals+1 morepharmaceutical-industrypatent-abuseregulatory-captureantitrustsupreme-court+2 more
On December 5, 2012, Elizabeth “Liz” Fowler announced her departure from the White House to join Johnson & Johnson as head of global health policy, completing her third spin through the healthcare industry revolving door. Fowler had served as the chief architect of the Affordable …
Elizabeth FowlerJohnson & JohnsonWellPointMax BaucusBarack Obama+1 morerevolving-doorregulatory-capturehealthcarelobbyingpharmaceutical-industry+3 more
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began investigating a multistate fungal meningitis outbreak in September 2012 that ultimately killed 64 people and sickened 798 individuals across multiple states who received contaminated methylprednisolone steroid injections from the New England …
New England Compounding CenterBarry CaddenFDAMassachusetts Board of PharmacyCDC+1 morepharmaceutical-industryregulatory-capturefdahealthcarepublic-health+1 more
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 7-2 in National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius that the Affordable Care Act’s mandatory Medicaid expansion was unconstitutionally coercive, making it optional for states. While Chief Justice John Roberts upheld the individual mandate as a valid …
U.S. Supreme CourtChief Justice John RobertsNational Federation of Independent BusinessRepublican GovernorsRepublican State Attorneys Generalhealthcareaca-sabotagesupreme-courtmedicaidpartisan-obstruction+2 more
Three days after taking control of the House, Republicans passed H.R. 2, the ‘Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act,’ in a 245-189 vote with three Democratic defections. The bill was never considered by the Democratic Senate. This initiated a six-year campaign of symbolic repeal …
House RepublicansSpeaker John BoehnerRep. Joe BartonRep. Pat MeehanSpeaker Paul Ryan+1 morehealthcareaca-sabotagerepublican-obstructionsymbolic-politicslegislative-theater+1 more
President Obama signs the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law, the most significant healthcare legislation since Medicare. While expanding coverage to millions of uninsured Americans, the law’s architecture reflects extensive industry lobbying, featuring an individual mandate …
Barack ObamaAmerica's Health Insurance PlansPharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of AmericaMax BaucusLiz Fowler+1 morehealthcareinsurance-industryregulatory-captureindividual-mandatelobbying
The Obama White House secretly negotiated an $80 billion deal with pharmaceutical industry lobbyists, abandoning the president’s campaign promise to allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices. White House officials Jim Messina and Rahm Emanuel met with PhRMA CEO Billy Tauzin, agreeing to maintain …
On October 3, 2008, President George W. Bush signed the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) into law as part of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act (TARP legislation), requiring health insurers to provide mental health and substance use …
George W. BushPaul WellstonePete DomeniciDepartment of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration+1 morehealthcaremental-healthinsurance-fraudregulatory-captureenforcement-failure+2 more
Questcor Pharmaceuticals implemented an overnight price increase for H.P. Acthar Gel from $1,600 to $23,000 per vial on August 27, 2007, launching a decade-long price gouging scheme that would eventually raise the drug’s price by 97,000% from its 2001 level. Questcor had acquired Acthar—a …
Questcor PharmaceuticalsMallinckrodtFederal Trade CommissionHumanaCongress+1 morepharmaceutical-industrydrug-pricinghealthcarecorporate-fraudbribery+2 more
Private equity firm Ares Management acquired Aspen Dental in 2006, launching an aggressive roll-up strategy that would help consolidate the fragmented dental industry and establish the template for private equity’s systematic monopolization of healthcare sectors including dental, veterinary, …
Aspen DentalAres ManagementLeonard Green & PartnersAmerican Securitiesantitrustconsolidationprivate-equitydentalhealthcare+4 more
Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD) joined InterMedia Advisors, a New York-based private equity firm, as a consultant and chairman of its executive advisory board just months after losing his 2004 reelection bid. Simultaneously, Daschle joined the law and lobbying firm Alston & Bird …
Tom DaschleInterMedia AdvisorsAlston & BirdLeo Hinderyrevolving-doorlobbyingcongressional-corruptionhealthcareprivate-equity
Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) announced that former House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Billy Tauzin (R-LA) would become its president and CEO, effective January 2005. The announcement came shortly after Tauzin’s retirement from Congress, where from 2001 …
Billy TauzinPhRMAMedicarerevolving-doorregulatory-capturehealthcarelobbyingcongressional-corruption
Merck voluntarily withdraws Vioxx (rofecoxib) from the market after concealing evidence that the blockbuster arthritis drug increases heart attack and stroke risk. Internal company documents reveal that Merck knew of cardiovascular dangers years before withdrawal, while the FDA failed to act on …
MerckFood and Drug Administration (FDA)David GrahamRaymond Gilmartinhealthcarepharmaceutical-industryregulatory-capturefdadrug-safety+1 more
The House of Representatives passed the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act at 5:53 AM after an unprecedented 3-hour vote that House leaders held open for nearly three hours past the normal 15-minute voting period to secure enough votes. The legislation created Medicare …
Billy TauzinHouse Energy and Commerce CommitteePhRMAMedicareregulatory-capturehealthcarepharmaceutical-industrycongressional-corruptionlobbying
The Department of Justice announced that HCA Inc. (formerly Columbia/HCA), once led by Rick Scott, agreed to pay the United States $631 million in civil penalties and damages, bringing the total recovery to $1.7 billion when combined with earlier settlements—the largest healthcare fraud case in U.S. …
HCA HealthcareRick ScottDepartment of Justicehealthcaremedicare-fraudhospitalrick scottregulatory-capture+1 more
The average price of insulin in the United States began a decade-long tripling from $231 per patient annually in 2002 to $762 in 2013, according to congressional hearing data—with some patients paying up to $900 per month for insulin products that cost $4.34 per milliliter in 2002 but reached $12.92 …
Eli LillyNovo NordiskSanofiCongressional Diabetes CaucusBig Pharmapharmaceutical-industrydrug-pricinghealthcaremonopolyinsulin-crisis+1 more
The Patients’ Bill of Rights, legislation that would have allowed patients to sue HMOs for denying medically necessary care, dies in Congress after the managed care industry spends over $60 million lobbying against it. Despite bipartisan support and public outrage over HMO denials that …
George W. BushHealth Insurance Association of AmericaAmerican Association of Health PlansJohn McCainEdward Kennedy+1 morehealthcaremanaged-carelobbyingregulatory-captureinsurance-industry+1 more
President Clinton signs the FDA Modernization Act (FDAMA), codifying accelerated drug approval pathways developed during the AIDS crisis while expanding provisions favorable to pharmaceutical manufacturers including streamlined advertising approval. The law accelerates the transformation of FDA from …
Bill ClintonPharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of AmericaFood and Drug Administration (FDA)James Jeffordshealthcarepharmaceutical-industryregulatory-capturefdadrug-safety
President Clinton signs the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), bipartisan legislation that ostensibly addresses insurance portability between jobs but creates a regulatory framework that permits extensive healthcare industry data sharing while blocking more comprehensive …
Bill ClintonNancy KassebaumEdward KennedyHealth Insurance Association of AmericaAmerican Hospital Associationhealthcareinsurance-industryregulatory-capturedata-privacyportability
Senate Majority Leader George J. Mitchell declares the Clinton administration’s Health Security Act dead, with the bill never coming to a vote in either chamber of Congress. The failure represents a devastating defeat for comprehensive healthcare reform after an intense lobbying campaign by …
Bill ClintonHillary ClintonHealth insurance industryHealth Insurance Association of AmericaPharmaceutical Industryhealthcareregulatory-capturelobbyinginsurance-industrycorporate-power+1 more
President Reagan signs the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1986 (COBRA), which includes the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) requiring hospitals with emergency departments to screen and stabilize any patient regardless of ability to pay. While framed as …
Ronald ReaganAmerican Hospital AssociationHealth Insurance Association of AmericaPete Starkhealthcareunfunded-mandateemergency-carecost-shiftingregulatory-capture
President Reagan signs the Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act, known as Hatch-Waxman, which ostensibly balances pharmaceutical innovation incentives with generic competition but creates loopholes that brand-name manufacturers exploit to extend monopoly pricing for decades. The …
Orrin HatchHenry WaxmanRonald ReaganPharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of Americahealthcarepharmaceutical-industryregulatory-capturepatent-abuselobbying
The Social Security Amendments of 1983 establish Medicare’s Prospective Payment System (PPS), fundamentally transforming hospital economics by replacing cost-based reimbursement with fixed payments based on Diagnosis Related Groups (DRGs). Under the new system, hospitals receive a …
Ronald ReaganRichard SchweikerAmerican Hospital AssociationFederation of American Hospitalshealthcaremedicareregulatory-capturehospital-industrycost-shifting
President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Social Security Amendments of 1965 into law at the Truman Presidential Library in Independence, Missouri, creating Medicare and Medicaid with former President Harry Truman at his side. The legislation provides federal health insurance for Americans over 65 …
President Lyndon B. JohnsonPresident Harry S. TrumanAmerican Medical AssociationRonald ReaganWilbur Millshealthcareinstitutional-capturecorporate-resistancelobbyingpropaganda
The King-Anderson bill, President Kennedy’s Medicare proposal introduced by Representative Cecil King and Senator Clinton Anderson, is defeated in committee despite strong public support after intense lobbying by the American Medical Association, corporate healthcare interests, and …
Cecil R. KingClinton AndersonJohn F. KennedyWilbur MillsHarry Byrd+4 moremedicarehealthcarelobbyingamacorporate-opposition+2 more
President Harry S. Truman becomes the first sitting president to propose a comprehensive national health insurance program, sending a special message to Congress calling for federal health insurance that would cover all Americans regardless of employment status. Truman declares healthcare …
Harry S. TrumanAmerican Medical AssociationMorris FishbeinRobert TaftWhitaker and Baxterhealthcareinstitutional-capturelobbyingpropagandaama+1 more