Nudge nudge

The government (that’d be the U.S. government) has asked the judge overseeing the CVS/Aetna merger if he would mind, you know, getting on with the approval.

When last we left our hero, he was annoyed at being treated as a “rubber stamp” and wanted more info about the merger’s potential effects.

Elsewhere: PBMs in Kentucky

PBMs earned themselves $123 million in spread pricing in Kentucky last year, according to an investigation by the state’s Cabinet for Health and Family Services (“Opening the Black Box”) — and that’s a 13 percent increase over 2017.

Thanks to an agreement between GPhA and Georgia’s managed care organizations, PBM spread pricing is being eliminated here in favor of pass-through pricing.

Know a recovering pharmacist?

Students and faculty at the University of Findlay College of Pharmacy in Ohio have embarked on an effort to gather data from recovering pharmacists throughout the country.

If you or someone you know is a recovering pharmacist, will you consider participating in their research project? Please CLICK HERE for a simple and straightforward survey. It will only take a minute to complete, your responses will be anonymous, and data is strictly confidential.

And if you’re dealing with addiction, remember that you can contact PharmAssist, offered through to the Georgia Pharmacy Foundation, at (404) 558-1983.

Human insulin sales are big

Buying human insulin over the counter is more common than you might think, especially at Walmart (because it sells a generic version). When people can’t afford the prescription version, that’s where they turn — to the tune of an estimated 18,800 vials (!) per day.

The word of the day: Wacky

That’s how FDA commish Scott Gottlieb described the U.S. healthcare payment system.

“The sick people are helping to subsidize the healthy people. That’s not how insurance is supposed to work. So we’ve got a wacky system where the discounts aren’t flowing to the people.”

For once, Norway isn’t the best country

Spain is the world’s healthiest country, according to the latest data, with Italy, Iceland, Japan, and Switzerland rounding out the top five. (Norway ranks #9.) The U.S. is at #35, just behind Costa Rica and one spot ahead of Bahrain.

Not even the Jell-o?

U.S. hospital patients are at risk of malnutrition because — for some unfathomable reason — they don’t want to eat hospital food.

Bonus: Check out this comparison of hospital meals around the world. Could be worse. Could be Russia.

The big read: Pharmaceutical companies

“It’s Time for Pharmaceutical Companies to Have Their Tobacco Moment,” writes the New York Times (like, the Times itself — the editorial board).

The industry’s own explanations — that other entities in America’s byzantine health care system are to blame for most price increases, and that its products are expensive and risky to make — are tough to swallow, given drug companies’ conspicuous profit margins.

The long read: What’s with CBD?

“CBD Is Everywhere, but Scientists Still Don’t Know Much About It”