Rick Chelko

[Brian Kight @BrianKight]

If you sacrifice optimism to embrace realism you become a cynic without the energy to push through obstacles and create a desired outcome.

If you sacrifice realism to embrace optimism you become naive and blind, too disconnected from the truth to gain traction.

Optimism and realism are not opposing forces. High optimism does not require any less realism. High realism does not require any less optimism.

If you want to be great at anything, you must do both at the same time.

[Rick Chelko @RickChelko]

Absolutely! And this is why we are always pushing for improvement (a lot of room for it in our industry)!

[Brian Kight @BrianKight]

No confusion here. Total clarity.

[Rick Chelko @RickChelko]

@A_Ciaccia @Nicole_DeFeudis This will be interesting for sure! I hope it really will ultimately prove to be effective, affordable, non-addictive and otherwise safe.

[Rick Chelko @RickChelko]

@A_Ciaccia Yes, a ludicrous process to circumvent health plan designs and make it easier to sell drugs. If a drug is free (or almost free) to the user, why not give it a try? I wish there was a coupon to guarantee efficacy, avoid side effects, and make it almost free for the plan sponsor!

[Rick Chelko @RickChelko]

An important warning about our nation's lack of monitoring for negative side effects - and I am speaking from personal experience.
https://t.co/svqd4lyoaC

[Rick Chelko @RickChelko]

@sallypipes Yes. The issue is that everybody expects (and health care responds) that the problems need to be “treated.”

[Rick Chelko @RickChelko]

.@DrJohnAbramson shares one of the best-kept secrets in all of health care, understood by few doctors, that peer reviewers do not have access to the real data from drug company sponsored trials.
https://t.co/VtLR9NOe3e

[Rick Chelko @RickChelko]

@sallypipes Sally, you are simply wrong about this. Taxpayers are funding the heavy lifting of research and pharma manufactures are then over charging employers and government agencies with dangerous, over-hyped meds. We need to put the science back in the public’s hands.

[Rick Chelko @RickChelko]

@briankight So true! And as Billy Graham stated: comfort and prosperity never enriched the world like adversity!

[Rick Chelko @RickChelko]

@A_Ciaccia Only in America! (unfortunately)

[Antonio Ciaccia @A_Ciaccia]

Bad things happen when big PBMs and health insurers subjectively mark up and invent the prices of medicines that are primarily dispensed at the pharmacies they own.

We used @mcuban @costplusdrugs data w/ @joewalkerWSJ to show how conflicts harm patients. https://t.co/0eo2F4Gxyt

[Antonio Ciaccia @A_Ciaccia]

Wow

[Rick Chelko @RickChelko]

@MattieRheumMD @A_Ciaccia And some do!

[Rick Chelko @RickChelko]

@MattieRheumMD @A_Ciaccia Yes! And who needs a bigger discount or rebate on a drug that doesn’t help people much more than a placebo.

[Adam J. Fein @DrugChannels]

Good observation on vertical integration by @B_Madden4: @UnitedHealthGrp $UNH has shifted from #insurer United Healthcare @UHC (regulated profits) to services via @Optum (unregulated profits)

An unintended consequence of MLR in ACA?

https://t.co/K9DqiYkCly

[Rick Chelko @RickChelko]

@DavidBalatHC @A_Ciaccia @DavidBalat - maybe you can educate me.

[Rick Chelko @RickChelko]

Here is an article I wrote last month regarding drug manufacturers, PBMs and rebates. These rebates, or commissions, DO NOT serve the best interest of health plan members.

Likewise, Dr. Marty Makary points out in his book, Unacco…https://t.co/6HvcQ2eajD https://t.co/CPyiQcl5M3

[Rick Chelko @RickChelko]

GLP-1 weight loss drugs are clearly the rage right now. Drug plan use this year is up dramatically, even if employers don't cover drugs for weight loss (and only cover them for diabetes). I love (not really) one of the key findings…https://t.co/F07D9TaHi9 https://t.co/JCwPkKhXYL

[Rick Chelko @RickChelko]

So glad to see STAT News expose the hidden money and conflicts of interest between major consulting firms and PBMs. It is not new info for many industry insiders, but hopefully this call-out by STAT will get the attention of plan s…https://t.co/Zs7Jx5Cf5x https://t.co/XRVO0Updi2

[Rick Chelko @RickChelko]

A great commentary from @owentripp on GLP-1s (new weight-loss drugs). The article is SO worth the read! I could refer to many of his great comments and questions, but let me leave you with this one as a starter: "even if it were fr…https://t.co/akySQ2wr5u https://t.co/llAY9Xzwk3