Lawmakers target fiscal cliff's provision aiding Amgen for elimination

The fiscal cliff legislation approved earlier this month excluded Amgen's Sensipar, which is used by kidney dialysis patients, from Medicare price controls for an additional two years.

Los Angeles Times: Lawmakers Seek To Repeal 'Fiscal-Cliff' Provision Aiding Amgen
A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers is seeking to repeal a Medicare-pricing provision in the recent "fiscal-cliff" deal in Congress that benefits Thousand Oaks biotech giant Amgen Inc. Legislation to eliminate the exemption for a class of drugs, including Amgen's Sensipar, that are used by kidney dialysis patients, was filed this week by U.S. Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.). The fiscal cliff legislation approved this month excluded these oral medications from Medicare price controls for an additional two years (Terhune, 1/25).

Meanwhile, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, issues list of five Medicare and Medicaid changes that he predicts would draw bipartisan support --  

The Hill: Hatch Outlines 5 Entitlement Reforms He Says Could Pass
Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) said Thursday that a package of five changes to Medicare and Medicaid should be able to gain bipartisan support in Congress, casting the proposals as a way to reform entitlements without the dramatic changes Republicans have also supported. Probably the most controversial measure in Hatch's proposals is a per-person cap on Medicaid spending (Baker, 1/24).