Latest news with #Sanders'
Axios
14 hours ago
- Business
- Axios
PBMs fight back against state restrictions
Drug price middlemen are going to court to fight a first-in-the-nation effort to police their ownership of retail pharmacies as more state legislatures and Congress crank up scrutiny of their influence on the cost of medicines. Why it matters: Large pharmacy benefit managers like CVS Caremark, Express Scripts and Optum Rx are increasingly being blamed for higher drug prices and the outsize role they play in the pharmaceutical supply chain. But major changes could be slow to materialize because of the complex system and the pivotal role the middlemen play negotiating drug purchases for commercial health plans and employers. State of play: CVS Health and Cigna, which owns Express Scripts, filed lawsuits last week seeking to stop Arkansas from enforcing a new law that largely prohibits them from owning retail pharmacies in the state. Both lawsuits argue that the Arkansas policy violates the Constitution's Dormant Commerce Clause. CVS Health argues that the law improperly leverages the state's licensing power. CVS Health says it will have to close 23 pharmacies in Arkansas under the law, which is effective Jan. 1, 2026. Cigna, which owns mail-order pharmacies operating in the state, says the law will harm the 50,000 Arkansas residents it serves. But the ramifications are nationwide, with many other states weighing new restrictions, including prohibitions on steering business to affiliated pharmacies. Texas and New York have introduced bills similar to Arkansas'. Other states are also getting aggressive: Alabama in March passed a law requiring PBMs to reimburse independent pharmacies at rates at least as high as Medicaid. The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, a PBM trade group, says such laws would hurt seniors and veterans using prescription drug home delivery and patients with complex medical conditions who rely on specialty pharmacies for their treatments. The other side: The PBMs are only fighting Arkansas in the courts because they're worried other states will follow the lead of Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) in trying to secure patient access and affordable prescriptions, Sanders' spokesman Sam Dubke wrote in an email. Between the lines: PBMs play a pivotal role in the drug supply chain and have benefited from consolidation and vertical integration, allowing some companies to steer business to affiliated pharmacies or push contracts on independent pharmacies. The Federal Trade Commission during the Biden administration blamed CVS Caremark, Express Scripts and OptumRx for hiking the cost of drugs, including overcharging patients for cancer treatments. The Trump administration, which has said it wants to "cut out" drug middlemen," halted an FTC lawsuit against the companies in April. Flashback: This isn't the first time PBMs have clashed with Arkansas in the courts. And the U.S. Supreme Court in 2020 unanimously ruled in the state's favor, deciding in favor of a law that forced PBMs to reimburse pharmacies at least what they pay in drug acquisition costs. The PCMA had brought the lawsuit, arguing that the policy preempted federal laws governing private health plans. Every state has passed some kind of legislation to regulate PBMs, per the National Academy for State Health Policy. What to watch: The massive Republican budget bill moving through Congress also includes narrow PBM changes, including moving to flat-fee payment for services in Medicare Part D and prohibiting PBMs from charging Medicaid managed care insurers more for a drug than the price they pay a pharmacy for dispensing it. Reality check: PBMs are adept at shifting their business models to keep up with the changing health care landscape, and likely won't see that much impact to their operations if legislative proposals moving through Congress pass, financial services firm TD Cowen wrote in a report released Monday.
Winnipeg Free Press
2 days ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
4-time defending Women's CWS champ Oklahoma beats Oregon 4-1 to reach semifinals, eliminate Ducks
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Cydney Sanders hit two home runs and four-time defending national champion Oklahoma beat Oregon 4-1 on Sunday night to reach the Women's College World Series semifinals and eliminate the Ducks. Sanders' two-run homer in the third put the Sooners up 3-1, and her solo shot in the fifth made it 4-1. Isabela Emerling hit a solo home run for the Sooners (52-8). Dezianna Patmon's homer provided the only run for Oregon. Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso got the win against Oregon coach Melyssa Lombardi, a longtime assistant for her with the Sooners. Oklahoma will play Texas Tech in the semifinals on Monday for the right to play in the best-of-three championship series. The Sooners will need to beat the Red Raiders and star pitcher NiJaree Canady twice to advance in the double-elimination format, while the Red Raiders will need just one win to play for the national title for the first time. Oklahoma's Sam Landry earned the win on Sunday in 4 1/3 innings of scoreless relief. She allowed two hits, struck out six and walked one. Ella Parker and Kasidi Pickering each had two hits for the Sooners. Oregon (54-10) won the Big Ten regular-season championship in its first year in the league.
Fox Sports
2 days ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
4-time defending Women's CWS champ Oklahoma beats Oregon 4-1 to reach semifinals, eliminate Ducks
Associated Press OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Cydney Sanders hit two home runs and four-time defending national champion Oklahoma beat Oregon 4-1 on Sunday night to reach the Women's College World Series semifinals and eliminate the Ducks. Sanders' two-run homer in the third put the Sooners up 3-1, and her solo shot in the fifth made it 4-1. Isabela Emerling hit a solo home run for the Sooners (52-8). Dezianna Patmon's homer provided the only run for Oregon. Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso got the win against Oregon coach Melyssa Lombardi, a longtime assistant for her with the Sooners. Oklahoma will play Texas Tech in the semifinals on Monday for the right to play in the best-of-three championship series. The Sooners will need to beat the Red Raiders and star pitcher NiJaree Canady twice to advance in the double-elimination format, while the Red Raiders will need just one win to play for the national title for the first time. Oklahoma's Sam Landry earned the win on Sunday in 4 1/3 innings of scoreless relief. She allowed two hits, struck out six and walked one. Ella Parker and Kasidi Pickering each had two hits for the Sooners. Oregon (54-10) won the Big Ten regular-season championship in its first year in the league. recommended in this topic
New York Post
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Deion Sanders' over-the-top former Texas mansion is now abandoned — and on the market for $5.5M
This property is ready for a comeback play. The Texas estate custom-built by NFL Hall of Famer Deion 'Prime Time' Sanders is back on the market — this time listed for $5.5 million, and in need of a serious revival. Constructed in 1999 at the height of Sanders' playing career, the nearly 30,000-square-foot mansion was designed to match his larger-than-life persona. Advertisement 23 A sprawling Texas mansion custom-built by NFL legend Deion Sanders has hit the market for $5.5 million. Home Flex Media / SWNS 23 The mansion was custom-built by Sanders in 1999. Home Flex Media / SWNS 23 The grand foyer with double spiral staircases. Home Flex Media / SWNS Advertisement 23 The mansion was initially built on a 112-acre estate in Prosper, north of Dallas. Home Flex Media / SWNS 23 The home sits on a remaining 6-acre parcel after much of the original land was redeveloped into a residential community. Home Flex Media / SWNS Set on what was once a 112-acre spread in the town of Prosper, roughly an hour north of Dallas, the home reflected Sanders' flair with towering ceilings, gleaming marble floors, and amenities that include a home theater, an indoor training field, a bowling alley and a basketball court. The residence also features nine bedrooms, 11 bathrooms and sweeping floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook the 6 remaining acres of the original estate. Advertisement Appearing a bit outdated, from the 1990s, the residence is outfitted with bright colors including red paint and velvet floors, and paneling throughout. 23 The mansion occupies roughly 30,000 square feet. Home Flex Media / SWNS 23 The home features a grand double staircase and floor-to-ceiling windows. Home Flex Media / SWNS 23 A home theater. Home Flex Media / SWNS Advertisement 23 An entertainment room. Home Flex Media / SWNS 23 A sauna. Home Flex Media / SWNS 23 The property is appraised at $7 million, suggesting potential equity for the next buyer. Home Flex Media / SWNS Outdoors, the property includes a resort-style pool, an 8-acre pond and a 14-car garage. Though Sanders sold the property in 2014 — before the bulk of the land was parceled off and redeveloped into a subdivision called 'The Montclair' — his mansion remained untouched. It has sat vacant for over a decade. The home last changed hands in 2021 when a Frisco-based LLC purchased it at auction, reportedly intending to restore it for the owner's wife. Those plans never came to fruition. 23 A study. Home Flex Media / SWNS Advertisement 23 Amenities include a bowling alley, an indoor training pitch, a 14-car garage and a resort-style pool. Home Flex Media / SWNS 23 An indoor basketball court. Home Flex Media / SWNS 23 The home is made up of nine bedrooms. Home Flex Media / SWNS 23 An ensuite bathroom. Home Flex Media / SWNS Advertisement 23 A second bedroom. Home Flex Media / SWNS It hasn't been lived in since Deion owned it, Heather Stevens of The Agency Frisco, who is handling the new listing, told Mansion Global. The property was once listed for $12.8 million in 2016, but after multiple price cuts — including a drop to $7.5 million in 2019 — it ultimately sold at a significant discount. Advertisement Now appraised at around $7 million, the current asking price offers what Stevens described as '$1.5 million in built-in equity.' The re-listing comes as Sanders, now head football coach at the University of Colorado, is back in the spotlight amid coverage of his son Shedeur Sanders's unexpected tumble to the fifth round in this year's NFL Draft. 23 One of 11 bathrooms. Home Flex Media / SWNS 23 A third bedroom. Home Flex Media / SWNS Advertisement 23 A fourth bedroom. Home Flex Media / SWNS 23 A fifth bedroom. Home Flex Media / SWNS 23 The current owner, who purchased the home at auction in 2021, initially planned to restore it for his wife but has since abandoned the project. Home Flex Media / SWNS 23 A walk-in closet. Home Flex Media / SWNS Sanders himself won two Super Bowl titles in 1995 and 1996, first with the San Francisco 49ers and then the with the Dallas Cowboys. He also made one World Series appearance in 1992, making him the only athlete to play in a Super Bowl and World Series.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
See Deion Sanders' biggest growth with 'Prime Effect' in Boulder
In just two seasons, Deion Sanders has completely reshaped the landscape of college football. When he arrived in Boulder, the Buffaloes were a forgotten program. Now, Coach Prime has turned CU into a media magnet. A recent graphic showcasing Sanders' first year illustrates his monumental impact from explosive social media growth. This all blends into a staggering $343 million surge in media revenue for part of Sanders' first year. The numbers tell a compelling story about how the program has transformed over the first two years. Colorado's matchup with Oregon in 2023 drew over 10 million viewers, making it the most-watched game through the first 11 weeks of the season. Overall, the Buffs appeared in five of the top 13 most-watched games since Prime arrived on campus, topping powerhouses like Alabama, Ohio State, and LSU. Advertisement But the 'Prime Effect' goes beyond ratings. His presence has brought celebrities to the sidelines and energized a fanbase. He's changing the perception of college football by his way of recruiting as well. Sanders' success is both a football and business revolution. With NIL deals now central to bringing in players, they'll be 'paid good if they play good,' Sanders has said numerous times. His impact earned him a five-year, $54 million contract extension through 2029, making him the highest-paid coach in the Big 12. Related: Deion Sanders drops cryptic message to Travis Hunter as wedding nears Colorado averaged over 53,000 fans in 2023, the highest in school history. Twenty-two of their last 24 games were broadcast on major networks or ESPN's flagship channel. The high-profile recruits who have committed to Boulder are staying to be coached by the best. Advertisement Related: ESPN Analyst Sends Blunt Message to Kevin Stefanski Regarding Shedeur Sanders' Future 'Coach Prime has revolutionized college football and in doing so, has restored CU football to our rightful place as a national power,' said Colorado AD Rick George. After a 9–4 record last year with an Alamo Bowl appearance, Sanders will try to take the program another step forward. He isn't just coaching football, but changing the perception of the game.
