| Course | HCD 330 Health Care Systems in the U.S. |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 1 |
| Paper type | News analysis discussion post |
| Length | About 439 words |
| Format | Discussion post with APA 7 citations |
| School | Arizona State University |
| Program | BS in Health Care Administration and Policy |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for HCD 330 Module 1
News Update: Medicare Negotiates Its First Drug Prices
Ten Drugs and a New Kind of Bargaining: A News Update on Medicare's First Negotiated Drug Prices
Initial Post
The News
In August 2024, the federal government announced the first prices Medicare had negotiated directly with drug manufacturers, covering ten widely used drugs for conditions such as diabetes, heart failure, blood clots and autoimmune disease. The prices take effect for Medicare Part D in 2026. This is the first time Medicare has been allowed to negotiate prices for drugs it pays for.
What Made It Possible
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 gave Medicare authority to negotiate prices for a small set of drugs that cost Medicare the most and have faced no generic or biosimilar rival for years, with more drugs added in later years (Inflation Reduction Act of 2022). The same law capped annual out-of-pocket spending for Part D enrollees and penalized manufacturers whose prices rise faster than inflation (Hwang et al., 2022).
Perspectives That Intersect
Beneficiaries: Older adults taking these drugs, many on fixed incomes, are likely to pay less, especially those who reach high out-of-pocket costs.
Manufacturers: Drug companies argue that lower prices reduce the revenue that funds research on new drugs and have challenged the program in court.
Insurers and Part D plans: Plans must adjust premiums and formularies as the cost of covered drugs and their own liability under the new cap change.
Taxpayers and the federal budget: Lower prices reduce Medicare spending, which matters for the program's long-term finances.
These perspectives collide over a single trade-off the course keeps returning to: access and affordability today against incentives for innovation tomorrow.
Link to Module Content
Our module on health care financing described the United States as unusual among high-income countries in letting most drug prices be set by manufacturers rather than negotiated by a public payer. This policy moves Medicare a small step toward the approach other systems use, while keeping private Part D plans in the middle. It also connects to the module on access, since cost-related nonadherence, skipping doses because of price, is a known barrier for older adults, and research on coverage shows that lowering what patients pay improves access to needed care (Sommers et al., 2017).
What Remains Uncertain
The number of drugs is small at first, and the effect on overall spending depends on how many drugs are added each year. Researchers will also watch whether manufacturers raise launch prices for new drugs to offset negotiated discounts.
Question for the Group
Do you think the collective good is better served by lower prices now or by protecting incentives for future drug development? What evidence would change your mind?
References
Hwang, T. J., Kesselheim, A. S., & Rome, B. N. (2022). New reforms to prescription drug pricing in the US. JAMA, 328(11), 1041-1042. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2022.15268
Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, Pub. L. No. 117-169, 136 Stat. 1818 (2022).
Sommers, B. D., Gawande, A. A., & Baicker, K. (2017). Health insurance coverage and health: What the recent evidence tells us. New England Journal of Medicine, 377(6), 586-593. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMsb1706645
Reading the HCD 330 Module 1 assignment instructions
The News Update is HCD 330's single largest discussion item, worth 40 points, followed by three graded responses at 10 points each. The syllabus asks you to select a recent news article that aligns with the module topics and to analyze it, articulating how diverse health care perspectives and societal needs intersect, integrating module content and supporting your arguments with evidence. Online students post individually and group members provide feedback; hybrid students complete the work as a group and present in class. Choose a story with enough substance to analyze: a policy change, a court decision, a payment reform or a public health event works better than a single hospital's announcement. Read the module first so your analysis uses its concepts.
How this HCD 330 Module 1 example is built
Built as a structured discussion post, the sample opens with the news itself in a few sentences, then separates the event from the law behind it, citing the statute and a peer-reviewed summary. A perspectives section takes four stakeholders in turn and states what each stands to gain or lose, then names the trade-off that links them. A module section connects the story to the course's material on financing and access. A short section on uncertainty shows critical thinking about what the news does not settle, and a closing question gives classmates something to argue with, using evidence. Sources are cited in APA. Each stakeholder paragraph is short, which leaves room for the analysis that ties them together.
HCD 330 Module 1 rubric: what earns full marks
Forty points ride on the initial post, and the rubric is posted in Canvas. For HCD 330 news posts, graders tend to reward a timely, relevant story, accurate description of what happened, analysis that goes beyond summary to explain causes and consequences, attention to multiple stakeholder perspectives and the collective good, integration of module concepts and supporting evidence with citations. Posts lose credit when they summarize a news story without analysis, when they present only one perspective, when module content is missing and when claims are unsupported. The responses that follow are graded separately and reward respectful engagement with differing views. Group members' replies are graded separately, so the initial post should give them something specific to engage with.
HCD 330 Module 1 help with common mistakes
Many news posts retell the article and stop. Spend most of your words on why the event matters and for whom. Pick at least three stakeholders and say what each one wants. Tie the story to a specific idea from the module, naming it. Check facts against an official or peer-reviewed source, not only the news story. Keep opinions labeled as opinions and supported by evidence. End with a question that invites disagreement politely. If you send the desk the article you chose, it can help you plan the perspectives section. Note the date of the article and choose one published within the current term if the prompt asks for recent news.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Arizona State University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
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HCD 330 Module 1 questions, answered
Where can I find a free HCD 330 Module 1 sample paper?
This page holds a full HCD 330 sample: a News Update initial post analyzing Medicare's first negotiated drug prices, with stakeholder perspectives and module links.
What does the HCD 330 News Update require?
A recent news article tied to the module, analyzed for how different health care perspectives and societal needs meet, with module content and evidence.
How much is the HCD 330 News Update worth?
The initial post is worth 40 points, and three responses to group members add 10 points each.
What law allowed Medicare to negotiate drug prices?
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which also capped Part D out-of-pocket costs and penalized price increases above inflation.
What program is HCD 330 part of?
It is a core course in ASU's BS in Health Care Administration and Policy and appears in several other health programs.