Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Perspectives: Copay Accumulator Is Harming Patients; Can Neighborhood Pharmacies Be Saved?
The Boston Globe: How To Help Prevent Patients’ Out-Of-Pocket Costs From Rising
Managing a chronic complex disease is just that, chronic and complex. Accessing medication to treat the disease should be simple. Increasingly, patients are experiencing challenges accessing medications prescribed by their physician due to a health insurer practice called “copay accumulators.” (Marissa Shackleton, 3/11)
The Boston Globe: Why Are So Many Pharmacies Closing?
The recent spate of Walgreens closures in Boston has understandably spurred a lot of discussion and concern about the future of pharmacies in the city — particularly in underserved neighborhoods. As an independent pharmacist, I believe it is clear more needs to be done to ensure the continued presence of trusted neighborhood drug stores — particularly when it comes to recent health care law changes. (Michael Wilson, 3/11)
Stat: What It’s Like To Watch Children Die Of Measles
Over the past year, I have watched many children die of measles. In the final stages, little lungs, filled with fluid and racked with inflammation, struggle for oxygen. The victims breathe faster and faster, gasping for air until, exhausted, they stop. (Paul Law, 3/12)
The Boston Globe: Flovent: How Drug Industry Incentives Are Hurting Asthma Patients
A major drug manufacturer recently replaced its popular, branded inhaler, Flovent, with a cheaper generic version. The generic is exactly the same as the more expensive Flovent. Great news for people with asthma? Think again. (Kenneth Mendez, 3/11)
