Journalists Sum Up the Costs to Patients of New Weight Loss Drugs and Hospital Mergers

KFF Health News correspondent Rachana Pradhan discussed a lobbying effort to get Medicare to cover a new class of weight loss drugs on NPR’s “Morning Edition” on Aug. 10.

KFF Health News senior contributing editor Elisabeth Rosenthal discussed how hospital mergers are leading to higher medical bills for patients on WNYC’s “The Brian Lehrer Show” on July 31.

KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about KFF.

<h1>Journalists Sum Up the Costs to Patients of New Weight Loss Drugs and Hospital Mergers</h1>
<div>		<time class="posted-on" datetime="2023-08-12T05:00:00-04:00">
			August 12, 2023		</time>
		</div>
<p>KFF Health News correspondent Rachana Pradhan discussed a lobbying effort to get Medicare to cover a new class of weight loss drugs on NPR’s “Morning Edition” on Aug. 10. </p><ul><li><a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/08/10/1193106908/ozempic-wegovy-maker-lobbies-congress-to-get-medicare-to-cover-its-weight-loss-d">Click here to hear Pradhan on “Morning Edition”</a></li><li>Read Pradhan’s <a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/seeking-medicare-coverage-for-weight-loss-drugs-pharma-giant-courts-black-influencers/">“Seeking Medicare Coverage for Weight Loss Drugs, Pharma Giant Courts Black Influencers”</a></li></ul><p>KFF Health News senior contributing editor Elisabeth Rosenthal discussed how hospital mergers are leading to higher medical bills for patients on WNYC’s “The Brian Lehrer Show” on July 31. </p><ul><li><a href="https://www.wnyc.org/story/healthcare-mergers-and-your-medical-bills/">Click here to hear Rosenthal on “The Brian Lehrer Show”</a></li><li>Read Rosenthal’s <a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/hospital-mergers-exorbitant-medical-bills-ballad-health/">“Your Exorbitant Medical Bill, Brought to You by the Latest Hospital Merger”</a></li></ul><ul><li><a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/journalists-sum-up-the-costs-to-patients-of-new-weight-loss-drugs-and-hospital-mergers/?share=x">X</a></li><li><a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/journalists-sum-up-the-costs-to-patients-of-new-weight-loss-drugs-and-hospital-mergers/?share=facebook">Facebook</a></li><li><a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/journalists-sum-up-the-costs-to-patients-of-new-weight-loss-drugs-and-hospital-mergers/?share=linkedin">LinkedIn</a></li><li><a href="mailto:?subject=%5BShared%20Post%5D%20Journalists%20Sum%20Up%20the%20Costs%20to%20Patients%20of%20New%20Weight%20Loss%20Drugs%20and%20Hospital%20Mergers&body=https%3A%2F%2Fkffhealthnews.org%2FMTY1ODgwOQ&share=email">Email</a></li><li><a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/journalists-sum-up-the-costs-to-patients-of-new-weight-loss-drugs-and-hospital-mergers/#print">Print</a></li></ul><em><a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/about-us">KFF Health News</a> is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about <a href="https://www.kff.org/about-us">KFF</a>.</em><p><a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/morning-briefing/">Subscribe</a> to KFF Health News' free Morning Briefing.</p><p>This <a target="_blank" href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/journalists-sum-up-the-costs-to-patients-of-new-weight-loss-drugs-and-hospital-mergers/">article</a> first appeared on <a target="_blank" href="https://kffhealthnews.org">KFF Health News</a> and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.<img src="https://kffhealthnews.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/kffhealthnews-icon.png?w=150" style="width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;"><img id="republication-tracker-tool-source" src="https://kffhealthnews.org/?republication-pixel=true&post=1732133&amp;ga4=G-J74WWTKFM0" style="width:1px;height:1px;"></p>

Some elements may be removed from this article due to republishing restrictions. If you have questions about available photos or other content, please contact NewsWeb@kff.org.

More From KFF Health News