Latest KFF Health News Stories
Drug Puts A $750,000 ‘Price Tag On Life’
The high cost of Spinraza, a new and promising treatment for spinal muscular atrophy, highlights how the cost-benefit analysis insurers use to make drug coverage decisions plays out in human terms.
Whichever Way ‘Repeal And Replace’ Blows, Pharma Is Due For Windfall
A little-noticed provision in President Donald Trump’s executive order on drug prices may offer a clue to why Big Pharma hasn’t opposed a bill that could bleed their balance sheets of millions of patients.
Amount Of Opioids Prescribed In U.S. Has Been Falling Since 2010
Report by CDC researchers finds a steady fall in opioid use in recent years, but the rates are still three times higher than in 1999.
Alerta por nueva droga: es para neuropatías, pero la usan adictos a opioides
La gabapentina se utiliza para tratar afecciones de los nervios, pero la están usando cada vez más adictos a opioides. Es la quinta droga más recetada del país.
New On The Streets: Drug For Nerve Pain Boosts High For Opioid Abusers
Gabapentin, prescribed for epilepsy and nerve damage, is touted by federal health officials as an alternative to opioids for patients. But some are now abusing the drug.
Patients With Mental Disorders Get Half Of All Opioid Prescriptions
A study finds that nearly 19 percent of people with mental illnesses use prescription drugs, while only 5 percent of other people do.
Promises Made To Protect Preexisting Conditions Prove Hollow
Experts say the loopholes would allow states to bypass some protections for people with preexisting conditions.
Huecos en las promesas de proteger la cobertura de condiciones preexistentes
Expertos en políticas de salud que han analizado el texto del proyecto de salud del Senado, aseguran que la legislación no siempre garantizaría la atención de personas con condiciones preexistentes.
Exclusive: White House Task Force Echoes Pharma Proposals
Documents examined by Kaiser Health News shed light on the workings of the Trump administration’s “Drug Pricing and Innovation Working Group.”
Former Pharma Reps’ New Mission: To School Docs On High Drug Costs
One insurer is turning the tables on drugmakers with what may be a new job category: a sales force for cost-effective medicine.
Daylight On Diabetes Drugs: Nevada Bill Would Track Insulin Makers’ Profits
With the cost of medications up 300 percent in the past decade, supporters see this as a first step to rein in prices.
When An Insurer Balks And Treatment Stops
A 22-year old man from Orange County, Calif., alleges in a lawsuit that his health insurer stopped paying for a crucial — and expensive — immunotherapy drug, leading him to become seriously ill. Treatments for patients with similar conditions are increasingly denied or interrupted, experts and patient advocates say.
Drug Rebates Reward Industry Players — And Often Hurt Patients
A new JAMA study examines how drug rebates can direct money to middlemen and force Medicare patients to cough up more money.
New York State Wants Its Prescription Drug Money Back — Or Else
A new law gives Medicaid regulators power to threaten drugmakers with cost-effectiveness scrutiny unless they grant additional rebates.
Populares antiácidos, ¿podrían causar daño a los riñones?
Una nueva investigación ha vinculado a los PPI, con graves efectos secundarios, incluyendo enfermedad renal crónica, y demandas presentadas recientemente alegan que los que producen la droga deberían haber sabido sobre sus daños potenciales.
Do Best-Selling Drugs That Calm Stomachs Damage Kidneys? The Answer’s Unclear.
With flawed systems for tracking the side effects of prescription drugs, a link between proton pump inhibitors and kidney disease suggested by research cannot be proven. Patients who swear by the drugs hope it won’t be.
Overwrought Marketing? Ads, Not Research, Create Some Pharma Best-Sellers
A look at how and why strategic, star-studded advertising brought a drug for a little-known neurological condition into your home.
Nearly 1 In 3 Recent FDA Drug Approvals Followed By Major Safety Actions
More than 70 drugs approved from 2001 through 2010 ran into safety concerns later that resulted in withdrawals from the market, “black box” warnings or other actions.
Cómo aliviar el dolor financiero de los planes de salud con deducibles altos
Pase lo que pase con el Obamacare, es bastante seguro que una tendencia en la atención de salud continuará: cada vez más personas tendrán planes de salud con deducibles altos. Cómo enfrentarlos.
How To Ease The Financial Pain Of High-Deductible Health Plans
You might save money on premiums with a high-deductible health plan only to find you’re spending more on the back end. These tips will help you minimize your expenses for medical treatment and prescriptions.
