Latest KFF Health News Stories
Liquid Gold: Pain Doctors Soak Up Profits By Screening Urine For Drugs
With the nation’s opioid crisis, urine testing has become a booming business and is especially lucrative for doctors who operate their own labs, a Kaiser Health News investigation finds. And dozens of practitioners have earned “the lion’s share” of their Medicare income exclusively from urine drug screens.
Health Companies Race To Catch UnitedHealth As Amazon Laces Up
UnitedHealth, a health industry goliath, has its hand in doctors’ offices, surgery centers, technology services and prescription drugs. It is the industry model, and CVS and Aetna, says one expert, are ‘wannabes.’
Timeline: Insulin Market Under Scrutiny
A flurry of federal and state probes have targeted insulin manufacturers and pharmacy benefit managers — middlemen in the prescription drug-pricing pipeline. Here, we connect the legal dots.
Flurry Of Federal And State Probes Target Insulin Drugmakers And Pharma Middlemen
Over the past two years, a powerful federal prosecutor and several state attorneys general have launched investigations related to diabetes drugs.
New Law Challenges ‘Evils’ Of Pharma Profits, California Governor Claims
Gov. Jerry Brown signed the measure, which takes effect next year and will require drug companies to publicly justify big price increases.
Eyes Fixed On California As Governor Ponders Inking Drug Price Transparency Bill
“If it gets signed by this governor, it’s going to send shock waves throughout the country,” one legislator says. Pharma has spent $16.8 million lobbying against this bill and other drug laws in California.
Do Pharma’s Claims On Drug Prices Pass The Smell Test? We Found 5 Stinkers.
Drug companies are in the midst of a glossy publicity campaign to stop attempts to control rising pharma costs. But the devil is in the details.
Pocos se benefician con las nuevas drogas anti colesterol por el gran gasto de bolsillo
Una nueva generación de drogas podría ayudar a millones a bajar los niveles de colesterol malo. Pero el proceso para lograr una receta y el alto costo para el paciente están limitando su uso.
Absent Federal Action, States Take The Lead On Curbing Drug Costs
Congress has yet to take substantive action on this growing consumer concern, but a number of states are flexing their cost-control muscle.
Out-Of-Pocket Costs Often Keep Pricey New Cholesterol Drugs Out Of Reach, Study Finds
Research published this week by JAMA Cardiology analyzed pharmacy claims data related to a new class of cholesterol-lowering drugs.
Everyone Says We Must Control Exorbitant Drug Prices. So, Why Don’t We?
Any momentum to address prescription drug costs has been lost amid rancorous debates over replacing Obamacare and stalled by roadblocks erected via lobbying and industry cash.
High On Drugs? Anthem Cites Soaring Drug Costs To Justify 35% Rate Hike in California
The company’s drug spending prediction, far above other insurers in the individual market, has experts scratching their heads. Anthem cites market volatility.
FDA Moves To Guard Against Abuse Of ‘Orphan Drug’ Program
Following a KHN investigation, the Food and Drug Administration has moved to speed up approvals of “orphan drugs” while closing a loophole that allowed drugmakers to skip pediatric testing.
Facebook Live: The Prescription Drug Pricing Pipeline
In this Facebook Live, KHN’s Julie Appleby talks with Stephanie Stapleton and answers readers’ questions about the prescription drug pricing pipeline and the industry stakeholders who have a role in what you pay.
Dying At Home In An Opioid Crisis: Hospices Grapple With Stolen Meds
As more patients receive hospice care at home, some of the powerful, addictive drugs they’re prescribed are ending up in the wrong hands.
Podcast: ‘What The Health?’ Why Is It So Difficult To Control Drug Prices?
In this episode of “What the Health?” Mary Agnes Carey of Kaiser Health News, Sarah Karlin-Smith of Politico, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times and Julie Appleby of Kaiser Health News discuss the recent extension of cost-sharing subsidies for millions of low-income beneficiaries on the Affordable Care Act’s marketplaces and the state of play on Capitol Hill and in the states concerning initiatives to lower prescription drug costs.
Taking A U-Turn On Benefits, Big Employers Vow To Continue Offering Health Insurance
Three years ago, only about a quarter of the nation’s large employers were very confident they would have a health plan in 10 years. That number has now risen to 65 percent.
Florida Law Will Let Patients Get All Their Drug Renewals At The Same Time
The new law will help people with chronic conditions that require multiple prescriptions cut down on their shuttles to the drug store and could improve adherence to their drugs.
Denial, Appeal, Approval … An Adult’s Thorny Path To Spinraza Coverage
The FDA granted approval for Spinraza in late December for use on children and adults with spinal muscular atrophy. Insurance coverage is mostly focused on infants and children.
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.
