Weekly Edition: May 25, 2018

Pfizer Settles Kickback Case Related To Copay Assistance For $24M
By Sydney Lupkin
The drugmaker agreed to a settlement with the Justice Department over allegations that it funneled copay assistance money through a foundation to Medicare patients.

Drugmakers Blamed For Blocking Generics Have Jacked Up Prices And Cost U.S. Billions
By Sydney Lupkin
The Trump administration is shaming brand-name drugmakers who refuse to sell samples so generics can be made from their products.

Middlemen Who Save $$ On Medicines — But Maybe Not For You
By Francis Ying and Julie Appleby and Stephanie Stapleton
Guess who’s back grabbing headlines? Pharmacy benefit managers — those companies that serve as middlemen in the prescription drug pipeline.

Watch: What’s In The White House Plan To Lower Drug Prices
KHN’s Sarah Jane Tribble explains the key elements of the Trump blueprint on CBS News’ "Red & Blue."

When Is Insurance Not Really Insurance? When You Need Pricey Dental Care.
By Heidi de Marco and David Tuller
Even under a decent plan, you’ll have to dig deep in your pocket for crowns, bridges and implants. The mouth isn’t covered by insurance the same way as the rest of the body, and this division has deep roots in history and tradition.

Insurer Slashes Breast Pump Payments, Stoking Fears Fewer Moms Will Breastfeed
By Samantha Young
Anthem, one of the country’s largest insurers, has cut the reimbursement rate it pays for breast pumps by nearly half, fueling concerns that new moms — especially ones with lower incomes — will not be able to afford the pumps they need.

Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ Campaign Promises Kept, Plus ‘Nerd Reports’
In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Sarah Kliff of Vox and Alice Ollstein of Talking Points Memo discuss a proposed administration regulation that seeks to separate Planned Parenthood from federal family planning funds, the final congressional passage of legislation aimed at helping those with terminal illnesses obtain experimental medications, and new government reports on the uninsured and federal health spending. Also, Rovner interviews KHN’s Liz Szabo about the May “Bill of the Month.”

California Hospitals Urge Moms To Favor Breast Milk Over Formula
By Anna Gorman
Exclusively breastfeeding babies for at least six months is widely viewed as a significant health benefit. White moms are more likely to do so than blacks, Asians or Latinas.

‘Time’s Up’: Covered California Takes Aim At Hospital C-Section Rates
By April Dembosky
Starting in less than two years, if state hospitals haven't met targets for safety and quality, they'll risk being excluded from the "in-network" designation of health plans sold on the state's insurance exchange.

Dodging Dementia: More Of Us Get At Least A Dozen Good, Happy Years After 65
By Judith Graham
With longer lives and lower rates of dementia, most seniors are enjoying more years of life with good cognition — a welcome trend.

Are You And Your Primary Care Doc Ready To Talk About Your DNA?
By Michelle Andrews
The Pennsylvania-based health chain Geisinger plans to offer DNA sequencing as part of regular patient care.