Pharma and Tech: Jan. 9, 2025
Who Gets Obesity Drugs Covered by Insurance? In North Carolina, It Helps If You’re on Medicaid
By Melba Newsome
GLP-1 agonist medications such as Ozempic accounted for 10% of the North Carolina state employee health plan’s prescription drug spending, so the state is no longer covering them for weight loss alone. Still, it did decide to cover them for Medicaid patients’ weight loss. A look inside the state’s coverage calculus.
How a Duty To Spend Wisely on Worker Benefits Could Loosen PBMs’ Grip on Drug Prices
By Arthur Allen
As criticism of pharmacy benefit managers heats up, fear of lawsuits is driving some big employers to drop the “Big Three” PBMs — or force them to change.
Stimulant Users Are Caught in Fatal ‘Fourth Wave’ of Opioid Epidemic
By Lynn Arditi, The Public’s Radio
The migration of fentanyl into illicit stimulants such as cocaine is especially dangerous for people who are not regular opioid users. That’s because they have a low tolerance for opioids, putting them at greater risk of an overdose. They also often don’t take precautions — such as not using alone and carrying the opioid reversal medication naloxone — so they’re unprepared if they overdose.
Syringe Exchange Fears Hobble Fight Against West Virginia HIV Outbreak
By Taylor Sisk
Health workers and researchers say an HIV outbreak in West Virginia that three years ago was called “the most concerning” in the U.S. continues to spread after state and local officials restricted syringe service programs.
How Are States Spending Opioid Settlement Cash? We Built a Database of Answers
By Aneri Pattani and Lydia Zuraw
From addiction treatment to toy robot ambulances, we uncovered how billions in opioid settlement funds were used by state and local governments in 2022 and 2023. Find out where the money went.
Toxic ‘Forever Chemicals’ Taint Rural California Drinking Water, Far From Known Sources
By Hannah Norman
Researchers found toxic “forever chemicals” in drinking water wells dotting California’s rural farming regions, far from known contamination sources. The discovery complicates the state’s drinking water problem, which disproportionately affects farmworkers and communities of color.
Trash Incinerators Disproportionately Harm Black and Hispanic People
By Daniel Chang
Across the country, trash incinerators disproportionately overburden majority-Black and -Hispanic communities. Though the number of incinerators has declined nationwide since the 1980s, Florida offers financial incentives to waste management companies that expand existing facilities or build new ones.
Readers Offer ‘Solo Agers’ Support and Reflect on Ancestors
KFF Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
¿Podrían los nuevos medicamentos para bajar de peso estar disponibles para todos?
By Melba Newsome
Los medicamentos agonistas GLP-1, conocidos por los nombres comerciales Ozempic, Trulicity y Wegovy, han demostrado ser efectivos para la pérdida de peso y para el manejo de la diabetes tipo 2.