Pharma and Tech: March 21, 2024

Watch: Many Americans Are Unaware of HIV Prevention Medication
By Céline Gounder Some Americans mistakenly believe medication to prevent HIV transmission through sex is just for certain groups such as gay men, but anyone who’s at risk for contracting HIV through sex could benefit.

When Copay Assistance Backfires on Patients
By Julie Appleby Drugmakers offer copay assistance programs to patients, but insurers are tapping into those funds, not counting the amounts toward patient deductibles. That leads to unexpected charges. But the practice is under growing scrutiny.

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Maybe It’s a Health Care Election After All
Health care wasn’t expected to be a major theme for this year’s elections. But as President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump secured their respective party nominations this week, the future of both Medicare and the Affordable Care Act appears to be up for debate. Meanwhile, the cyberattack of the UnitedHealth Group subsidiary Change Healthcare continues to do damage to the companies’ finances with no quick end in sight. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, and Joanne Kenen of Johns Hopkins University and Politico Magazine join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Kelly Henning of Bloomberg Philanthropies about a new, four-part documentary series on the history of public health, “The Invisible Shield.” Plus, for “extra credit” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week that they think you should read, too.

A New $16,000 Postpartum Depression Drug Is Here. How Will Insurers Handle It?
By April Dembosky, KQED A pill form of an effective drug for postpartum depression hit the market in December, but most insurers do not yet have a policy on when or whether they will pay for it. The hurdles to obtain its predecessor medication have advocates worried.

Why Covid Patients Who Could Most Benefit From Paxlovid Still Aren’t Getting It
By Arthur Allen Price worries, bureaucratic obstacles, and “I’m-over-covid-itis” slow uptake of a drug that’s complicated to take but often effective.

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': The State of the Union Is … Busy
At last, Congress is getting half of its annual spending bills across the finish line, albeit five months after the start of the fiscal year. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden delivers his annual State of the Union address, an over-the-counter birth control pill is (finally) available, and controversy erupts over new public health guidelines for covid-19 isolation. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Neera Tanden, the White House domestic policy adviser, about Biden’s health agenda. Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week that they think you should read, too.

How a Friend’s Death Turned Colorado Teens Into Anti-Overdose Activists
By Rae Ellen Bichell High school students in Colorado are pushing for a change they say is necessary to combat fentanyl poisoning: ensuring students can't get in trouble for carrying the overdose reversal drug naloxone wherever they go, including at school.

An Arm and a Leg: Wait, Is Insulin Cheaper Now?
By Dan Weissmann Did the price of insulin go down? It’s not quite that simple. On this episode of “An Arm and a Leg,” producer Emily Pisacreta explores recent changes to the cost of the diabetes medication.

Needle Pain Is a Big Problem for Kids. One California Doctor Has a Plan.
By April Dembosky, KQED The pain and trauma from repeated needle sticks leads some kids to hold on to needle phobia into adulthood. Research shows the biggest source of pain for children in the health care system is needles. But one doctor thinks he has a solution and is putting it into practice at two children’s hospitals in Northern California.

Why Even Public Health Experts Have Limited Insight Into Stopping Gun Violence in America
By Christine Spolar Illustration by Oona Zenda After the 1996 Dickey Amendment halted federal spending on research into firearms risks, a small group of academics pressed on, with little money or political support, to document the nation’s growing gun violence problem and start to understand what can be done to curb the public health crisis.

Statistical Models vs. Front-Line Workers: Who Knows Best How to Spend Opioid Settlement Cash?
By Aneri Pattani A mathematical model designed to direct spending of opioid settlement funds is at the center of a debate over whether to invest in technology to guide long-term decisions or focus on the immediate needs of people in addiction.

Biden Is Right. The US Generally Pays Double That of Other Countries for Rx Drugs.
By Samantha Putterman, PolitiFact Research has consistently found that, overall, U.S. prescription drug prices are significantly higher, sometimes two to four times as high, compared with prices in other high-income industrialized countries. However, some market factors can obscure actual prices, making comparisons harder.

When It Comes to Ketamine, Meta’s Posting Policy Is No Party to Decipher
By Darius Tahir Despite growing awareness that the party drug is dangerous, the social media company is open to promotion of the drug in treating mental health.

How the Anti-Vaccine Movement Pits Parental Rights Against Public Health
By Amy Maxmen Framed in the rhetoric of choice, Tennessee’s new law governing childhood vaccinations is among more than a dozen recently passed or pending nationwide that set parental freedom against community and children’s health.

West Virginia City Once Battered by Opioid Overdoses Confronts ‘Fourth Wave’
By Taylor Sisk Years of struggle prepared residents in Cabell County, West Virginia, to confront the latest wave of the opioid epidemic as mixtures of fentanyl and other drugs claim lives nationwide.

Journalists Examine Medicaid Unwinding, Farmworkers’ Mental Health, and the Big Opioid Payback
KFF Health News and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.

Ya hay una droga oral para la depresión postparto… pero cuesta $16,000
By April Dembosky, KQED Abogados, defensores y reguladores están observando de cerca cómo las aseguradoras diseñarán las normas para cubrirlo.

Cómo la muerte de un amigo hizo que adolescentes de Colorado se volvieran activistas contra las sobredosis
By Rae Ellen Bichell Los amigos de un joven muerto por envenenamiento por fentanilo impulsan una ley estatal para que estudiantes de secundaria puedan llevar Narcan en sus mochilas sin riesgo de ser castigados.