Weekly Edition: July 9, 2021

Drugmakers’ Spending on Stock, Dividends and Executive Pay Exceeds Research, Democrats Say
By Michael McAuliff The pharmaceutical industry argues that large profits are needed to fund extensive research and innovation. But Democrats on the House Oversight and Reform Committee, seeking to bolster their effort to let Medicare negotiate drug prices, say major drug companies plow more of their billions in earnings back into propping up their stock and enriching executives and shareholders.

Federal Speech Rulings May Embolden Health Care Workers to Call Out Safety Issues
By Harris Meyer Policies mandating company approval before talking publicly about conditions in hospitals have been a source of conflict over the past year, as physicians, nurses and other health workers have been disciplined for speaking or posting about what they view as dangerous covid-19 safety precautions. The appeals court’s decision could mean that hospitals — and other employers — will need to revise their policies.

Effort to Decipher Hospital Prices Yields Key Finding: Don’t Try It at Home
By Bernard J. Wolfson Your dutiful columnist tried to make use of a federal “transparency” rule to compare the prices of common medical procedures in two California health care systems. It was a futile exercise.

Doctors Weigh Pros and Cons of Prescribing Hot-Button Alzheimer’s Drug
By Judith Graham The potential benefits of Aduhelm are small, its effectiveness is not certain, and even the FDA Thursday shifted its guidance on who should get the drug. But physicians are dealing with an onslaught of interest from patients and their families, and figuring out which patients are best positioned to be helped by the drug will be difficult.

Delta Variant Surges in Colorado as the Bands Play On
By Rae Ellen Bichell Mesa County is a breeding ground for the covid-19 delta variant, but few would guess with tens of thousands of people flocking to the state’s largest country music festival.

Most Inmates Have Had Their Covid Shots — But Their Guards Likely Haven’t
By Amy Worden Hesitancy about the vaccines among prison staffers has led to a striking disparity: Inmates are better protected than corrections officials.

A Family Wellness Check: California Invests in Treating Parents and Children Together
By Samantha Young The state will be the first to offer comprehensive counseling services to parents during pediatric visits as part of Medicaid.

As Covid Vaccinations Slow, Parts of the US Remain Far Behind 70% Goal
By Martha Bebinger, WBUR and Blake Farmer, Nashville Public Radio Vermont and Massachusetts lead the nation, with more than 70% of adults having had at least one dose of a covid-19 vaccine. Southern states like Tennessee lag far behind.

California’s Highest Covid Infection Rates Shift to Rural Counties
By Phillip Reese As vaccination rates rise across the state, the overall numbers of covid cases and deaths have plunged. But health officials are still reporting nearly 1,000 new cases and more than two dozen deaths a day. So, where does covid continue to simmer in California? And why?

Rural Ambulance Services Are in Jeopardy as Volunteers Age and Expenses Mount
By Aaron Bolton, MTPR Experts say rural communities must find new models to keep emergency services afloat as more 911 calls go unanswered.

Paying Billions for Controversial Alzheimer’s Drug? How About Funding This Instead?
By Judith Graham Aduhelm, approved by the Food and Drug Administration last month despite questions about its efficacy, could be prescribed to at least 1 million patients a year, for a price tag of about $56 billion. Experts suggest there might be better ways to spend that money.

‘An Arm and a Leg’: Tips for Fighting Medical Bills from ProPublica’s Marshall Allen
By Dan Weissmann Veteran health journalist Marshall Allen has been exposing health care grifters for years. Now he’s written a book about how to fight them. Host Dan Weissmann spoke with Allen about some of the best tips from “Never Pay the First Bill: And Other Ways to Fight the Health Care System and Win.”

Journalists Discuss Long Covid, Delta Variant, Clinic for Migrants
KHN 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.

New Research Finds J&J Vaccine Has Muscle Against Covid’s Delta Variant
By Victoria Knight The data is reassuring to people who got this shot.