Drug Costs Archives - Page 9 of 36

A Health-Heavy State of the Union

Episode 284

Feb. 9, 2023

President Joe Biden’s 2023 State of the Union address leaned heavily on health care issues. Biden took a victory lap for recent accomplishments like capping prescription drug costs for seniors on Medicare. He also urged Congress to make permanent the boosted premium subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, and he sparred with Republicans on threats to cut Social Security and Medicare. Also this week, both sides in the abortion debate are bracing for a court decision out of Texas that could, at least temporarily, make the abortion pill mifepristone illegal nationwide. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Rachel Cohrs of Stat, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KHN chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Kate Baicker of the University of Chicago about a possible middle ground in the effort to get universal health insurance coverage.

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Centene Agrees to $215 Million Settlement With California for Alleged Medicaid Overbilling

The nation’s largest Medicaid insurer denies wrongdoing after the California attorney general’s office investigated it for inflating prescription drug costs.

By Samantha Young

Feb. 8, 2023

A photo shows President Biden speaking during the State of the Union address.

Health Policies Were a Prominent Theme in Biden’s State of the Union Speech

Our partners at PolitiFact fact-checked a range of President Joe Biden’s statements, including key health-related comments.

By KFF Health News and PolitiFact staffs

Feb. 8, 2023

A photo shows Senator Bernie Sanders speaking into a microphone in front of the U.S. Capitol.

‘We Ain’t Gonna Get It’: Why Bernie Sanders Says His ‘Medicare for All’ Dream Must Wait

As he takes the reins of the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee, the independent from Vermont and implacable champion of “Medicare for All” maps out his strategy for negotiating with Republicans — and Big Pharma.

By Arthur Allen

Feb. 8, 2023

Postcard From San Francisco

The Biggest, Buzziest Conference for Health Care Investors Convenes Amid Fears the Bubble Will Burst

This year’s JPMorgan confab, the first since covid’s chilling effect on such gatherings, was full of energy and enthusiasm. But it was also marked by questions about the future of health care investment.

By Darius Tahir

Jan. 17, 2023

California Attorney General Sues Drugmakers Over Inflated Insulin Prices

California Attorney General Rob Bonta is taking three major drugmakers and three distributors to court, alleging the companies illegally raised prices at the expense of diabetes patients.

By Angela Hart and Samantha Young

Jan. 12, 2023

KHN On Air

Journalists Recap Coverage of Gun Violence, Drug Imports, and Mental Health

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.

Dec. 23, 2022

A photo shows a pharmacist organizing a medicine drawer.

States Challenge Biden to Lower Drug Prices by Allowing Imports From Canada

Colorado has joined Florida, New Hampshire, and New Mexico in seeking federal permission to import prescription drugs from Canada. President Joe Biden endorsed the approach in his 2020 campaign but has yet to approve any state plan.

By Phil Galewitz

Dec. 14, 2022

Podcast

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Congress Races the Clock

Sen. Raphael Warnock’s re-election in Georgia will give Democrats a clear-cut Senate majority for the first time in nearly a decade. Meanwhile, the current Congress has only days left to tackle major unfinished business on the health agenda, including fending off scheduled pay cuts for doctors and other health providers in the Medicare program. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, and Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these topics and more. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too.

Dec. 8, 2022

Various pills of different colors and shapes cover a 100 dollar bill. In the center, the face of Benjamin Franklin is visible.

Employers Use Patient Assistance Programs to Offset Their Own Costs

Some insurers and employers are tapping into assistance programs meant for individual patients. The concern: Some costly drugs could be harder for patients to access.

By Julie Appleby

Dec. 6, 2022

Bill Of The Month

$38,398 for a Single Shot of a Very Old Cancer Drug

Lupron, a drug patented half a century ago, treats advanced prostate cancer. It’s sold to physicians for $260 in the U.K. and administered at no charge. Why are U.S. hospitals — which may pay nearly as little for the drug — charging so much more to administer it?

By Arthur Allen

Oct. 26, 2022

A photo shows a sign outside the FDA's headquarters.

Pharma-Funded FDA Gets Drugs Out Faster, But Some Work Only ‘Marginally’ and Most Are Pricey

Since pharmaceutical companies started funding their FDA drug applications 30 years ago, the agency’s reviews have gone much faster — perhaps too fast.

By Arthur Allen

Sept. 30, 2022

Podcast

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: On Government Spending, Congress Decides Not to Decide

Congress has once again decided not to decide how to fund the federal government in time for the start of the fiscal year, racing toward a midnight Sept. 30 deadline to pass a stopgap bill that would keep the lights on for two more months. However, it does appear the FDA’s program that gets drugmakers to help fund some of the agency’s review staff will be renewed in time to stop pink slips from being sent. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Rachel Cohrs of Stat, and Victoria Knight of Axios join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these topics and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews filmmaker Cynthia Lowen, whose new documentary, “Battleground,” explores how anti-abortion forces played the long game to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Sept. 29, 2022

A photo shows a judge's gavel resting on a surface surrounded by shadows.

Centene to Pay $166 Million to Texas in Medicaid Drug Pricing Settlement

Texas is at least the 12th state to settle with St. Louis-based Centene Corp. over allegations that it overcharged Medicaid prescription drug programs.

By Andy Miller and Samantha Young

Sept. 19, 2022

Podcasts

‘An Arm and a Leg’: The New Cap on Medicare Drug Costs

In this episode, Julie Rovner, chief Washington correspondent for KHN, guides listeners through decades of dealings between Congress and Big Pharma.

By Dan Weissmann

Sept. 12, 2022

Podcast

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Wrapping Up Summer’s Health News

President Joe Biden has signed the Inflation Reduction Act and Congress is gone until after Labor Day. But the administration and lawmakers left lots of health policy achievements behind, including new rules to facilitate the sale of over-the-counter hearing aids and a potential reorganization of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also, for extra credit, the panelists suggest their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too.

Aug. 18, 2022

A woman with wearing a black T-shirt and orange skirt is filling her car up with gas at the station. The car, to the right of the image, is black and glossy. She faces the gas pump and recoils at the price.

For Medically Vulnerable Families, Inflation’s Squeeze Is Inescapable

Inflation hasn’t hit Americans like this in decades. And families living with chronic diseases have little choice but to pay more for the medicine, supplies, and food they need to stay healthy.

By Heidi de Marco

Aug. 15, 2022

Sen. Schumer Holds News Conference Discussing The Inflation Reduction Act

Inflation Reduction Act Contains Important Cost-Saving Changes for Many Patients — Maybe for You

The legislation, which the House is expected to pass Friday, would allow the federal government, for the first time, to negotiate the price of some drugs that Medicare buys. It also would extend the enhanced subsidies for people who buy insurance on the Affordable Care Act marketplaces.

By Michael McAuliff

Aug. 12, 2022

A photo shows the exterior of the U.S. Capitol building.

Big Pharma Went All In to Kill Drug Pricing Negotiations

For more than a century, the drug industry has issued dire warnings of plunging innovation whenever regulation reared its head. In general, the threat hasn’t materialized.

By Arthur Allen

Aug. 12, 2022

A screenshot shows Julie Rovner sitting in the PBS Newshour studio.

KHN On Air

Watch: Explaining the Nitty-Gritty of Medicare Drug Price Negotiations — And Patients’ Potential Savings

KHN chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner discusses the Senate Democrats’ plans to let Medicare negotiate some drug prices, cap out-of-pocket drug costs for seniors, and fund enhanced subsides for ACA marketplace health plans.

Aug. 1, 2022

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