Drugs Archives - Page 10 of 66

The ACA Turns 14

Episode 339

March 21, 2024

Saturday marks the 14th anniversary of the still somewhat embattled Affordable Care Act. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra joins host Julie Rovner to discuss the accomplishments of the health law — and the challenges it still faces. Also this week, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Tami Luhby of CNN, and Mary Agnes Carey of KFF Health News join Rovner to discuss what should be the final funding bill for HHS for fiscal 2024, next week’s Supreme Court oral arguments in a case challenging abortion medication, and more. Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week they think you should read, too.

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KFF Health News & PolitiFact HealthCheck

Biden Said Medicare Drug Price Negotiations Cut the Deficit by $160B. That’s Years Away.

Savings estimated by the Congressional Budget Office from allowing the federal government to negotiate Medicare drug prices are based on a 10-year cumulative projection.

By Amy Sherman, PolitiFact

March 21, 2024

The Health 202

A Battle Between Drugmakers and Insurers Hits Patients in the Wallet

By Julie Appleby

March 20, 2024

A screenshot shows Céline Gounder sitting at a table on a TV news set. Text on the screen reads, "HIV prevention awareness. CDC: Only 1/3 who could benefit from "PrEP" meds are prescribed them."

Watch: Many Americans Are Unaware of HIV Prevention Medication

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.

By Céline Gounder

March 20, 2024

A close-up of a pharmacist scanning a prescription.

When Copay Assistance Backfires on Patients

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.

By Julie Appleby

March 15, 2024

What the Health? From KFF Health News

Maybe It’s a Health Care Election After All

Episode 338

March 14, 2024

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.

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A photo of a mother sitting at a table with her young son.

A New $16,000 Postpartum Depression Drug Is Here. How Will Insurers Handle It?

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.

By April Dembosky, KQED

March 12, 2024

The Health 202

Colorado Isn’t Giving up on Its Drug Importation Dream

By Phil Galewitz

March 11, 2024

A box of Paxlovid is photographed from above.

Why Covid Patients Who Could Most Benefit From Paxlovid Still Aren’t Getting It

Price worries, bureaucratic obstacles, and “I’m-over-covid-itis” slow uptake of a drug that’s complicated to take but often effective.

By Arthur Allen

March 11, 2024

What the Health? From KFF Health News

The State of the Union Is … Busy

Episode 337

March 7, 2024

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.

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KFF Health News & PolitiFact HealthCheck

Biden Is Right. The US Generally Pays Double That of Other Countries for Rx Drugs.

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.

By Samantha Putterman, PolitiFact

March 6, 2024

A stethoscope and voting pin rests on top of an American flag.

America Worries About Health Costs — And Voters Want to Hear From Biden and Republicans

The presidential election is likely to turn on the simple question of whether Americans want Donald Trump back in the White House. But health care tops the list of household financial worries for adults from both parties.

By Julie Appleby and Phil Galewitz

March 4, 2024

KFF Health News On Air

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.

March 2, 2024

How a Friend’s Death Turned Colorado Teens Into Anti-Overdose Activists

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.

By Rae Ellen Bichell

March 1, 2024

An Arm and a Leg

Wait, Is Insulin Cheaper Now?

Season 11, Episode 2

Feb. 28, 2024

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.

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Patients See First Savings From Biden’s Drug Price Push, as Pharma Lines Up Its Lawyers

A restructuring of the Medicare drug benefit has wiped out big drug bills for people who need expensive medicines. But the legal battle over drug negotiations means uncertainty over long-term savings.

By Arthur Allen

Feb. 16, 2024

What the Health? From KFF Health News

Biden Wins Early Court Test for Medicare Drug Negotiations

Episode 334

Feb. 15, 2024

A federal district court judge dismissed a lawsuit attempting to invalidate the Biden administration’s Medicare prescription-drug price negotiation program. But the suit turned on a technicality, and several more court challenges are in the pipeline. Meanwhile, health policy pops up in Super Bowl ads, as Congress approaches yet another funding deadline. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, and Rachel Cohrs of Stat join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week they think you should read, too.

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KFF Health News On Air

Journalists Catch Up on Top Issues Facing 2024 Voters, From Obamacare to Opioids

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.

Feb. 3, 2024

What the Health? From KFF Health News

The Struggle Over Who Gets the Last Word

Episode 332

Feb. 1, 2024

As science skepticism pervades politics, the Supreme Court will soon consider two cases that seek to define the power of “experts.” Meanwhile, abortion opponents are laying out plans for how Donald Trump, if reelected as president, could effectively curtail abortion even in states where it remains legal. Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call, Joanne Kenen of Johns Hopkins University and Politico Magazine, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Samantha Liss, who reported and wrote the latest KFF Health News-NPR “Bill of the Month” feature about a husband and wife who got billed for preventive care that should have been fully covered.

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a white box of syringes containing a clear medication with a white and blue label wrapped around each

Surge in Syphilis Cases Leads Some Providers to Ration Penicillin

Injectable penicillin is the go-to treatment for syphilis and the only treatment considered safe for pregnant people with the disease. But as rates of syphilis increase across the U.S., a shortage of the injectable has prompted some public health agencies to ration it.

By Catherine Sweeney, WPLN

Feb. 1, 2024

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