Latest Morning Briefing Stories
Medicamentos de Medicare pueden costar menos pagando en efectivo
Beneficiarios de Medicare pueden conseguir medicamentos más baratos si pagan en efectivo… pero por reglas mordaza el farmacéutico no puede decirlo.
Looking For Lower Medicare Drug Costs? Ask Your Pharmacist For The Cash Price.
Sometimes a drug plan’s copayment is higher than the cash price, and under a little-known federal rule, pharmacists have to tell Medicare beneficiaries that — but only if they ask.
Benefit Change Could Raise Costs For Patients Getting Drug Copay Assistance
More health plans are refusing to count the copayment assistance offered by drug makers as part of the patients’ deductibles or out-of-pocket limits.
Watch: What’s In The White House Plan To Lower Drug Prices
KHN’s Sarah Jane Tribble explains the key elements of the Trump blueprint on CBS News’ “Red & Blue.”
Drugmakers Blamed For Blocking Generics Have Jacked Up Prices And Cost U.S. Billions
The Trump administration is shaming brand-name drugmakers who refuse to sell samples so generics can be made from their products.
Insurer Slashes Breast Pump Payments, Stoking Fears Fewer Moms Will Breastfeed
Anthem, one of the country’s largest insurers, has cut the reimbursement rate it pays for breast pumps by nearly half, fueling concerns that new moms — especially ones with lower incomes — will not be able to afford the pumps they need.
When Is Insurance Not Really Insurance? When You Need Pricey Dental Care.
Even under a decent plan, you’ll have to dig deep in your pocket for crowns, bridges and implants. The mouth isn’t covered by insurance the same way as the rest of the body, and this division has deep roots in history and tradition.
Indocumentada y con cáncer: entre la muerte y la deportación
¿Qué sucede cuando un inmigrante indocumentado tiene un diagnóstico potencialmente mortal? Depende mucho de en dónde viva.
Best Reads Of The Week With Brianna Labuskes
KHN’s newsletter editor, Brianna Labuskes, wades through hundreds of health articles from the week so you don’t have to.
Readers And Tweeters Are Buzzing Over ‘Bill Of The Month’
A crowdsourced investigation by KHN and NPR gives voice to those who are puzzled and outraged by medical invoices.
Choosing Between Death And Deportation
What happens when an undocumented immigrant has a life-threatening diagnosis? Much depends on where the person lives. And even in states with generous care for a dire illness, a patient can face difficult life-and-death choices.
Vermont Legislators Pass A Drug Importation Law. So What?
The first-in-the-nation measure would empower Vermont to set up a wholesale program to import prescription drugs from Canada. But it still will have to get federal buy-in before it is operational.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ Much Ado About Drug Prices
In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Joanne Kenen of Politico, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News and Rebecca Adams of CQ Roll Call discuss President Donald Trump’s proposals to control prescription drug prices and the efforts to sell the plan to lawmakers and the public. Also, Rovner interviews emeritus law professor Timothy Jost about the state of the Affordable Care Act.
California Hospital Giant Sutter Health Faces Heavy Backlash On Prices
In a case with possible national repercussions, the state’s attorney general has sued over alleged price gouging, and other legal and legislative challenges are afoot. Sutter is pushing back hard, denying anticompetitive behavior.
Sticker Shock Jolts Oklahoma Patient: $15,076 For Four Tiny Screws
A woman with foot pain was floored by the high cost of titanium screws used in her surgery. “Unless the metal [was] mined on an asteroid, I do not know why it should cost that amount,” she says.
Trump Vows (Again) To Lower Drug Prices But Skeptics Doubt Much Will Change
President Donald Trump’s much-awaited speech about slashing drug costs was long on rhetoric but short on specifics that will reduce prices.
Why Did Novartis Pay Trump’s Lawyer $1.2 Million? Look At Its Drug Prices
Promises to control pharma prices threaten profits for Switzerland-based Novartis, which sells some of the costliest drugs in the world.
Consumers Brace For Premium Hikes While Lawmakers Grasp At Remedies
Health insurers’ initial premium requests indicate stiff price hikes for consumers, just as bipartisan talks in Congress fall flat.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ The Politics Of Rising Premiums And Menu Labeling
In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Stephanie Armour of The Wall Street Journal, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times and Anna Edney of Bloomberg News discuss the latest on the politics of rising premiums, GOP efforts to take back money from the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and the controversy over new rules requiring calorie information on menus. Plus for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health stories of the week.
Midterm Elections Are Shaping Up To Be A Referendum On Trumpism
Even voters who say they are more enthusiastic about voting in this congressional election than in past ones are not motivated by any specific issue. But, according to a poll out Thursday, health care policies rank high among topics voters want candidates to address.
