Latest Morning Briefing Stories
California Slaps Surcharge On ACA Plans As Trump Remains Coy On Subsidies
Covered California authorized a 12.4 percent average surcharge on silver-tier plans, the second-least expensive option sold on the exchange. It brings the total average premium increase on those plans to nearly 25 percent next year.
New Law Challenges ‘Evils’ Of Pharma Profits, California Governor Claims
Gov. Jerry Brown signed the measure, which takes effect next year and will require drug companies to publicly justify big price increases.
Training New Doctors Right Where They’re Needed
Eight teaching centers in California aim to train and retain doctors in medically underserved areas such as California’s Central Valley. They are among 57 such institutions across the country that may soon receive a boost in funding from Congress.
Patients, Health Insurers Challenge Iowa’s Privatized Medicaid
Complaints are rising against for-profit insurance companies that manage Medicaid for about 600,000 Iowans. The privatization of Medicaid is a national trend affecting more than half of the 74 million Americans who get their health care through the state-federal program.
Entrenando a nuevos médicos justo en donde se los necesita
En el Valle Central de California, no hay una escuela de medicina, y los nuevos médicos a menudo evitan el área en favor de los centros urbanos más ricos, donde pueden ganar más dinero.
Eyes Fixed On California As Governor Ponders Inking Drug Price Transparency Bill
“If it gets signed by this governor, it’s going to send shock waves throughout the country,” one legislator says. Pharma has spent $16.8 million lobbying against this bill and other drug laws in California.
Tragedia de Las Vegas plantea la capacidad de un hospital para atender a las víctimas
En la ciudad hay un solo centro de trauma, especializado en tratar a pacientes con lesiones severas producto de disparos, caídas o accidentes automovilísticos. Qué pasa a nivel nacional
Las Vegas Faced a Massacre. Did It Have Enough Trauma Centers?
Hospitals view adding trauma care as a potential profit tool, but experts say having more centers does not necessarily improve the system’s ability to respond to a mass casualty event.
Flat-Fee Primary Care Helps Fill Niche For Texas’ Uninsured
Doctors offering this care charge a monthly fee for services that can be handled in the office. But patient advocates warn it is not insurance and offers no coverage for hospital or specialist care.
Do Pharma’s Claims On Drug Prices Pass The Smell Test? We Found 5 Stinkers.
Drug companies are in the midst of a glossy publicity campaign to stop attempts to control rising pharma costs. But the devil is in the details.
Heart Device Failure: Medicare Spent $1.5B Over 10 Years To Replace Defective Implants
The inspector general at Health and Human Services says defective pacemakers or defibrillators had to be replaced from 2005 through 2014, costing Medicare $1.5 billion.
Latest Scandal Too Much For HHS Secretary Tom Price. He’s Out.
Tom Price resigned from running the Department of Health and Human Services after a series of news stories detailing how he tallied more than $400,000 in private plane travel paid for by taxpayers.
Pocos se benefician con las nuevas drogas anti colesterol por el gran gasto de bolsillo
Una nueva generación de drogas podría ayudar a millones a bajar los niveles de colesterol malo. Pero el proceso para lograr una receta y el alto costo para el paciente están limitando su uso.
Absent Federal Action, States Take The Lead On Curbing Drug Costs
Congress has yet to take substantive action on this growing consumer concern, but a number of states are flexing their cost-control muscle.
Out-Of-Pocket Costs Often Keep Pricey New Cholesterol Drugs Out Of Reach, Study Finds
Research published this week by JAMA Cardiology analyzed pharmacy claims data related to a new class of cholesterol-lowering drugs.
Why Glaring Quality Gaps Among Nursing Homes Are Likely To Grow If Medicaid Is Cut
Medicaid covers about two-thirds of nursing home residents, but it pays less than other types of insurance.
Right After Trump Blamed High Drug Prices On Campaign Cash, Drugmakers Gave More
At a political rally in March, President Donald Trump said drug prices are “outrageous” and blamed campaign contributions. Drugmakers funneled nearly $280,000 to Congress the very next day.
Congress’ Cold Shoulder Sends Shivers Through Community Health Centers
The clinics, which serve many poor people, are tightening spending in case Congress doesn’t approve new funding for them before the government’s 2018 fiscal year starts Sunday.
Need An MRI? Anthem Directs Most Outpatients To Independent Centers
The insurer says hospital-based imaging services are too expensive and the independent facilities provide high-quality care.
Sen. Collins Announces Opposition To GOP Bill To Replace Obamacare
The statement from the Maine senator came after the Congressional Budget Office said the bill would cause millions of people to become uninsured.
