Latest Morning Briefing Stories
FDA Moves To Guard Against Abuse Of ‘Orphan Drug’ Program
Following a KHN investigation, the Food and Drug Administration has moved to speed up approvals of “orphan drugs” while closing a loophole that allowed drugmakers to skip pediatric testing.
Cuestionan la necesidad de una vacuna contra la meningitis B para universitarios
Expertos dicen que farmacéuticas están apelando al miedo de los padres para promover dos vacunas contra le meningitis B entre estudiantes universitarios, luego de dos brotes en campus.
Guess Who Pays The Price When Hospital Giants Hire Your Private Practitioner?
Gobbling up doctors’ independent practices is lucrative for hospital systems — but not necessarily a good deal for the physicians or consumers, critics say. Northern California is a case in point.
Meningitis B Vaccine’s High Price Poses A Health Care Conundrum For College-Bound
This immunization may mark a shift among some vaccine makers to higher-priced, “niche” preventives that protect against very specific and sometimes rare illnesses.
For Low-Income Drug Users, Medi-Cal Offers A Fresh Start
Under a five-year agreement with the federal government, California is using Medicaid dollars to expand drug treatment, including more inpatient care and a broader range of medications.
Lawmakers Debate How Much Wiggle Room To Give States In Health Care
The federal health law includes a provision that allows states to alter some of its rules if they can think of a better way to provide health care to their residents, but it’s not clear how far outside the box states can go.
Shedding New Light On Hospice Care: No Need To Wait For The ‘Brink Of Death’
Hospice care often prompts fear and misunderstanding, but the services provided can lead to less pain and trauma at the end of life.
How Below-The-Radar Mergers Fuel Health Care Monopolies
Most acquisitions by hospitals of physician practices are too small to trigger antitrust attention, study says. But a buying spree of “onesies and twosies” doctor practices has driven competition down and prices up.
Why One California County Went Surgery Shopping
Fed up with high hospital costs and limited competition, Santa Barbara County sends willing employees out of town for better bargains. Local governments are slowly joining private employers in aggressively seeking out the best care for the lowest price.
Trump Administration Whacks Millions From Budget Used To Push Obamacare
The federal government plans to spend millions of dollars less this year on advertising and outreach efforts to support the health law’s open enrollment period, which starts Nov. 1.
Algunos pacientes con cáncer de tiroides pueden retrasar la cirugía
Alrededor de un tercio de los pacientes con un tumor de tiroides de crecimiento lento, llamado cáncer de tiroides papilar, son elegibles para retrasar el tratamiento, según un nuevo estudio.
Some Thyroid Cancer Patients Can Safely Delay Surgery
Study suggests that many small tumors are sleepy, not deadly.
Drástica reducción de fondos para promover el Obamacare
Menos dinero para los navegadores y nuevas fechas para el período de inscripción abierta son dos de las medidas de la administración Trump para bloquear al Obamacare.
Pioneering Cancer Gene Therapy Gets Green Light — And $475,000 Price Tag
The USA’s first approved gene therapy — to be used to fight leukemia that resists standard therapies — will cost $475,000 for a one-time treatment.
5 ideas controversiales para arreglar el mercado de seguros individual
Desde modificar la edad de ingreso al Medicare, hasta tener un Medicaid “a la carta”, estas ideas están sonando y generando polémica en los pasillos del Congreso.
5 Outside-The-Box Ideas For Fixing The Individual Insurance Market
As lawmakers look for ways to stabilize the health law marketplaces, a number of ideas — such as expanding who can “buy in” to Medicare and Medicaid or pushing young adults off their parents’ plans into the marketplaces — might come into play.
Nueva droga contra la leucemia ofrece esperanza, pero a un costo millonario
El tratamiento con una nueva droga del laboratorio Novartis para casos en los que ha fracasado la quimioterapia o el trasplante de médula costaría $649,000.
‘Breakthrough’ Leukemia Drug Also Portends ‘Quantum Leap’ In Cost
A genetically altered cancer drug, based on CAR T-cell therapies, could be a big success with leukemia patients but at a staggering cost.
Medicare Unveils ‘Skeletal’ Site For Hospice Comparison Shopping
This is the first federal website designed to help families choose a hospice, but experts aren’t impressed.
Las voces olvidadas en el debate de salud: 8 mujeres cuentan sus historias
Los proyectos de salud que se han estado discutiendo dejan de lado muchos de los servicios esenciales para las mujeres, como el cuidado materno y los métodos anticonceptivos.
