A long-awaited court decision has finally arrived, with disturbing health implications: The ruling exempts select employers from fully covering a daily pill that can prevent a person’s chances of getting HIV by up to 99 percent.
But the effects of the Braidwood Management v. Becerra case extend beyond HIV care. The case could invalidate a startling range of free preventative services, and lead to a big jump in patient’s payments for cancer screenings, preventive drugs for hear...
healthcare
The real reason drug costs are so high in America
Earlier this month, President Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) published an oped about “the outrageous prices that the pharmaceutical industry charges the American people for prescription drugs.” It is the latest step in Sanders's ongoing campaign about drug prices.
In June, Sanders, who is chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, announced that Lars Jorgensen, chief executive officer of Novo Nordisk, one of the world’s largest pharmaceu...
The real reason drug costs are so high in America
Earlier this month, President Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) published an oped about “the outrageous prices that the pharmaceutical industry charges the American people for prescription drugs.” It is the latest step in Sanders's ongoing campaign about drug prices.
In June, Sanders, who is chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, announced that Lars Jorgensen, chief executive officer of Novo Nordisk, one of the world’s largest pharmaceu...
Why has Medicare’s Innovation Center failed?
The House Energy and Commerce Committee recently convened a hearing on the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation.
Although the center “was created over a decade ago and provided billions in funding and broad authority to find ways to save taxpayer dollars and improve health outcomes for patients,” Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) and Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) noted, “it has little to show in demonstrated successful outcomes.” Why is this so?
Medicare tra...
Trumpcare could be the gamechanger America is looking for
In last week’s debate, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump both whiffed on a critical issue sliding under the radar in the race for the White House: the rising costs of healthcare.
It’s not the first such missed opportunity.
Early in his first term, Trump in good faith expressed confidence that a GOP Congress would deliver a “terrific,” “phenomenal,” and “fantastic” alternative to Obamacare. But former House Speaker Paul Ryan a...
Affordable health care is on the ballot in November
“Low Insulin pricing was gotten for millions of Americans by me,” Donald Trump recently declared on Truth Social, his social media platform. And “Crooked” Joe Biden “had NOTHING to do with it.”
Trump’s claim is apparently based on his announcement in 2020 that some, but not all, pharmaceutical companies had agreed to cap out-of-pocket costs for insulin — which more than seven million Americans need to manage their diabetes — at $35 per month for individuals enrolled in Medicar...
America is full of the living dead — and Mississippi is ground zero.
Millions of our fellow Americans are essentially living as if they were walking dead. No, it’s not the premise of the latest AMC apocalypse drama or a summer blockbuster — it's the harsh reality for too many individuals and communities. They lack health insurance and, as a result, go undiagnosed. Untreated conditions manifest as silent killers.
The stark reality is that in the wealthiest nation on Earth, access to primary health care remains a privilege for the well-moneyed fe...
Republicans must offer a bold ObamaCare alternative to put patients in control
This spring, former President Barack Obama publicly celebrated the 14th anniversary of his signature health care law, the Affordable Care Act (i.e. “ObamaCare”). But what is there to celebrate? The country’s health care system is a complete disaster, and ObamaCare made it even worse.
The average family health insurance premium is nearly $24,000 and is guaranteed to increase every year. Deductibles and hospital visits have more than doubled in the last 15 years. These costs ha...
We’re paying off medical debt wrong
Medical debt imposes a crushing burden on millions of Americans. More than 40 percent of Americans owe medical debt, with 18 percent owing $2,500 or more.
Concerned by this issue, states and local governments have passed or are considering programs to fund debt relief. On Monday, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker announced a plan to eliminate $1 billion in medical debt per year. This adds to more than $12 billion in passed or proposed medical debt relief by 20 other states or local ...
Remove the barriers keeping women from addressing colorectal cancer
This may be a month of fun and festivities with St. Patrick’s Day rolling right into March Madness, but it also commemorates two serious topics: women’s history and colorectal awareness. While the overlap may be purely coincidental, the timing appropriately underscores the need for improved awareness, screening and treatment for colorectal cancer, especially among women.
Though overall rates of new colorectal cancer cases have declined in the past decade or two, cases among pe...