Certain high-cost drugs are straining state budgets. A new deal approved Wednesday allows Louisiana to spend a fixed amount for unlimited access to a costly cure. Other states may try to follow suit.
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NPR
‘Mental Health Parity’ Is Still An Elusive Goal In U.S. Insurance Coverage
The Affordable Care Act and other U.S. laws sought to put insurance coverage for mental health conditions on equal footing with coverage for physical conditions. But patients say that's not happening.
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Richer Medicare Payments For Rural Hospitals Could Come At Urban Centers’ Expense
The administration's proposed adjustment to the wage index, a key factor used to set hospitals' Medicare payments, could help rural facilities while hurting those in cities.
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A Workable Alternative To Nursing Homes In Vermont — Adult Family Care
In Vermont, there are more elderly patients with medical needs than there are nursing homes. A growing number of families in the state are opening their homes to the elderly as an alternative.
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As Sanders Calls For ‘Medicare-For-All,’ A Twist On That Plan Gains Traction
"Medicare for America" would stop short of a full-blown expansion of Medicare. It would include copays from patients and a role for insurers. Could it survive health care's politics?
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Feds Charge 24 In Alleged $1.2 Billion Medicare Fraud Scheme
Prosecutors allege a multilayered scheme to defraud Medicare, with doctors prescribing unneeded back, shoulder, wrist and knee braces to elderly and disabled patients.
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How HHS Secretary Alex Azar Reconciles Medicaid Cuts With Stopping The Spread Of HIV
As head of the Department of Health and Human Services, Alex Azar is charged with making Trump's plan to end HIV in the U.S. by 2030 work. "We have an historic opportunity," he tells NPR.
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Trump Backs Off Obamacare Replacement After Top GOP Leader Nixes The Idea
The president still promises "a great health care package" — but not until after the next election. His comments come after a phone call with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
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