Health Dec 02 Health law’s experiment that tests new ways to pay for care could offer tool for GOP ideas Economists and policymakers think the U.S. may be overpaying for many medical services, and the health law has a program to test that. But with the ACA up for potential repeal, what happens to that testing now? One of the…
Health Oct 05 Prostate cancer patients are paying hefty price for controversial new treatment Men hoping to avoid some side effects of prostate cancer treatment are shelling out tens of thousands of dollars for a procedure whose long-term effects are unknown and insurers, including Medicare, won’t pay for.
Health Sep 15 The ads say, ‘Get your flu shot today,’ but it may be wiser to wait The start of flu season is still weeks — if not months — away. Yet marketing of the flu shot has become an almost year-round effort.
Health Sep 01 Mylan’s generic EpiPen — a price break or marketing maneuver? Following weeks of criticism, Mylan said Monday it will offer a generic version of its life-saving allergy treatment, the EpiPen. But what does this development mean for consumers and the marketplace?…
Health Aug 01 Opioid dependence leads to ‘tsunami’ of medical services, study finds In one of the first looks at privately insured patients with opioid problems, researchers paint a grim picture: Medical services for people with opioid dependence diagnoses skyrocketed more than 3,000 percent between 2007 and 2014.
Health May 25 Could Medicare’s drug pricing plan give regulators too much power? The aim, the government says, is to maintain quality while slowing spending in Medicare Part B by more closely tying payments to how well drugs work, using methods drugmakers, insurers and benefit managers are already trying in the private sector.
Health May 17 Feds cap how much sensitive medical data employers can collect through wellness programs Employer wellness programs can gather medical information from employees and spouses — so long as financial incentives or penalties don’t exceed 30 percent of the annual cost for an individual in the company’s group health plan, according to final rules issued…
Health Dec 21 Why health plans’ drug coverage can be confusing for consumers Patients getting chemotherapy or other complex medications may have a sudden panic when shopping for health insurance: Their drugs often don’t appear to be covered.
Health Oct 19 Why some prescription drugs are so expensive The news last month that Turing Pharmaceuticals had raised the price of a drug by 5,000 percent renewed a public conversation about how drug prices are set in the U.S.
Health Sep 14 These new heart failure treatments show promise, but at a huge price Two new treatments for congestive heart failure cost too much in the short term and would drive up spending by insurers and government programs, a nonprofit group said in an analysis released Friday, just days after the same researchers took…