Oct 16 Watch 11:11 New Mexico deploys best practices to avoid the worst outcomes in the opioid crisis By PBS News Hour While states nationwide have been scrambling to respond to the deadly opioid epidemic, New Mexico has been hard at work with an aggressive response for years. So why have its addiction rates remained stubbornly high? Hari Sreenivasan visits a state… Continue watching
Oct 16 Watch 5:39 How drug distributors reportedly hobbled law enforcement from policing the flow of opioids By PBS News Hour An investigation by 60 Minutes and the Washington Post alleges that the companies that distribute opioid painkillers to pharmacies and doctors’ offices nationwide persuaded Congress to weaken the DEA’s ability to halt drug distribution at the height of the opioid… Continue watching
Oct 16 How a serious illness gave Eugene O'Neill his dark literary power By Dr. Howard Markel Long before he sat down to compose the dramas that have long enlightened and haunted audiences, Eugene O’Neill contracted tuberculosis, and it forever changed him. Continue reading
Oct 16 These 19 states are cracking down on fake service dogs By Michael Ollove, Stateline The American Humane Association, which promotes the welfare and safety of animals, says there are 20,000 service dogs working in the U.S. Continue reading
Oct 16 Birth control loophole opens for employers under new federal regulation By Julie Rovner, KFF Health News The regulation creates a new exemption from the requirement that most employers offer contraceptive coverage. This one is for “non-religious organizations with sincerely held moral convictions inconsistent with providing coverage for some or all contraceptive services.”… Continue reading
Oct 15 America Addicted The opioid crisis is devastating communities across the nation. Overdose deaths are at record highs. How can the epidemic be stopped?… Continue reading
Oct 15 We may soon have our first $1 million drug. Who will pay for it? And how? By Meghana Keshavan, STAT As the first gene therapies approach the market, drug makers, insurers, and patients are debating complex questions about cost, value, and payment plans. Continue reading
Oct 14 An old-school pharmacy hand-delivers drugs to Congress, a little-known perk for the powerful By Erin Mershon, STAT WASHINGTON — If House Speaker Paul Ryan comes down with the flu this winter, he and his security detail won't be screeching off toward the closest CVS for his Tamiflu. Instead, he can just walk downstairs and pick up the… Continue reading
Oct 13 Analysis: What you need to know about Trump's changes to the health law By Julie Appleby, Mary Agnes Carey, Kaiser Health News, Julie Rovner, KFF Health News Apparently frustrated by Congress' inability to "repeal and replace" the Affordable Care Act, President Donald Trump this week decided to take matters into his own hands. Late Thursday evening, the White House announced it would cease key payments to insurers. Continue reading
Oct 13 Watch Trump is ending the Obamacare subsidy payments to health insurers. Here's who ends up paying By PBS News Hour President Trump continued to chip away at the Affordable Care Act by ending subsidies to health insurance companies that help pay deductibles, co-payments and out-of-pocket charges for lower-income Americans. Judy Woodruff speaks with Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News to… Continue watching