Jan 14 House Democrats announce they are investigating drug pricing By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Associated Press House Democrats announced a sweeping investigation Monday of the pharmaceutical industry's pricing practices, jockeying for the upper hand with the Trump administration on an issue that concerns Americans across the political spectrum. Continue reading
Jan 01 Watch 7:06 Will drug companies be held accountable for America’s opioid epidemic? The nation’s opioid crisis was declared a public health emergency in 2017 and received new funding this past October. But rampant addiction led to some 40,000 overdose deaths in the U.S. last year, and 2019 could see the culmination of… Continue watching
Dec 19 Affordable Care Act sign-ups beat forecast in unpredictable season By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Associated Press The Obama health care law has yet again beaten predictions of its downfall, as government figures released Wednesday showed unexpectedly solid sign-ups for health coverage next year. Continue reading
Dec 17 A federal judge ruled against Obamacare. What happens now? By Mark Sherman, Associated Press If upheld, the ruling would impact well beyond the more than 20 million people who are directly covered through the Obama health law. Continue reading
Dec 05 Watch 7:51 The robots are coming. Will they work with us? In the latest installment of our Future of Work series, Miles O’Brien visits MIT’s Interactive Robotics Laboratory to understand the “new species” of robots scientists are designing to work alongside humans safely. Though the devices often excel at repetitive tasks,… Continue watching
Nov 01 Watch 8:58 Elderly Maine considers tax hike to fund universal home care By Paul Solman On November 6, Maine voters will consider a proposal to provide free home care to people 65 and older and those with disabilities. The plan, “Question 1” on the ballot, would be funded by an additional 3.8 percent tax on… Continue watching
Oct 25 Watch 9:54 HHS secretary on Medicare drug pricing, gender definitions President Trump has announced several proposed changes to how Medicare buys certain expensive prescription drugs, relying in part upon a benchmark price index of other developed countries, who negotiate lower prices. But critics wonder why the U.S. government doesn't do… Continue watching
Oct 23 Watch 8:37 As voters worry about health care, Trump administration relaxes Obamacare rules With only weeks before the midterms, the Trump administration announced plans to consider state requests that would further loosen Affordable Care Act restrictions, offer less comprehensive health plans and use Obamacare subsidies to pay for them. William Brangham asks Margot… Continue watching
Oct 19 Watch 10:10 Why health care has become a top issue for voters in deep red states Polls show health care is one of the top issues for Americans this year. In heavily Republican Idaho, where state lawmakers haven’t expanded Medicaid coverage, voters petitioned to put the measure on the ballot. In partnership with Politico, John Yang… Continue watching
Oct 17 Watch Nonprofit helping low-income patients describes itself as ‘Match.com meets the Peace Corps’ By Cat Wise Physician shortages, as well as cost and distance, can make specialty care prohibitive for many low-income patients. A nonprofit aims to tackle those challenges by utilizing telehealth technology and retiring, volunteer doctors. Special correspondent Cat Wise explores “The MAVEN Project.”… Continue watching