Big Pharma Went All In to Kill Drug Pricing Negotiations
For more than a century, the drug industry has issued dire warnings of plunging innovation whenever regulation reared its head. In general, the threat hasn鈥檛 materialized.
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Inflation Reduction Act Contains Important Cost-Saving Changes for Many Patients 鈥 Maybe for You聽
The legislation, which the House is expected to pass Friday, would allow the federal government, for the first time, to negotiate the price of some drugs that Medicare buys. It also would extend the enhanced subsidies for people who buy insurance on the Affordable Care Act marketplaces.
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KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat the Health?鈥: A Big Week for Biden
Congress is leaving for its annual summer break having accomplished far more than many expected, including, barring unforeseen snags, a bill to address the cost of prescription drugs for Medicare beneficiaries and extend the enhanced subsidies for insurance premiums under the Affordable Care Act. Meanwhile, the abortion issue continues to roil the nation as Indiana becomes the first state to ban the procedure in almost all cases since the Supreme Court overruled the constitutional right to abortion in June. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Rachel Cohrs of Stat join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.
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They Call It 鈥楾ranq鈥 鈥 And It鈥檚 Making Street Drugs Even More Dangerous
Xylazine, an animal tranquilizer, has made it into the illegal drug supply of opioids and cocaine. It is changing the way outreach workers treat overdoses and may be responsible for grisly injuries and infections among people who unknowingly inject it.
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Social Media Posts Criticize the 988 Suicide Hotline for Calling Police. Here鈥檚 What You Need to Know.
The July launch of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline was celebrated by many mental health providers and advocates, but it triggered concerns, too, from people who say using the service could lead to increased law enforcement involvement or forced hospitalization.
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No, the Senate-Passed Reconciliation Bill Won鈥檛 Strip $300 Billion From Medicare
Under the Medicare drug negotiations provisions in the reconciliation bill, the federal government would see its outlays reduced by about $300 billion. That reduction wouldn鈥檛 result from cuts in benefits. Instead, Medicare would be empowered to leverage its market power to pay lower prices for certain drugs.
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EPA Action Boosts Grassroots Momentum to Reduce Toxic 鈥楩orever Chemicals鈥
Experts say the EPA鈥檚 recent declaration that some PFAS chemicals are unsafe at detectable levels in drinking water signals acceleration in efforts to curb exposure to compounds found in nearly every American鈥檚 blood.
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California Gov. Newsom Pins Political Rise on Abortion, Guns, and Health Care
As California Gov. Gavin Newsom claims the role as the national Democratic Party鈥檚 political attack dog, he is trolling red-state governors over their positions on guns and abortion. He鈥檚 also making a case for himself 鈥 with health care front and center.
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Rapper Fat Joe Says No One Is Making Sure Hospitals Post Their Prices
A TV and social media ad offers a reason to check on the enforcement of a sweeping rule that requires hospitals to post information about what they charge insurers and cash-paying patients.
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Covid Sewage Surveillance Labs Join the Hunt for Monkeypox
Wastewater testing has proved a reliable early alarm bell for covid outbreaks. U.S. researchers are now adapting the approach to track the explosive spread of monkeypox.
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After 鈥榓 Lot of Doors Shut in Our Face,鈥 Crusading Couple Celebrate Passage of Burn Pit Bill
Le Roy and Rosie Torres founded the Burn Pits 360 group that advocated for years for Congress to help veterans suffering from injuries caused by the massive disposal sites on overseas bases. Le Roy came home from Iraq suffering from breathing problems.
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‘American Diagnosis’ Episode 10: 鈥榃e Need to Be at the Table鈥: Native-Led Medical Research Aims to Rebuild Trust
Exploitative practices in medical research have contributed to the underrepresentation of Native people in clinical trials. Episode 10 explores the efforts of Indigenous scientists to rebuild this broken trust through tribally controlled research.
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Tribe Embraces Recreational Marijuana Sales on Reservation Where Alcohol Is Banned
The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota allows people to buy and use recreational marijuana but not alcohol. Some tribal citizens say cannabis is safer than alcohol, meth, and opioids 鈥 which have wreaked havoc on the state鈥檚 Indigenous communities.
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Patients and Doctors Trapped in a Gray Zone When Abortion Laws and Emergency Care Mandate Conflict
Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June, ER doctors say they 鈥 and their patients 鈥 are trapped between state anti-abortion laws and the federal law requiring that care be delivered in emergency situations. Women鈥檚 lives hang in the balance.
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Journalists Put Polio, Price Transparency, and a Personal Covid Battle in Perspective
KHN and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Here鈥檚 a collection of their appearances.
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Skin Cancer Is a Risk No Matter the Skin Tone. But It May Be Overlooked in People With Dark Skin.
Black people and those with high levels of melanin in their skin have long been left out of efforts to combat skin cancer. Historically neglected both by sunscreen manufacturers and a medical community lagging in diversity and cultural competency, many people with dark skin tones have not been informed about sun safety or how to monitor their skin for damage or cancer.
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Cognitive Rehab May Help Older Adults Clear Covid-Related Brain Fog
People whose brains have been injured by concussions, traumatic accidents, strokes, or neurodegenerative conditions such as Parkinson鈥檚 disease can benefit from targeted therapy. Experts also employ therapies for long-covid patients with memory and language problems.
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In California, Abortion Could Become a Constitutional Right. So Could Birth Control.
Proposition 1, the constitutional amendment that would enshrine abortion in California鈥檚 constitution, would also lock in a right that has gotten less attention: the right to 鈥渃hoose or refuse鈥 contraception.
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A GOP Talking Point Suggests Birth Control Is Not at Risk. Evidence Suggests Otherwise.
Republicans say Democrats are wrong to claim that birth control could be the Supreme Court鈥檚 next target. But Democrats have plenty of evidence that it might be.
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KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat the Health?鈥: Kansas Makes a Statement
In the first official test vote since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, voters in Kansas鈥 primary said in no uncertain terms they want to keep a right to abortion in their state constitution. Meanwhile, the Senate is still working to reach a vote before summer recess on its health care-climate-tax measure, but progress is slow. Tami Luhby of CNN, Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call, and Rachel Cohrs of Stat join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KHN鈥檚 Bram Sable-Smith, who wrote the latest KHN-NPR 鈥淏ill of the Month鈥 installment about a very expensive ambulance trip.
