In our top stories this week, we have a generic drug pricing scam, Germany beating the U.S. (and not in soccer) and a growing number of primary elections focused on candidates supporting Medicare for All. In a related article, doctor burnout because of uninsured patients […]
By delaying development of generics, drugmakers can maintain their monopolies and keep prices high. Most of the drugs cost Medicare Part D more in 2016 than they did in 2012, for an average spending increase of about 60 percent more per unit. This excludes drugs […]
The California Nurses Association union and Blue Shield of California each have contributed about $1 million to independent committees that support Newsom. The powerful nurses union strongly supports single-payer health care, while that model of health care delivery could pose an existential threat to insurer […]
For millions of Americans — blessed in some measure with good genes and good luck — dental insurance works pretty well, and they don’t think much about it. But people like me learn the hard way that dental insurance isn’t insurance at all — not […]
A group of doctors from the U.S. and Canada proposed this week pharmaceutical reforms that would slash costs, improve access and increase safety of prescription medications in both nations. The group, Physicians for a National Health Program, released the proposal, “Healing an ailing pharmaceutical system: […]
Four tiny screws. Surgery. And then the bill: The letter “put me in a panic,” said Young, who was suddenly worried that she would have to pay the entire $115,000 bill herself. That’s about how much her home is worth, and five times her annual income. […]
Despite having fewer office visits and shorter average hospital stays and using the same prescriptions, the U.S. overall spends twice as much per person on healthcare than do similar wealthy countries. Per person, the U.S. spends $10,348 compared to an average of $5,198 elsewhere in […]
In case you missed it, the latest news makes clear that corporate health insurance continues to suck, with fine print exclusions, claims denials and sky-high premiums that show no sign of abating after years of double-digit increases. The result? Patient suffering. Meanwhile, state governments […]
There’s more energy in California around the idea of universal coverage than people see in lots of other parts of the country, and could be an important factor in this year’s elections. Pauline Bartolone, California Healthline California’s leading gubernatorial candidates agree that health care should […]