Breaking News in Healthcare Reform

 

Snippets of news & commentary with a special focus on

health policy, Medicare for All & California

 

 

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“Medicare Advantage growth has had an outsize impact on the finances of small, rural hospitals that Medicare has designated as ‘critical access.’” 

Tiny, Rural Hospitals Feel the Pinch as Medicare Advantage Plans Grow

Kaiser Family Foundation | Sarah Jane Tribble | October 23, 2023

“Pfizer’s new price is an estimated 100 times the cost of production….”

‘For Shame’: Pfizer to Charge $1,390 for Lifesaving Covid Drug That Costs Just $13

Common Dreams | Brett Wilkins | October 19, 2023

“Roughly one out of every eight pharmacies closed between 2009 and 2015, which disproportionately affected independent pharmacies and low-income neighborhoods….”

CVS, Walgreens and Rite Aid are Closing Thousands of Stores. Here’s Why

CNN | Nathaniel Meyersohn | October 17, 2023

“We know [health insurance] plans have a long history of finding ways not to cover mental health treatment,” [Senator Scott Wiener] told CalMatters.”

California Mental Health Agency on the Hot Seat as Lawmakers Review ‘Groundbreaking’ Law

CalMatters | Jocelyn Wiener | October 17, 2023

“The annual cost of family health insurance coverage at work soared to an average of nearly $24,000 this year, according to KFF’s Employer Health Benefits Survey, released Wednesday. That’s up 7% from last year.”

Premiums for Family Health Insurance at Work Jump to Nearly $24,000 This Year

CNN | Tami Luhby | October 18, 2023

“When drugstore chains shutter stores, they often target locations in lower-income, Black and Latino neighborhoods with people covered through government-funded insurance programs like Medicaid….”

Rite Aid’s Bankruptcy Plan Stirs Worries of New ‘Pharmacy Deserts’

Associated Press | Tom Murphy | October 17, 2023

“A recent Deloitte report, ‘Hiding in plain sight: The health care gender toll,’ sheds light on a concerning gender disparity in healthcare, revealing the disproportionate financial burden that women bear in accessing medical services compared to men.”

The ‘Pink Tax’ Wake-Up Call for the Healthcare Industry

MedPage Today | Judite Blanc, PhD | October 17, 2023

“Meanwhile, … UnitedHealth Group, the nation’s biggest insurer, said it made $8.5 billion in profits between the first of July and the end of September … All that in just three months.”

She Was the First American Woman to Win the All-Around Gold Medal in Olympic Gymnastics. Now She’s Buried in Medical Debt.

HEALTHCARE un-covered | Wendell Potter | October 17, 2023

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