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Pharmacy benefit managers raised prices by over 1,000% on specialty drugs

Association of Health Care Journalists

The market for specialty drugs In the past, specialty drugs required special handling or administration, but today there is no standard definition for a specialty drug, the report explained. In their coverage, they added that the three PBMs disputed the FTCs findings. In 2023, specialty drugs accounted for $237 billion, or 39.5%

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CSTE President Angela Dunn’s Presidential Priorities Tackle Connectedness and Community

CSTE

He had no health insurance and was essentially told there was nothing the doctors or staff could do for him. I understood at that moment that I needed to go into more of a public health policy realm to affect change for people rather than just one-on-one patient care, she said.

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Long-Covid Patients Are Frustrated That Federal Research Hasn’t Found New Treatments

KFF Health News

Hayes said she would definitely volunteer for an experimental drug trial. This article is from a partnership that includes NPR and KFF Health News. But to vet a range of possible treatments for the millions suffering now and to develop new drugs specifically targeting long covid clinical trials are needed. And that requires money.

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Despite criticism, the ACA has helped more Americans access health insurance 

Association of Health Care Journalists

The ACA definitely boosted access to coverage and care for American Indians and Alaska Natives, Norris commented. American Indian and Alaska Native enrollees get cost-sharing reductions on any Marketplace plan, which is more generous than the ACA provisions for other low-income consumers, she added.

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Bills taking aim at ‘government mandates’ on health insurance could hamper prior authorization reforms

NC Health News

Just because you’re adding something to be covered doesn’t mean that there’s a medical service that definitely doesn’t help anymore, he said. Costs increase every time the government passes a law ordering insurers to cover a certain procedure or banning insurers from using cost saving tools, he said.

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News Scan for Oct 12, 2021

University of Minnesota CIDRAP

News Scan for Oct 12, 2021 lmclerno_91236 Tue, 10/12/2021 - 13:37 Bullet points Mental health and COVID-19 Politics and COVID public health policies Avian flu outbreaks in 2 nations Body Mental health worsened amid pandemic, especially in women, young adults An estimated 53.2

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Our Plants Should Be Plants

The Health Care Blog

Remember, although the first definition of a plant is typically about living organisms like trees, flowers, and grasses, the second definition is about industrial factories, as in “a place where an industrial or manufacturing process takes place.” Hershberg asks, “ So…how do we get to a future where everything grows on trees ?”.