The Prescription Drug Playbook, Part II
In this second part of a two-part series on dealing with the high price of prescription drugs, experts share their insider tips.
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In this second part of a two-part series on dealing with the high price of prescription drugs, experts share their insider tips.
A Colorado bill banning surprise billing for ambulance rides passed unanimously in both legislative chambers, only to be met with a veto from the governor. As more states pass such legislation, some are hitting the same snag 鈥� concerns about raising premiums.
States that run their own health insurance marketplaces fear an end to automatic Obamacare reenrollment under the tax and spending megabill would have an outsize effect on their policyholders.
The House on Thursday moved to approve the largest-ever cuts to federal safety net programs, the last step before the measure goes to President Donald Trump鈥檚 desk. After the Senate very narrowly passed the bill, House GOP leaders ushered it past resistance from conservatives wary of adding trillions to the federal debt and moderates concerned about its cuts to Medicaid. Meanwhile, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has continued to pursue his anti-vaccine agenda, despite promising that he would not. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Maya Goldman of Axios, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join 吃瓜不打烊鈥� Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.
A proposed work requirement would make Medicaid expansion enrollees prove they鈥檙e working or meet other criteria. Most already work, but millions are expected to lose coverage if the provision passes, many from red tape. A Missouri mother who cares for her disabled son would probably be subject to the rule.
In 2017, when President Donald Trump tried to repeal Obamacare and roll back Medicaid coverage, Republican governors helped turn Congress against it. Now, as Trump tries again to scale back Medicaid, Republican governors 鈥� whose constituents stand to lose federal funding and health coverage 鈥� have gone quiet on the health consequences.
Republicans are attempting to use the budget reconciliation process to boost President Donald Trump鈥檚 priorities and reduce health coverage. That process has been used to pass nearly every major piece of health legislation for decades 鈥� except usually lawmakers use it to expand health care, not cut it, writes Julie Rovner.
Spending cuts hitting medical providers, Medicaid and Affordable Care Act enrollees, and lawfully present immigrants are just some of the biggest changes the GOP has in store for health care 鈥� with ramifications that could touch all Americans.
Immigrants without legal status who live in the state are facing a Medi-Cal enrollment freeze next year. But the spate of immigration raids has raised fears that signing up before the deadline will put them on the radar of federal officials.
Fewer Americans will likely have health insurance, compromising their physical and financial health, as the Trump administration and GOP-controlled Congress weigh major changes to the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid. 鈥淭he effects could be catastrophic,鈥� one policy analyst predicts.
Sixty percent of Americans have health insurance through their own workplace or someone else鈥檚 job. But not all employers provide health insurance or offer plans to all their workers. When they do, cost and quality vary widely, making Thune鈥檚 statement an oversimplification.
Republicans claim 4.8 million Americans on Medicaid who could work choose not to. The GOP鈥檚 work-requirement legislation could sweep up disabled people who say they鈥檙e unable to hold jobs.
In this special episode taped before a live audience at Aspen Ideas: Health, three former governors 鈥� one of whom also served as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services 鈥� discuss how state and federal officials can work together to improve Americans鈥� health. Democrat Kathleen Sebelius, former Kansas governor and HHS secretary under President Barack Obama; Republican Chris Sununu, former New Hampshire governor; and Democrat Roy Cooper, former North Carolina governor, join 吃瓜不打烊鈥� Julie Rovner.
California lawmakers are poised to approve a six-month delay in implementing the state鈥檚 in vitro fertilization law, pushing its start to January 2026. The plan to postpone, which has drawn little attention, is part of the state budget package and has left patients, insurers, and employers in limbo.
Dozens of health insurance companies pledged on Monday to improve prior authorization, a process often used to deny care. The announcement comes months after the killing of UnitedHealthcare executive Brian Thompson, whose death in December sparked widespread criticism about insurance denials.
While Congress fails to stave off cuts to HIV care, community leaders in Mississippi and beyond race to limit the damage.
Republican proposals to tighten the use of special taxes to fund Medicaid programs could deprive states of billions of dollars for safety net health care. In California, any such limit would come on top of Medicaid cuts proposed by California Democrats in response to a $12 billion state deficit.
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The Supreme Court this week said Tennessee may continue to enforce its law banning most types of gender-affirming care for minors. The ruling is likely to greenlight similar laws in two dozen states. And the Senate is preparing to vote on a budget reconciliation bill that includes even deeper Medicaid cuts than the House version. Victoria Knight of Axios, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call join 吃瓜不打烊鈥� Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.
Patient advocates say they frequently hear from people who thought they didn鈥檛 need to sign up for Medicare when they turned 65 because they had group health coverage. That delay sometimes forces people to cover medical expenses themselves.
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