Tradeoffs

11/06/2024

Last night's presidential and Senate elections have shifted power back to Republicans, raising big questions about the future of key health policies, including the Affordable Care Act.

While a detailed alternative plan has yet to emerge, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has vowed to pursue “massive reform” of the historic health care law. Johnson and other conservative lawmakers have hinted at policy changes like creating high-risk pools for people with preexisting conditions and converting Medicaid funding into block grants, which would transfer Medicaid regulatory power to the states.

While many House election outcomes are still undecided, Larry Levitt, executive vice president for health policy at KFF, told Dan Gorenstein, “If Republicans sweep this election, I think the ACA, along with Medicaid, will have big targets on their back.”

Link in bio to learn more about what these changes could mean for health care in America.

11/03/2024

Over 25% of U.S. adults under 65 years old have a preexisting condition. Before the ACA, people with preexisting conditions paid more or were simply denied health coverage.

Today people with preexisting conditions are protected under the ACA, but the upcoming election could shift power back to insurers and rollback those protections.

One of the nation’s leading experts on the Affordable Care Act breaks down its track record the stakes the historic law faces in the lead-up to the election.

10/27/2024

Older adults in the U.S. are having a moment.

From the Golden Bachelorette to the pickleball craze, there’s been a renaissance in aging.

We talk with Paula Span, columnist for The New York Times, about getting older in the "new old age."

Journalist Paula Span, who writes The New Old Age column for the New York Times, shares what she’s learned about how to age well.

10/22/2024

America’s older population is booming. Soon, almost one out of every four people will be at least 65 years old.

Paula Span, who writes The New Old Age column for The New York Times, shares the lessons she’s learned about how to age well.

Listen to the episode or read the transcript:

Journalist Paula Span, who writes The New Old Age column for the New York Times, shares what she’s learned about how to age well.

10/20/2024

Paula Span, author of The New Old Age column for The New York Times, is on a mission to help people live well and be a little less afraid of aging.

“The task here is not to pretend we're not old,” said Span, who is 75. "The task is to make it OK to be old, acknowledging that it brings certain challenges, as all phases of life do, but it's not som**hing that we have to dread.”

Listen to the full conversation:

Journalist Paula Span, who writes The New Old Age column for the New York Times, shares what she’s learned about how to age well.

10/15/2024

Surveys show that over 100 million Americans don’t have a regular primary care doctor or other provider for routine health visits.

Some employers have decided to take matters into their own hands and invest in providing primary care directly to employees by building clinics in their offices.

Some companies are cutting out insurers and bringing clinics to the office to address rising health care costs.

10/14/2024

Patients are pushing to shape the future of AI. One advocate shares her vision for the crucial role patients must play in the future of health care AI.

One advocate’s vision for the crucial role patients must play in the growth of health care AI.

10/10/2024

U.S. companies spend more than 1 trillion dollars every year on health care for employees and their families – more than 165 million Americans. It’s a huge part of a company’s budget.

But even employees with generous health plans complain it’s tough to find a doctor for affordable, primary care.

In recent years, several large firms have tried to fix the broken system themselves by providing employees with low-cost, primary health care right in their offices.

This week, we examine one big bank’s plan to ensure its employees get convenient, regular check-ups and other routine care.

Some companies are cutting out insurers and bringing clinics to the office to address rising health care costs.

10/08/2024

For decades, the most effective treatment for addiction to m**hamphetamine or co***ne has been mired in stigma and mostly limited to small research studies. But with deaths involving m**h and co***ne on the rise, policymakers across the country are turning to gift cards to fight drug use.

For decades, the most effective treatment for m**hamphetamine and co***ne addiction has been mostly locked away in small research studies. California is trying to change that.

10/07/2024

About half of all new drugs launched at the start of this decade had list prices over $150,000. A huge jump from 2008 when the median price for new medications at launch was just over $2,000.

For years, big players in the pharmaceutical industry have found ways to extend the monopoly on their brand-name medications through a playbook of tactics including patent manipulation.

Learn more about the threats facing the generic drug industry that we all rely on:

The U.S. has relied on cheap, effective generic drugs for 40 years. Now that promise is under threat.

10/04/2024

In 2023, nearly six out of every 10 fatal overdoses in the U.S. involved co***ne or m**hamphetamine stimulants. Unlike for opioids, there are no FDA-approved medications for stimulant addiction. Instead, the treatment with the most evidence is pretty low-tech: gift cards.

Using small financial incentives as a reward for negative drug tests, also known as contingency management, is the most effective treatment for people struggling with co***ne and m**h addiction.

This week, why has this treatment taken so long to catch on despite the data supporting its effectiveness? And how is California trying to scale it for Medicaid enrollees?

For decades, the most effective treatment for m**hamphetamine and co***ne addiction has been mostly locked away in small research studies. California is trying to change that.

10/02/2024

The generic drug industry, which has slashed prices by 50% for most prescriptions in the U.S., is facing serious challenges from overcompetition, patent manipulation and biologics, a new class of modern drugs.

We break down the three major threats to the generic drug industry that we all rely on.

The U.S. has relied on cheap, effective generic drugs for 40 years. Now that promise is under threat.

10/01/2024

Generic drugs gave Americans access to effective, cheap prescription medications. Its saved them trillions of dollars over the past few decades. But there are signs this vital industry may be in deep trouble.

09/30/2024

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) enforces a host of different laws that protect consumers from false advertising and unfair business practices including more recently quelling pharmaceutical patent manipulation.

For years, big players in the pharmaceutical industry have used a playbook of tactics to protect the longevity of their asset, brand-name prescription drugs, before generic drug companies are able to enter the market and slash prices. By tweaking the dosage or changing pill capsule coating, companies are able to apply for new patents that protect those “innovations.”

Increasing pressures have led the FTC to crack down on extreme cases of patent manipulation by going after “junk patent listings.” While taking down junk patents is definitely a win, drugmakers have become so skilled at manipulating patents they’re actually referred to as patent thickets – dense, wonky and legally risky to challenge.

Learn more about how generic drug companies are navigating a new era in the pharmaceutical market:

The U.S. has relied on cheap, effective generic drugs for 40 years. Now that promise is under threat.

09/29/2024

In July 2022, the 10-digit National Su***de Prevention Lifeline was converted into an easy-to-remember 3-digit hotline — 988. Mental health advocates saw the launch of this new number as a rare opportunity to connect millions more people in crisis with faster, safer and easier access to help during the moments they need it most.

But creating a new phone number is not as simple as flipping a switch, especially when people experiencing serious mental health crises are at one end of the line.

Our special series “Answering the Call,” explores the challenges and opportunities behind launching a brand new mental health crisis line.

Answering the Call A SPECIAL SERIES ON AMERICA'S NEW MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS LINE Photo by Norah Tahiri About the Series In July 2022, the 10-digit National

09/24/2024

Forty years ago today President Ronald Reagan signed into law a bill – known as the Hatch-Waxman Act – that dramatically changed the prescription drug market in America.

It made generic drugs cheaper and more accessible for millions of people and today fills 90% of prescriptions in the U.S.

But as the market for generic drugs has evolved, devastating drug shortages, supply chain issues and quality concerns have raised alarms among economists, patients and Congress.

A draft bill currently under revision in the Senate aims to address some of the core problems causing these issues, cost and incentive, but it is unclear if it’ll pass anytime soon.

Marta Wosińska, economist at The Brookings Institution, tells us that this Senate bill is just the beginning of the work needed to protect the generic drug supply.

Read more:

The U.S. has relied on cheap, effective generic drugs for 40 years. Now that promise is under threat.

09/22/2024

A group of nurses in East Baltimore is piloting a bold plan to bring basic primary care to everybody no matter their age, income or insurance. Can this idea from abroad take root in the United States?

A group of nurses in East Baltimore is piloting a bold plan to bring basic primary care to everybody no matter their age, income or insurance.

09/20/2024

This September marks 40 years since the birth of the generic drug industry in the United States. Nine out of every 10 prescriptions in the U.S. are filled by a generic drug. Generics — effectively copies of brand-name medications — saved Americans nearly $450 billion last year alone. But a lot has changed in these last four decades. These days, big players are leaving the business. Shortages are now the norm, and expensive cutting-edge therapies are harder to make for cheap.

So will we still be able to depend on affordable, high-quality generics being there when we need them?

via Marketplace Business News

The generic drug industry in the U.S. has saved people billions of dollars, but shortages are now the norm and competition is in overdrive.