Latest California Healthline Stories
It’s Not Just For Kids: Medicare EpiPen Spending Up 1,100 Percent
The number of prescriptions for Medicare beneficiaries is on the rise, too.
Veterans Courted In California’s Ballot Fight Over Curbing Drug Prices
The initiative would prohibit California state agencies from paying more for a prescription drug than what the Department of Veterans Affairs pays. Both sides are deploying veterans’ sympathetic and trusted image to win over voters.
Candidates Decry High Drug Prices But Have Few Options For Voters
Drug prices rise for a variety of reasons but opportunities for the government to control them is limited.
Study Says Concerns About Orphan Drug Spending Are Unjustified
A study in Health Affairs concludes that orphan drugs for rare diseases are not having a widespread or deep impact on health care spending.
Consumer Group Questions Role of Drug Costs In California Premium Hikes
Consumers Union says Anthem Inc. and Blue Shield of California may be exploiting furor over prescription drug prices. State regulators are looking into the issue.
EpiPen Controversy Fuels Concerns Over Generic Drug Approval Backlog
Four years after a huge push to speed generics to market, the FDA has more than 4,000 generics waiting for approval.
Government-Protected ‘Monopolies’ Drive Drug Prices Higher, Study Says
Researchers at Harvard University examined thousands of studies to determine why drug prices have climbed and what might be done about it.
Sen. Hernandez Pulls Bill On Drug Price Transparency
The legislation would have required drug companies to notify the state and insurers about expensive new treatments or price hikes.
Drug Price Transparency Bill Clears Key Hurdle in California Legislature
The end of August is the deadline for lawmakers to make a final decision on the measure, which would require pharmaceutical companies to provide advance notice of large price increases and introduction of expensive new drugs.
Can Drug Price Transparency Keep Costs Down?
California is among a number of states considering new laws to control the rising cost of prescription medications.