Listen: Teaching Teens to Reverse Overdoses, Taxes on Uninsured Californians, and More
By Heidi de Marco and Stephanie O'Neill Patison
California Healthline journalists report on efforts to train teens to use the opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone, the state’s decision not to spend the tax penalty money from uninsured residents, Centene’s political contributions, and efforts to keep young kids on Medicaid for several years after birth.
California Attorney General Sues Drugmakers Over Inflated Insulin Prices
By Angela Hart and Samantha Young
California Attorney General Rob Bonta is taking three major drugmakers and three distributors to court, alleging the companies illegally raised prices at the expense of diabetes patients.
Fiscal general de California demanda a farmacéuticas por “inflar” los precios de la insulina
By Angela Hart and Samantha Young
En la demanda, Rob Bonta argumentó que los precios se han disparado y que algunos pacientes se han visto obligados a racionar sus medicamentos o renunciar por completo a comprar insulina.
Eli Lilly Slashed Insulin Prices. This Starts a Race to the Bottom.
By Bram Sable-Smith and Samantha Young
Eli Lilly’s news that it plans to cut insulin costs for patients will help, not hinder, the recent efforts in California and by entrepreneurs such as Mark Cuban to offer lower-cost alternatives, drug pricing experts said.
After the Pandemic Hit Nursing Homes Hard, Lawmakers Push to Tighten Licensing Rules
By Samantha Young
Legislators are proposing an overhaul of California’s licensing system for nursing homes that would make it the most stringent in the country. They argue that disreputable and unlicensed owners and operators have harmed residents. The industry describes the proposed requirements as excessive.
California’s Resolve Questioned After It Grants Medi-Cal Contract Concessions
By Bernard J. Wolfson and Samantha Young
After the Department of Health Care Services canceled Medi-Cal contract awards under pressure from major insurers, some consumer advocates question the administration’s willpower to improve care in the safety-net program.
California Handed Its Medicaid Drug Program to One Company. Then Came a Corporate Takeover.
By Samantha Young
The company awarded the state’s Medi-Cal Rx contract was taken over by another company, Centene. That left the state with a contractor it didn’t pick — one that has been accused of overbilling nine other state Medicaid programs and is now under investigation by California.
Centene Agrees to Pay Massachusetts $14 Million Over Medicaid Prescription Claims
By Andy Miller and Samantha Young
Massachusetts is the latest state to settle with St. Louis-based Centene Corp. over allegations that it overcharged Medicaid prescription drug programs.
Centene to Pay $166 Million to Texas in Medicaid Drug Pricing Settlement
By Andy Miller and Samantha Young
Texas is at least the 12th state to settle with St. Louis-based Centene Corp. over allegations that it overcharged Medicaid prescription drug programs.
