Latest California Healthline Stories
Sky-High Prices For Orphan Drugs Slam American Families And Insurers
Orphan drugs for rare diseases have helped or saved hundreds of thousands of patients like 2-year-old Luke Whitbeck, but families and insurers are picking up the astronomical cost.
Una investigación de Kaiser Health News analiza las acciones de compañias farmacéuticas para manipular los precios de medicamentos huérfanos, utilizados para tratar enfermedades raras.
Drugmakers Manipulate Orphan Drug Rules To Create Prized Monopolies
Drugmakers have brought almost 450 orphan drugs to market and collected rich incentives but nearly a third of those products aren’t new or were repurposed multiple times, an investigation shows.
Follow the twists and turns of the orphan drug industry over the past three decades.
Cheaper Over-The-Counter Hearing Aids Could Be On The Way
The FDA and other agencies are loosening restrictions on hearing aid sales and opening the door to less expensive, over-the-counter products.
HHS Secretary: Give Medicare Authority To Negotiate Drug Prices
More work is needed to improve health care in U.S., but there are no “silver bullets” to get the job done, Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell tells National Press Club in a farewell speech defending Obamacare.
One In Three Women With Breast Cancer Treated Unnecessarily, Study Concludes
Mammograms find many slow-growing cancers that aren’t life-threatening and shouldn’t be treated, a Danish study said.
After-Hours ER Care May Come With A Doctor’s Surcharge
Patients sometimes find an additional charge, generally between $30 and $200, tacked onto their bill for visiting a hospital emergency room between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m.
Bundled Payments Work, Study Finds, But HHS Nominee No Fan
A study found that Medicare’s bundled payments model for joint replacement could save the government billions of dollars without harming patient care.
Leading Republicans See A Costly Malpractice Crisis — Experts Don’t
The incoming HHS secretary wants to boldly reform the malpractice system, saying hundreds of billions are wasted on “lawsuit abuse” and defensive medicine. Industry experts say premiums and claims are down and “it’s a wonderful time for doctors.”