Cost and Quality

Latest California Healthline Stories

California’s New Transparency Law Reveals Steep Rise In Wholesale Drug Prices

Pharmaceutical companies raised the wholesale cost of their drugs by a median of nearly 26% from 2017 to early 2019, according to California’s first-ever report stemming from a new drug price transparency law. Prices for generic drugs rose nearly 38% during that time.

As Medicare Enrollment Nears, Popular Price Comparison Tool Missing Key Details

For more than a decade, customers used the online plan finder to compare dozens of policies. Yet after a redesign of the website, the search results no longer list which plan offers a customer the best value. Federal officials say it will be fixed before enrollment begins next week.

Trump’s New Order For Medicare Packs Potential Rise In Patients’ Costs

The president’s directive, which he said is designed to give beneficiaries more choices in their health care, could lead to higher costs for seniors. Final rules are to be written by the Department of Health and Human Services.

Tenn. Block Grant Experiment Would Boost Federal Funding, State Medicaid Chief Says

In a Q&A with Kaiser Health News, Tennessee Medicaid Director Gabe Roberts says state officials are requesting a modified block grant from federal officials because it would save money and allow the state to keep some of that savings.

Walmart To Give Workers Financial Incentives To Use Higher-Quality Doctors

The program, which will roll out next year in three parts of the country, seeks to encourage workers on the company’s health plan to choose doctors that have been identified as providing “appropriate, effective and cost-efficient care.”