Every year since 2010, the Department of Justice has recovered at least $2 billion from hospitals, doctors, pharmaceutical firms and other health care companies for allegedly defrauding the federal government.
The big picture: Federal fraud settlements from the health care industry totaled $2.5 billion in the 2018 fiscal year alone, according to newly released figures. A look at those settlements shows the wide variety of tactics health care companies have allegedly used to steer money to themselves.
The death rate of children and teenagers from opioid poisoning almost tripled between 1999 and 2016, with nearly three quarters of them from prescription medicines, an analysis of national data published in JAMA Network Open Friday shows.
By the numbers: Almost 9,000 people in the U.S. under 20 died over the 18-year period — including a surprisingly large number of 0-5 year olds and a growing number of 15–19 year olds, study author Julie Gaither tells Axios.
"This study really speaks to how all segments of U.S. society have been affected. No one has been spared. And, there's no sign to date that this is going to change."
— Julie Gaither, instructor, Yale School of Medicine
The Democratic Republic of Congo's electoral commission has postponed voting in three opposition strongholds — officially because of concerns over Ebola and insecurity — ahead of Sunday's vote, sparking a furious reaction from an opposition convinced the election is being rigged.
