More than 1 in 10 American adults had diagnosed diabetes in 2018, and of those, 13.2% didn't take their medication as prescribed in order to reduce their prescription drug costs and 24.4% asked their doctor for a cheaper drug, according to a new brief from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Why it matters: We've all heard how insulin is increasingly unaffordable. Here are the statistical consequences, which translate into very real health consequences for patients who aren't taking their medicine.
Juul's competitors are attracting customers with cheaper products and fruity flavors that Juul no longer sells in retail stores, CNBC reports.
The big picture: When Juul decided to self-regulate in response to mounting FDA concerns, its rivals pounced on the opportunity to boost their own sales.
Rural America is stuck in a cycle of increasingly vulnerable patients with declining access to health care.
Why it matters: Rural patients often can't afford care, are being hounded by hospitals and collection agencies over their unpaid bills, and are facing the reality of life in communities where the last hospital has closed.
In an interview with VICE News, former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said he thinks Medicare for All and decriminalizing border crossings are the wrong issues to focus on for Democrats to win the White House in 2020.
Why it matters: Both topics have been dividers in the crowded field seeking the 2020 Democratic nomination. While more progressive candidates like Sen. Bernie Sanders have long favored Medicare for All, moderates such as former Rep. John Delaney are pushing for a universal health care system, but not Medicare for All.
Two drug companies — Endo and Allergan — are in discussions about a settlement that would allow them to avoid participating in a massive opioids trial set to occur this fall, the Wall Street Journal reports. Endo is working on a $10 million deal, while Allergan is negotiating a $5 million deal that may not completely remove it from the trial.
Why it matters: These 2 companies are relatively minor players in the trial, especially compared to drugmakers like Purdue Pharma and Johnson and Johnson. But this would still be a significant development, especially if other drug companies end up following Endo and Allergan's lead to avoid going to trial.
Physician outsourcing companies and private equity firms are enlisting new groups to lobby Congress as it considers how to protect patients from receiving large bills from out-of-network doctors who are at in-network facilities.
The big picture: Physician groups who most often mail out surprise medical bills are fighting proposals that take a bite out of their incomes to ease patients' financial burdens.
Physician outsourcing companies and private equity firms are enlisting new groups to lobby Congress as it considers how to protect patients from receiving large bills from out-of-network doctors who are at in-network facilities.
The big picture: Physician groups who most often mail out surprise medical bills are fighting proposals that take a bite out of their incomes, but ease patients' financial burdens.
President Trump came into office in 2017 with big ambitions on health care. But he’ll end this term with a lot less to show.
The big picture: If Trump ends up being a one-term president — and that’s not a prediction, just 1 of the 2 possibilities in 2020 — his health care legacy would be pretty modest.
