Wyoming has come up with a unique way to make air ambulances — a common source of huge surprise medical bills — more affordable, according to the Georgetown University Health Policy Institute's blog.
The big picture: The state is essentially proposing to turn air ambulances into a public utility after its health department has put together a Medicaid waiver that would make all residents, regardless of their income, eligible for Medicaid coverage of air ambulance services.
Premiums for Affordable Care Act coverage are going down in some places, and barely rising in others.
The big picture: Health insurers raised ACA rates dramatically over the past few years, largely due to political chaos. But their plans have still proven to be extremely profitable. Now many companies are lowering premiums as they expect to send money back to their customers.
The CDC is working with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and state health officials to gather information on new cases of lung-related illnesses possibly caused by vaping, per a Wednesday press release.
What's happening: 16 states have reported 153 possible cases of "severe lung illness associated with e-cigarette product use" between June 28 and August 20, according to the CDC. There is no evidence that an infectious disease is the culprit of the illnesses and no deaths have been reported, per the CDC.
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.
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