The big picture: Medical debt burdens Americans without health insurance and, increasingly, those who have insurance with "high deductibles or limited networks of doctors whose care is paid for," the New York Times reports. Surprise medical bills have also grown more common and more expensive.
Maine is close to adding a ballot question to ask voters "to overturn a state law eliminating nonmedical vaccine exemptions for school children," due to efforts from members of the anti-vaccination movement, the Wall Street Journal reports.
The big picture: "Maine is one of a handful of states that have passed laws to limit exemptions to vaccinations developed to stop the spread of infectious diseases like measles, which immunization can keep at bay," per the WSJ. Earlier this year, the Democrat-controlled state legislature passed the law for fear of low immunization rates among young people.
The Philippines reported 1 confirmed case of polio on Thursday alongside another suspected case, marking a "re-emergence" of the vaccine-preventable disease in the country, the New York Times reports.
Why it matters: Health Secretary Francisco Duque blamed the return of the disease, among other reasons, on "'poor immunization coverage,' a lack of sanitation and proper hygiene and poor surveillance by health workers," per the Times.
Cannabis oils, vaping devices, packaging materials for vape products and vape products with THC are separately available on Instagram, Amazon and Facebook's Marketplace, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Why it matters: 8 people across the U.S. have died from lung-related illnesses linked to vaping, as of Sept. 20. This online marketplace "is increasingly difficult for law enforcement and tech companies to police because of the geographic distribution of users ... and the use of private accounts and messaging apps to sell illicit products," per the WSJ.
Why it matters: The world’s largest retailer cited "growing federal, state and local regulatory complexity and uncertainty" around the product and said that it would stop selling e-cigarettes after selling through its current inventory.
Editor's note: Bookerdropped outof contention for the Democratic presidential nomination on Jan. 13, 2020. Below is our original article on his candidacy.
Democrat Cory Booker is a New Jersey senator known for his optimistic views. The former mayor of Newark lived in one of the city's most distressed buildings until 2006 in a show of defiance against the landlord and the city.
Altria's $12.8 billion investment for a 35% stake in Juul is at risk of becoming one of the worst corporate investments of all time.
Driving the news: So far, vaping is suspected or confirmed as the cause of death for 8 people and 530 cases of pulmonary illness across 38 states, the CDC said, with a federal official saying that a criminal probe has begun.
More evidence is piling up that when doctors and insurers sit at a table with a third-party arbiter to solve billing disputes, the outcome could benefit the doctors.
Driving the news: 2 new government reports show how arbitration, one of the solutions being considered by Congress, works in theory and in the real world.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi released an aggressive proposal to rein in drug prices yesterday, and in a now-familiar fashion, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he hated it while President Trump kept the door open.
What they're saying: "I like Sen. Grassley's drug pricing bill very much, and it's great to see Speaker Pelosi's bill today," Trump tweeted.
