Social mobility — the ability to move up the income ladder — can help explain the gap between the life expectancies of the rich and the poor, according to a new study in JAMA Internal Medicine.
What they found: Counties with higher social mobility tend to have smaller life expectancy gaps between the rich and poor, and the poorest people in those counties live longer.
Add the U.S. government to the list of groups going after patients for thousands of dollars in medical debt, per reporting by The Center for Public Integrity and The Atlantic.
How it works: Civilians can receive care at military hospitals in an emergency or if the military hospital offers superior care.
A bipartisan group of senators wants the vaping industry to pay for more of the Food and Drug Administration's oversight of vaping products.
Driving the news: Six senators, led by Democrat Jeanne Shaheen, will introduce a bill today to charge e-cigarette manufacturers higher user fees, which fund many of the FDA's regulatory activities. A corresponding bill led by Rep. Cheri Bustos will be introduced in the House soon.
State and federal spending on prescription drugs is dramatically outpacing inflation, even after accounting for rebates, according to a new analysis of federal data.
The big picture: Rebates lower drug spending, as their proponents argue. But they also reinforce a system that's incredibly complex and costly — especially for people who take a lot of medications and have to pay sizable amounts out of pocket.
The first U.S. case of the new coronavirus that's killed at least six people and caused illness in multiple countries has been confirmed in Washington state.
The latest: In an effort to stem the spread of the deadly virus in America, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is rolling out a "funneling" of flights directly or indirectly from Wuhan, China, to five specific airports where screenings will be done, adding Chicago and Atlanta to prior designated screening airports.
The Supreme Court said Monday that it won't speed up a lawsuit that aims to strike down the entire Affordable Care Act. The law's defenders had asked the high court to step in earlier than usual, but the justices opted to let the normal appeals process run its course instead.
Why it matters: This unsurprising move all but ensures that the court won't decide the ACA's fate until after the 2020 presidential election. If the justices ultimately do strike down all or part of the health care law, President Trump won't have to answer for the ensuing disruption during a campaign — and it could end up being his successor's mess to clean up.
A generic version of Copaxone, one of the most popular drugs to treat multiple sclerosis, didn't do much to lower costs for patients, NPR reports.
The big picture: MS drugs cost $70,000 a year, on average, and some prices have increased to five times what they were when the drugs were first approved by the FDA.
