More than 9 million American adults aren’t taking their medications as prescribed due to the cost, with those who are uninsured or disabled among the likeliest to cut corners, according to new CDC data released Friday.
Why it matters: Skipping doses, taking less than the prescribed amount or delaying refills to save money can make health conditions worse and more expensive to manage, researchers wrote.
BJC HealthCare of St. Louis and Saint Luke's Health System of Kansas City said that they are exploring a merger that could create a 28-hospital academic health system valued at around $10 billion.
Why it matters: The combined company wouldn't have geographic overlap, which seems to be key for U.S. hospital operators that want to expand (and cut costs) without attracting antitrust attention.
The Supreme Court on Thursday reopened a pair of whistleblower lawsuits charging that Safeway and SuperValu pharmacies overcharged Medicare and Medicaid hundreds of millions of dollars for prescription drugs.
Driving the news: Justices unanimously overturned a 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that the chains didn't "knowingly" violate the False Claims Act when they offered cash-paying customers extended discounts on generic drugs while charging the government full price.
A Medicare plan for covering new Alzheimer's drugs treatments is reviving thorny questions about whether pricey treatments with modest success slowing the disease's progression are worth the cost and safety concerns.
Driving the news: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on Thursday outlined conditions under which it would expand coverage for a specific class of Alzheimer's drugs, including Eisai and Biogen's experimental Leqembi.
Mandy Cohen,the former head of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, is expected to become the next director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, two sources familiar with the move confirmed to Axios.
The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday issued 30 warning letters to retailers and a distributor for illegally selling unauthorized tobacco products, including some widely used Puff and Hyde brand disposable e-cigarettes.
Why it matters: The warnings were part of a nationwide crackdown on e-cigarettes popular with youths, including the Puff Bar — the top brand among kids who reported using e-cigarettes in a 2022 national survey.
Some state policies that require reporting pregnant patients who use illicit drugs to child protective services also use treatment for opioid use disorder as a proxy for alleged child abuse and neglect.
Driving the news: That's led pregnant patients to face discrimination in health care settings, experience higher overdose risk due to stress and opt to discontinue the opioid addiction drug buprenorphine, according to a new report in Maternal and Child Health Journal from Massachusetts General Hospital.
UnitedHealth is backing off a controversial plan to require prior authorizations for colonoscopies and other endoscopic procedures. But the debate over insurer sign-offs that it stoked will likely linger.
Why it matters: While prior authorizations are supposed to ensure that health services are medically necessary, critics say they can create barriers to care and drown the health system in red tape.
The general advice that you should get a "protective" base tan before your beach vacation? It's not science-backed.
Why it matters: Nearly 1 in 4 (24%) adults think getting a base tan will prevent sunburn, according to a new American Academy of Dermatology survey shared with Axios.
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