Why it matters: Views on alcohol and drugs are shifting rapidly, especially among millennials and Gen Z. Americans overall now see booze as more harmful than marijuana.
CVS Health shares were trading down 8% on Thursday after Blue Shield of California announced plans to cut back on its pharmacy benefit management services.
Why it matters: CVS Caremark is one of three PBM players that control roughly 80% of the industry. But there are increasing concerns about the regulatory environment as the industry comes into the crosshairs of the Federal Trade Commission and Congress.
The majority of LGBTQ+ adults feel that their safety is threatened by bans on gender-affirming care — and they're making significant life decisions as a result, new polling provided exclusively to Axios found.
Why it matters: Twenty-one states have passed laws limiting access to gender-affirming care — one of the most direct attacks on transgender and non-binary youth, per the Human Rights Campaign.
While the surge in prescriptions for ADHD drugs during the pandemic has often been attributed to expanded telehealth access, new research finds there has been little difference in prescribing rates for in-person or virtual care at large health centers since 2020.
Why it matters: There's been an ongoing debate about whether the explosion in telehealth enabled over-prescribing of ADHD medications like Adderall amid a prolonged drug shortage that's disrupted patient care.
The big picture: Economic and political turmoil, along with unease about developments like AI, have left many Americans numb to public health threats, though issues like the opioid crisis and shortage of cancer drugs are still registering.
If you've noticed a sudden rise in the number of people wearing masks while you're out and about lately, here's why: COVID-19 is on the upswing once again, according to closely watched metrics.
Driving the news: The late summer spread comes as a new variant, EG.5, is now the dominant form in the U.S., per CDC estimates — though it's unclear if that variant is directly responsible for the rising numbers.
Three high-profile medical associations on Wednesday warned that emergency rooms cannot sustain the surge in kids seeking emergency psychiatric care without more local resources for youth mental health.
Why it matters: Emergency rooms weren't designed to be mental health providers, but limited mental health support for children outside of hospitals has led to understaffed ERs being overwhelmed by young patients with behavioral emergencies.
A federal appeals court on Wednesday upheld portions of a ruling that limit access to the widely used abortion pill mifepristone.
Driving the news: The ruling by the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in the high-stakes legal battle over the pill won't have immediate impacts on the availability of the medication.
The NFL is expanding use of the padded softshell caps that players have been wearing for the duration of preseason practices, as well as regular season contact practices, amid signs they're cutting down on concussions.
Why it matters: Player safety has been under increased scrutiny, and the Guardian Caps worn by offensive and defensive linemen, tight ends and linebackers resulted in 52% fewer concussions up to the second preseason game this year, compared to an average of the same period over the previous three preseasons.
One year after President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act, the future of the law's signature drug pricing policy — Medicare negotiations — is up in the air.
Why it matters: A barrage of lawsuits from drugmakers and allied groups are seeking to overturn provisions enabling Medicare to negotiate drug prices, just as the Biden administration is preparing to announce the first set of drugs subject to the new policy. While the fate of Medicare negotiations is uncertain, the political terms the IRA set will be enshrined in future health policy debates, said experts across the political spectrum.
Planned Parenthood said Tuesday a Texas lawsuit seeking to force it to pay back millions in Medicaid could see it shutdown in the state.
Driving the news: Texas' now-suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton announced the lawsuit under the federal False Claims Act last year, claiming Planned Parenthood defrauded the state's Medicaid program of about $10 million. The nonprofit says the claims are "meritless."
