The FDA is warning consumers to immediately stop using and avoid purchasing 27 over-the-counter eye drop products due to the "potential risk of eye infections that could result in partial vision loss or blindness."
Why it matters: The agency said in an alert posted Friday that investigators found "insanitary conditions in the manufacturing facility and positive bacterial test results from environmental sampling."
One of the first studies of publicly available insurer price data found generally higher rates for office visits and medical procedures in the Upper Midwest and Southeast, and the lowest costs in the Central U.S. and Florida.
Why it matters: The findings published in JAMA Health Forum could help shine a light on regional price variations and whether higher costs translate to more value in markets.
More workplaces are offering at least one health plan that is free to employees or offers no-deductible coverage for certain services as many workers struggle to afford care.
Driving the news: The number of large employers offering at least one free medical plan to employees increased from 11% this year to 15% in 2024 coverage, according to a new Mercer survey.
COVID-19 treatments, including Pfizer's Paxlovid, will begin transitioning to the commercial market this week, with costs of the drugs set to increase.
Why it matters: The oral antivirals reduce the risk of hospitalization or death from COVID-19 and until now have been free for patients through the federal government. The Biden administration and drugmakers have taken steps to ensure access to the treatments after they move to the commercial market.
Relatively few people who lost Medicaid coverage this year have wound up in Affordable Care Act plans — but the HealthCare.gov sign-up period starting this week could be a chance to enroll people who've fallen through the cracks.
The big picture: The ACA's health insurance markets, which offer heavily subsidized coverage for lower-income people, can provide a backstop for some of the millions who have been removed from Medicaid this year as states pare their rolls for the first time since the pandemic.
The Biden administration on Monday will send a letter urging all schools to keep an opioid overdose reversal drug on hand and train staff and students on how to use it.
Why it matters: The request is a response to the grim reality that opioid overdoses — particularly those involving illicit fentanyl — have risen rapidly among children and teenagers in recent years.
