Ongoing shortages of life-saving and essential drugs have largely been tied to the fragility of drug supply chain, but the flip side of the economic equation driving the scarcity — demand — is also a growing problem.
Why it matters: The U.S. has been experiencing its worst year for drug shortages in a decade, with Sanofi and AstraZeneca's new RSV shot for infants as the latest high-profile example.
A wave of medical services delivered via software has the potential to expand access to new therapies and help keep people out of the hospital — but the health system is still trying to figure out how to pay for it.
Why it matters: Experts advising Medicare are just beginning to wrestle with how the program — the largest payer of health care in the U.S. — should pay for software used as medical devices, which can range from video games prescribed for ADHD to technology that analyzes data from CT scans.
America will enter the 22nd century with a shrinking population unless immigration increases, according to new U.S. Census Bureau projections released Thursday.
Why it matters: Beyond changing what the country looks like, these demographic trends could profoundly reshape the economy and alter society.
