Black women in the U.S. are, on average, six times more likely to be murdered than white women, researchers wrote Thursday in The Lancet.
Why it matters: The study —which covered more than two decades — is the first to break out homicide trends among women between ages 25 and 44, when they are statistically more likely to be murdered.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) landed some tough questions on three major pharmaceutical CEOs at a hearing on Thursday but didn't come away with new commitments to lower prices or make other concessions.
Why it matters: Sanders relishes the ability to put public pressure on drug companies over their prices, but the CEOs of Johnson & Johnson, Merck and Bristol Myers Squibb also showed their ability to stay on message.
A divided House of Representatives on Wednesday endorsed banning quality-adjusted life years from being used as a metric for determining a drug's value in federal health programs.
Why it matters: QALYs are viewed as a key tool in comparative effectiveness studies, but have been held up as discriminatory against people with disabilities — and are unevenly applied across federal programs.
CVS Health and Centene executives say newly proposed Medicare Advantage rates for 2025 aren't "sufficient" and hinted they could cut benefits if the federal government finalizes the rates as is.
Why it matters: More than half of Medicare enrollees are in private Medicare Advantage plans. The specter of potential cuts to seniors' health care benefits in an election year could put pressure on the Biden administration.
In an era of rising health costs, it almost sounds too good to be true: A midsized Montana-based company managed to nearly halve its per-person health spending in just five years, without dropping benefits.
Why it matters: Pacific Steel & Recycling's success in wrestling down its health spending provides a case study of how employers can cut costs, but CEO Jeff Millhollin said the effort also demonstrates why it's harder than needed for most companies and workers.
Ohio hasscrapped plans to restrict gender-affirming health care for adults following backlash over a proposal issued last month.
Why it matters: Ohio's proposed limits would have been the toughest restrictions on transition-related care for adults in the country, transgender rights advocates said.
Biden administration officials this week pushed executives from leading pharmacy chains to make sure frontline staff are providing patients with accurate information about costs of the COVID-19 treatment Paxlovid, officials told Axios first.
Why it matters: Uptake of the Pfizer antiviral has remained stubbornly low since it transitioned to the commercial market in the fall, in part because of patients sometimes being charged up to the full list price of $1,400.
The Biden administration hasopened up applications to run a revamped network for distributing donated organs — but lack of funding could jeopardize those efforts, federal health officials said Tuesday.
Why it matters: This is the first time in four decades the government will solicit multiple contracts to run the organ transplant system, hoping to foster more competition and ultimately improve patient care.
If Donald Trump returns to the White House, the self-proclaimed master negotiator could get his shot at brokering Medicare prices for drugs.
Why it matters: Trump first ran for president bucking conservative orthodoxy by vowing to negotiate drug prices, though he later abandoned that pledge.
