Budget pressures have kept all but 13 states from covering GLP-1 drugs for weight loss through their Medicaid programs, a new report from KFF shows.
Why it matters: The restrictive policies add to equity concerns around the blockbuster drugs, which have shown a remarkable ability to help patients lose weight and improve associated health metrics.
About $1.5 billion in annual Medicare payments to hospitals will be on the line Tuesday when the Supreme Court hears arguments in a case over whether the federal government shortchanges facilities that care for low-income seniors.
Why it matters: It's the latest legal skirmish over so-called disproportionate share payments that have steadily declined in recent years but are a lifeline for hospitals that treat a substantial number of poor patients, who typically are sicker and have more complex needs.
Private equity firm Shore Capital Partners is in advanced talks to merge a pair of its veterinary practice platforms, via an $8.6 billion recapitalization sponsored by Silver Lake, as first reported by Bloomberg and confirmed by Axios.
Why it matters: This would create one of the country's largest pet services group with over 750 facilities, and is being driven by the pandemic-era boom in pet ownership.
When global drug supply chain issues crop up, they are 40% less likely to result in a meaningful drug shortage in Canada compared with the U.S., according to findings in JAMA Network.
Why it matters: Shortages are occurring more often and can be incredibly disruptive to U.S. health care, as most recently demonstrated by the IV fluid shortage.
Almost 200 countries at a UN biodiversity conference in Colombia agreed on a system for distributing proceeds fromproducts derived from genetic information into a global conservation fund.
Why it matters: Countries are seeking fair compensation for their resources, which they could restrict access to without a system for sharing the billions of dollars and other benefits from using genetic sequences to make drugs, cosmetics and agricultural products.
Fewer than 1 in 6 health care workers in hospitals and nursing homes reported getting COVID-19 boosters during the 2023-2024 respiratory virus season, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study found.
The big picture: The drop-off followed the expiration of a Biden administration vaccine mandate for health workers in June 2023 and the end of free access to government-funded COVID shots.
It's official: Doctors face another year of pay cuts from Medicare in 2025 under a rule finalized by the Biden administration on Friday, unless Congress steps in again to avert the decrease.
