Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Cost Of Care Hits Many Americans, Even As Insured Rates Hit Highs
The number of Americans with health insurance has climbed to historic highs during the COVID-19 pandemic, but within that silver lining is a darker hue. Many Americans have policies that only provide limited financial protection, to the point that many patients report forgoing needed medical care or prescriptions to avoid being hit with punishing out-of-pocket costs. (Ollove, 10/7)
More on the high cost of health care 鈥
A New York Times review of dozens of fraud lawsuits, inspector general audits and investigations by watchdogs shows how major health insurers exploited the program to inflate their profits by billions of dollars. (Abelson and Sanger-Katz, 10/8)
Like many patients suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS鈥攁lso known as Lou Gehrig鈥檚 disease鈥擫ayne Oliff didn鈥檛 have any time to waste. Even before the drug Relyvrio was approved late last month by the Food and Drug Administration, he has had his own do-it-yourself method: He gets sodium phenylbutyrate in liquid form from a New Jersey pharmacy and taurursodiol online from Amazon. That costs him over $7,000 a year, but he says it has been well worth it because he feels the combination has helped stabilize a disease that often causes death within a few years. (Wainer, 10/10)
New data from the Medicare startup Chapter聽shows the cost of prescriptions can vary widely from one state to another and even from one zip code to another.聽For seniors with聽chronic medical conditions, a difference in geography could聽mean paying thousands of dollars more per year out-of-pocket for the same medicine.聽(Wedell, 10/9)
In related news 鈥
CVS Health will reduce the cost of its branded menstrual products by 25% in Texas to offset a state 鈥渢ampon tax.鈥 The price reduction will occur in 12 states where the company said it can legally pay on behalf of the consumer. CVS Health will also partner with national organizations working to eliminate taxes on menstrual products in some two dozen other states, the company said. (Skores, 10/11)
The world of hearing health will change on Oct. 17, when the Food and Drug Administration鈥檚 new regulations, announced in August, will make quality hearing aids an over-the-counter product. It just won鈥檛 transform as quickly or as dramatically, at least at first, as advocates, technology and consumer electronics companies and people with mild to moderate hearing loss have been hoping. (Span, 10/10)
