New Medicare Advantage Tool To Control Drug Prices Could Narrow Choices
Federal officials will allow private Medicare insurance plans to require patients who are candidates for certain expensive drugs to try cheaper drugs first.
health care
Insurer To Purdue Pharma: We Won't Pay For OxyContin Anymore
Embattled drugmaker Purdue Pharma defends OxyContin as some insurers are dropping the drug in favor of other abuse-deterrent opioid painkillers.
A Setback For Massachusetts In States' Drive To Contain Medicaid Drug Spending
Massachusetts planned to exclude expensive drugs that weren't proven to work better than existing alternatives from its Medicaid plan. Medicaid drug spending had doubled in five years.
Many 'Recovery Houses' Won't Let Residents Use Medicine To Quit Opioids
Evidence shows the drugs methadone and buprenorphine can help people recover from opioid use disorder by reducing withdrawal symptoms and cravings. So why do many sobriety facilities ban their use?
More Older Americans Are Turning To Marijuana
As marijuana gains popularity among people 65 and older, geriatricians call for more research on how it affects elderly patients. Shifts in metabolism as we age can intensify any drug's side effects.
East Coast Scientists Win Patent Case Over Medical Research Technology
Scientists affiliated with Harvard and MIT have been battling with colleagues at University of California, Berkeley over who deserves patents for a revolutionary technology used in medical research. On Monday, the east coast scientists won their case in a federal appeals court.
The Remedy For Surprise Medical Bills May Lie In Stitching Up Federal Law
Gaps in a wide-ranging law covering employee benefits can blindside consumers whose health coverage is provided by company and union health plans that pay claims out of their own funds.
Infectious Theory of Alzheimer's Disease Draws Fresh Interest
Money has poured into Alzheimer's research, but until very recently not much of it went toward investigating infection in causing dementia. A million dollar prize may lead more scientists to try.
Discreetly Tracking Down Sex Partners To Stop A Surge In STDs
In response to a spike in syphilis and gonorrhea cases, one Oregon county is sending medical sleuths to break the bad news in-person. Some people have no idea they've been exposed to an infection.
What's The Evidence That Supervised Drug Injection Sites Save Lives?
Proposals in several cities to offer drug users access to a safe space to consume drugs have caused a political stir, but what do we really know about the effectiveness of safe injection sites?