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Articles written by Tom Murphy

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How to shop for new insurance if you lose Medicaid coverage

Medicaid will end for millions of Americans in the coming months, and that pushes many into unfamiliar territory: the health insurance marketplace. States will start cutting people from the government-funded coverage when they no longer qualify...

 

Lilly plans to slash some insulin prices, expand cost cap

Eli Lilly will cut prices for some older insulins later this year and immediately give more patients access to a cap on the costs they pay to fill prescriptions. The moves announced Wednesday promise critical relief to some people with diabetes who...

 

Why a new Alzheimer's drug is having a slow US debut

The first drug to show that it slows Alzheimer's is on sale, but treatment for most patients is still several months away. Two big factors behind the slow debut, experts say, are scant insurance coverage and a long setup time needed by many health...

 

Primary care a hot target; CVS spends $10.6B on Oak Street

Big money is pouring into primary care clinics as the nation's health care giants hunt for ways to cut costs by keeping people healthy. CVS Health said Wednesday that it will spend about $10.6 billion to buy Oak Street Health, which runs clinics...

 

Children's medicine shortage hits as flu season starts fast

Caring for sick children has become extra stressful recently for many U.S. parents due to shortages of Children's Tylenol and other medicines. Doctors and other experts say the problem could persist through the winter cold-and-flu season but should...

 

Medicaid extensions for new moms grow, may run into limits

States around the country are making it easier for new moms to keep Medicaid in the year after childbirth, a time when depression and other health problems can develop. But tight government budgets and the program's low reimbursement may ultimately...

 

Moderna sues Pfizer over patents behind COVID-19 vaccine

COVID-19 vaccine maker Moderna is suing Pfizer and the German drugmaker BioNTech, accusing its main competitors of copying Moderna's technology in order to make their own vaccine. Moderna said Friday that Pfizer and BioNTech's vaccine Comirnaty...

 

Teladoc eyes several new phases of growth for telemedicine

Fresh off a big acquisition and riding a wave of customer growth, Teladoc Health is ready to do more for patients. CEO Jason Gorevic said the telemedicine provider can play a big role in helping people manage high blood pressure, diabetes or other...

 

Pandemic forces some patients to phone in doctor visits

Video telemedicine took off earlier this year as the coronavirus paused in-person doctor visits. Earl Egner missed that trend. The 84-year-old diabetic and cancer survivor has no computer or cellphone. Instead, he relies on a form of communication...

 

Insurance marketplaces offer help with coronavirus job cuts

More than a million people could swamp the Affordable Care Act's health insurance marketplaces in the coming months as employers lay off staff during the coronavirus pandemic. The health insurance markets are a backbone of the Obama-era law that...

 

Paging Dr. Robot: Artificial intelligence moves into care

Artificial intelligence is spreading into health care, often as software or a computer program capable of learning from large amounts of data and making predictions to guide care or help patients. It already detects an eye disease tied to diabetes...

 
 By Tom Murphy    Regional    July 28, 2019

Hurry up and wait: Docs say insurers increasingly interfere

After Kim Lauerman was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, doctors wanted to give her a drug that helps prevent infections and fever during chemotherapy. Her insurer said no. Anthem Blue Cross told Lauerman the drug wasn't necessary. She eventually got...

 

Even a small amount of medical debt can trigger headaches

It doesn't take a huge unpaid medical bill to make a collection agency come calling ... and calling. Researchers found in a study of credit reports that more than 2 percent of adults had medical bills under $200 sent to a collection agency. Over half...

 

Rising air ambulance bills hit patients with added shock

A helicopter trip to a hospital may not be the only shock a patient faces after a bad accident. The next one could hit when the bill arrives. Rides in so-called air ambulances can lead to bills of more than $20,000 depending on a person's coverage,...

 

Many cancer patients juggle care along with financial pain

Josephine Rizo survived chemotherapy, surgery and radiation, but breast cancer treatment wrecked her finances. Money was already tight when doctors told the Phoenix resident she had an aggressive form of the disease. Then she took a pay cut after...

 

Study: Medical bankruptcies may not be as common as thought

Medical bills can push patients over the financial cliff, but a new study says this may not happen as often as previous research suggests. Hospitalizations cause only about 4 percent of personal bankruptcies among non-elderly U.S. adults, according...

 

Health insurer Cigna buying Express Scripts for $52 billion

Health insurer Cigna is buying the nation's biggest pharmacy benefit manager, Express Scripts, the latest in a string of proposed tie-ups as health care's bill payers attempt to get a grip on rising costs. The $52 billion deal announced Thursday...

 

Insurers get into care, but is it good for your health?

In the not-too-distant future, your health insurance, your prescription drugs and some of your treatment may come from the same company. Insurers are dropping billions of dollars on acquisitions and expansions in order to get more involved in...

 

Grocer Albertsons eyes Rite Aid deal in health care push

The owner of Safeway and other grocery brands is buying the drugstore chain Rite Aid as retailers continue to plunge deeper into health care and adjust to swiftly changing shopping habits. Albertsons Companies executives said Tuesday that their...

 

Amazon, Buffett and JPMorgan join forces on health care

Three of corporate America's heaviest hitters — Amazon, Warren Buffett and JPMorgan Chase — sent a shudder through the health industry Tuesday when they announced plans to jointly create a company to provide their employees with high-quality,...

 

Walmart offers way to turn leftover opioids into useless gel

Walmart is helping customers get rid of leftover opioids by giving them packets that turn the addictive painkillers into a useless gel. The retail giant said Wednesday that it will provide the packets free with opioid prescriptions filled at its...

 

What to look for as 'Obamacare' 2018 enrollment opens

A new deadline, rising prices and fewer options for help will greet health insurance shoppers as the Affordable Care Act's main enrollment window opens Wednesday. Also in store: Befuddlement. "Confusion seems to be one of the key words to describe...

 

Trump health coverage alternatives may pose risk to the sick

The White House is working on a plan that could bring more health insurance choices and cheaper options to people buying individual and small business coverage. But the bill for this might be paid by the sick. Senior administration officials have...

 

Buyer beware: Long-term care costs are surging

Long-term care costs are surging again and the most expensive option — a private nursing home room — may soon top $100,000 per year. Growing labor expenses and sicker patients helped push the median cost of care that includes adult day care and...

 

Health benefit offers from small businesses keep vanishing

Only half of America's smallest businesses now offer health coverage to their workers because many say steady cost hikes have made it too expensive to afford a benefit that nearly all large employers still provide. The Kaiser Family Foundation said...

 

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