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Sanofi Follows Lilly, Novo Nordisk in Cutting Insulin Prices

FRIDAY, March 17, 2023 (HealthDay News) – Sanofi Inc. on Thursday became the third company to announce it will slash prices on its insulin products.

The French company announced that it will cut prices by 78% and cap out-of-pocket charges for its insulin, brand named Lantus, at $35 per month. The company will also lower prices on its short-acting insulin, Apidra, by 70%.

“Sanofi...

Novo Nordisk to Cut Insulin Prices by Up to 75%

Novo Nordisk Inc. on Tuesday became the third drug company to say it will slash prices on some of its insulin products.

Starting in January 2024, there will be a 75% price cut for NovoLog and NovoLog Mix 70/30, while Novolin and Levemir will see cuts of 65%, the Danish pharmaceutical giant announced in a

  • Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
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  • March 14, 2023
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  • Most Americans With Medical Debt Owe Money to Hospitals

    When Americans have medical debt, it’s typically to a hospital, according to new research.

    The Urban Institute found that more than 15% of non-elderly adults in the United States have past-due medical debt. Nearly 73% owe some or all of that money to hospitals.

    “These

  • Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
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  • March 14, 2023
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  • Eli Lilly to Slash Insulin Prices, Cap Monthly Out-of-Pocket Costs at $35

    More Americans will soon be paying less for their insulin.

    Eli Lilly, one of the three insulin manufacturers, plans to cut its list prices of the drug by 70% and cap out-of-pocket costs at $35 a month.

    "While the current health care system provides access to insulin for most people with diabetes, it still does not provide affordable insulin for everyone, and that needs to change," E...

    Fewer Surprise Bills: Most U.S. Hospitals Now Transparent on Prices

    Shopping for cataract surgery, a heart valve replacement or a colonoscopy?

    You’re better able these days to compare what one hospital charges against the prices at another, according to a new report from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

    A majority of hospitals are now complying with U.S. federal rules that require them to post the prices of their procedures, Me...

    Moderna Will Offer Free COVID Shots to Uninsured After Emergency Ends

    American adults who have no health insurance or those who are underinsured will still be able to get free COVID vaccines from Moderna, even after government-purchased supplies run out, the company announced Monday.

    "Moderna's COVID-19 vaccines will continue to be available at no cost for insured people whether they receive them at their doctors' offices or local pharmacies. For uninsured ...

    Data Show Big Drop in Number of Americans in Medical Debt

    Americans have less medical debt now than they did a couple years ago, possibly because of policies and programs that gave more people access to health insurance and relief funds.

    About 8.2 million people had medical debt on their credit reports in 2022, according to the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

    That’s down about 18% from 2020, the Associated Press

    Emailing Your Doctor Could Soon Cost You

    Email has become an easy and essential form of communication between patients and physicians -- so much so that doctors are deluged daily with messages from patients.

    Now, some hospitals and health systems have started charging for doctors' responses to those messages, depending on the amount of work needed to respond. Only a handful of health systems have started billing for these, and t...

    Big Changes Are Coming to U.S. Health Care as Pandemic Emergencies Expire

    Americans received unprecedented access to health care during the pandemic, including hassle-free public insurance and free tests, treatments and vaccines for COVID-19.

    Now, they need to prepare for most of that to unwind, experts say.

    “Essentially, Congress and the administration moved to a model of universal health coverage for COVID vaccines, treatments and tests” during the ...

    Pregnant Women in Rural America Often Lack Health Insurance, Upping Risks

    New research suggests that pregnant women and new moms in rural U.S. areas are at greater risk of adverse outcomes, including death, because they are more likely to be uninsured.

    Women living in rural communities had lower rates of uninterrupted health insurance before, during and after pregnancy compared to those in urban areas, a University of Michigan study found.

    “Being uninsu...

    Fighting Liver Cancer Takes Big Financial Toll: Study

    Out-of-pocket costs can leave Medicare patients with the most common type of liver cancer in financial distress.

    While Medicare payments in the first year after diagnosis with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) exceeded $65,000, out-of-pocket costs were more than $10,000,

  • Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
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  • February 2, 2023
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  • Ozempic: Dieters Who Use Scarce Diabetes Drug Could Face Side Effects

    Mila Clarke started taking Ozempic in 2020 to help manage her diabetes, but was pleasantly surprised to find herself soon shedding pounds.

    “I was like, this is really weird because I’m not having to try very hard to do this,” said Clarke, who has been diagnosed with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes and chronicles her diabetes journey on her

  • Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
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  • February 1, 2023
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  • U.S. Leads in Health Care Spending, But Is Last for Health Outcomes Among Rich Nations

    The United States spends up to four times more on health care than most wealthy nations, but it doesn't have much to show for it.

    Life expectancy in America continues to decline even though this country spends nearly 18% of its gross domestic product on health care, according to a new

  • Denise Mann HealthDay Reporter
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  • January 31, 2023
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  • Medicare Will Save U.S. Billions Negotiating Drug Prices

    The U.S. government could save billions every year once Medicare begins negotiating drug prices in 2026, new research suggests.

    The Inflation Reduction Act passed by Congress last year allows Medicare to bargain with drug companies on the prices of 10 of the highest-priced drugs in 2026 before ...

    Less Than a Third of Heavily Advertised Drugs Have 'High Therapeutic Value': Study

    Television ads for drugs are filled with glowing images of people living their best lives, all thanks to that new med they’ve been prescribed.

    But drugs being touted on TV often have little to no benefit compared to other treatments, a new study published online Jan. 13 in JA...

    Pandemic Funding Saved More Americans From Medical Debt

    The number of Americans who had trouble paying their medical bills dropped precipitously between 2019 and 2021, and funds from the American Rescue Plan and other federal pandemic relief programs may have been a reason why.

    Overall, 10.8% of Americans responding to a federal survey in 2021 said they had had problems covering medical bills that year, down from 14% in 2019, according to rese...

    It's Getting Tougher to Afford Health Care, Even With Employer-Sponsored Insurance

    Most working-age Americans get health insurance through their employer, but even they are finding it tougher to afford medical care these days, a new study shows.

    Researchers found that over the past 20 years, a growing number of Americans with job-based health insurance have been skipping medical care due to costs. Women have been particularly hard-hit.

  • Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
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  • December 29, 2022
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  • Paxlovid Soon Won't Be Free for Americans

    The antiviral Paxlovid has kept people from getting really sick and dying from COVID-19 since it became available -- at no cost to them.

    But by the middle of next year, the U.S. government will stop subsidizing the medication. Instead, it will be billed for like many other medications.

    While the Biden administration has paid about $530 for each course of the medication by buying 2...

    Cost of Epilepsy Meds Continues to Soar

    Costs for epilepsy medications in the United States are skyrocketing, outpacing inflation and straining federal insurers Medicare and Medicaid, according to new research.

    Spending on antiseizure medications more than doubled in eight years for the government insurers, largely because of third-generation and brand-name drugs, the study found.

    "While it's very important that Medicare ...

    Many U.S. Seniors Get Needless, Pricey Cervical Cancer Screenings

    Researchers warn that high rates of cervical cancer screening in women over 65 suggest that some older Americans are being unnecessarily screened.

    More health data on these screenings in older women is needed to prevent potential harm and unnecessary costs, said the team from University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and the U.S. Centers for Dise...

    High Deductibles Keep Some Women From Follow-Up After Troubling Mammogram

    Out-of-pocket costs may make as many as 1 in 5 women forgo additional screening when an initial mammogram finds an abnormality, a new U.S. study finds.

    The Affordable Care Act improved access to mammograms, but high-deductible insurance plans appear to keep women from important follow-ups, according to the findings.

    "The ACA removed out-of-pocket costs for screening mammograms unde...

    California's Plan to Make Low-Priced Insulin Could Be Example for Nation

    California's plan to manufacture its own insulin could be a huge money-saver for state residents with diabetes -- and possibly be a model for other states, according to experts.

    Earlier this year, California announced an initiative to bring its own insulin products to market, in response to the steep costs of the lifesaving drug in the United States.

    And if it's successful, it will ...

    Many Insured Americans Are an Injury Away From Bankruptcy: Study

    One in 5 privately insured American adults hospitalized for a traumatic injury end up with medical bills they can't pay, a new study finds.

    Among more than 3,100 working-aged insured adults who suffered a traumatic injury, the risk of incurring co-pays and deductibles they couldn't afford was 23% higher than among similar adults without traumatic injuries. These patients were also more li...

    U.S. Immigrants' Premiums, Taxes Exceed Health Care Expenditures: Study

    In a finding that challenges the notion that immigrants are freeloaders in the American health care system, a new study shows they are paying a lot more through health care premiums and related taxes than they actually use in care.

    In fact, the amount that immigrants pay in makes up for some of the amount of health care that non-immigrants use in excess of what they pay.

    “Some p...

    New Bill Would Ensure Free Exams for Sexual Assault Victims

    After a sexual assault, some victims are charged for the initial treatment and collection of evidence, even though U.S. federal law requires those services to be free.

    Now, a new federal bill aims to change that by requiring private insurance companies to cover these costs for their customers.

    "This legislat...

    Over a Million Americans Are Rationing Insulin Due to High Cost

    More than 1 million Americans with diabetes have to ration lifesaving insulin because they can't afford it, a new study shows.

    Many people delayed picking up their insulin prescription, while others took lower doses than they needed, researchers found.

    Exp...

    U.S. Will Spend $266 Million to Bolster Public Health Programs

    The U.S. government will invest $266 million to shore up the community and public health workforce using American Rescue Plan funding.

    About $225.5 million will go to 83 recipients to support training and apprenticeship for 13,000 new community health workers, CNN reported before Friday's announcement...

    Smoking Costs U.S. Economy Almost $900 Billion a Year

    Smoking isn't only costly in terms of health risks, it also cost the U.S. economy $891 billion in 2020.

    That was almost 10 times the cigarette industry's $92 billion revenue, according to the authors of a new American Cancer Society study.

    "Economic losses from cigarette smoking far outweigh any economic benefit from the tobacco industry -- wages, and salaries of those employed by t...

    Medicare Monthly Premiums to Drop for Seniors

    Millions of seniors who had to pay high increases in Medicare premiums this year will get a break in 2023 when they see a rare drop in monthly premiums for Medicare Part B.

    The

  • By Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
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  • September 28, 2022
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  • Medical Debt Can Crush Even the Insured, Study Shows

    Weeks after a stay in the hospital, your bill arrives and you can barely believe the amount due. How is this even possible if you have good health insurance and, more importantly, how will you pay it?

    Unfortunately, you're not alone. More than one in 10 American adults and nearly one in five U.S. households have

  • Denise Mann HealthDay Reporter
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  • September 19, 2022
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  • Too Often, Victims of Sexual Assault Face High Medical Bills

    Some survivors of sexual assault may face a further trauma after seeking medical care: a huge emergency room bill.

    That's the finding of a new study that analyzed U.S. emergency department charges for care related to sexual assault. Researchers found that survivors wi...

    Out-of-Pocket Costs for Cancer Care Keep Climbing

    Cancer patients already have a lot to deal with emotionally and physically. But research shows that insured patients under 65 are also paying more for their treatments out-of-pocket than ever before.

    The study highlights the "growing financial burden for non-elderly patients with cancer with pri...

    Many Who Need Opioid OD Antidote the Most Can't Afford It

    Naloxone is a lifesaving antidote to an opioid overdose, but it may be priced too high for those most vulnerable to opioid-related death, a new study finds.

    Between 2014 and 2018, naloxone costs rose 500% for those without insurance, while out-of-pocket costs for the medication dropped 26% for people with i...

    Here's How the Inflation Reduction Act Will Lower the Cost of Health Care

    President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law, making it the most significant health care legislation enacted in more than a decade.

    How will it affect health care?

    Millions of Americans covered by Medicare will see big reductions in costs for both health care and...

    Biden Administration May Stop Buying COVID Vaccines, Treatments by Fall

    The Biden Administration plans to stop buying COVID tests, vaccines and treatments as early as the fall, White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha said Tuesday.

    Under that plan, those products would be provided through the regular health care system, J...

    Here's How New Federal Legislation Might Cut Your Drug Costs

    The Inflation Reduction Act is expected to bring out-of-pocket drug costs down for many U.S. seniors, but most of its benefits aren't immediate.

    Under the law, Medicare will now be allowed to negotiate the cost of some drugs. That should eventually bring down out-of-pocket costs for seniors with Medicare Part D prescription drug plans, according to John Clark, a clinical associate profess...

    Biden to Sign Bill That Helps Veterans Exposed to Toxic Burn Pits

    President Biden was poised on Wednesday to sign a bill that expands health care benefits for U.S. veterans exposed to toxic burn pits.

    Known as the PACT Act, the legislation is the biggest expansion of veterans' health care and benefits in more than 30 years, the White House said in a

  • By Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
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  • August 10, 2022
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  • Just 8% of Americans Lack Health Insurance, a Record Low

    The number of Americans without health insurance continues to drop, reaching 8% in 2022 -- a record low.

    That leaves about 26 million people living in America without health insurance.

    The announcement was made Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

    "Every American has the right to the peace of mind that comes with access to affordable, quality health ...

    8/8 -- Inflation Has Many Americans Cutting Back on Health Care, Poll Finds

    Inflation is putting Americans' health at risk, with nearly 2 in 5 struggling to pay for the care they need, according to a new West Health-Gallup poll.

    About 38% -- which translates to an estimated 98 million Americans -- said rising health care prices had caused them to skip treatments, delay buying prescription drugs or pay for their care by borrowing money or cutting back on driving, ...

    Alternative Medicine Popular Among Seniors, But Most Don't Tell Their Doctors About It

    Lots of older folks are turning to alternative medicine to help them with the pains of aging -- but they don't necessarily think that's any of their doctor's business.

    About 40% of older adults use at least one alternative medicine practice to help w...

    Childbirth Now Costs Nearly $3,000 for Insured Americans

    Better have some savings stored up before you rush to the delivery room: A new analysis shows the average out-of-pocket expense for delivering a child in the United States is nearly $3,000, even if you're insured.

    Other studies have looked at the costs for specific services, such as Cesarean sections versus vagina...

    'Stepped' Approach to Treating Diabetic Eye Disease May Be Best

    An off-brand medication for diabetic macular edema might prove just as effective in early treatment as its more expensive alternative, potentially saving patients thousands of dollars, new research suggests.

    The vision condition is a common complication of poorly controlled diabetes, which can damage bl...

    Health Care Plans Keep Allergy Rescue Injectors Pricey for Some

    Despite now having more choices for lifesaving emergency allergy injectors like EpiPens, the cost is still proving prohibitively expensive for some, new research shows.

    Even though most people are saving money with lower-priced alternatives...

    California Will Produce Its Own Insulin to Bring Down Prices

    California Governor Gavin Newsom announced Thursday that the state will spend $100 million to produce its own insulin.

    The innovative push comes after years of astronomical prices for the drug have made it nearly impossible for many people with diabetes to a...

    How Much Will That Hip Replacement Cost? Many Hospitals Still Aren't Saying

    Since January 2021, hospitals have been required to list online the prices for 300 common medical services, but new research has found that only 32% of hospitals have been fully compliant when it comes to knee and hip replacements.

    "Although pricing informat...

    Medicare Could Save Millions By Taking Cue from Mark Cuban's Online Pharmacy

    Medicare might want to take note of the pricing strategy of a new online pharmacy run by tech entrepreneur and "Shark Tank" judge Mark Cuban if it wants to save billions on prescription drugs, a new study suggests.

    Cuban's Cost Plus Drug offers certain generic drugs at cheaper prices by selling them at a markup of 15% plus a...

    Cost of Brand-Name Epilepsy Meds Is Soaring

    Managing epilepsy is an increasingly expensive process in the United States, with prices of brand-name anti-seizure drugs nearly quadrupling over eight years, a new study finds.

    From 2010 to 2018, the cost of brand-named epilepsy drugs, including meds like Vimpat (lacosamide), rose 277% overall, researchers found. Over the same period, the cost of generic drugs dropped 42%.

    "We as ...

    4 in 10 U.S. Adults Who Need Mental Health Care Can't Get It: Survey

    There is a "staggering" gap between the number of Americans who need care for anxiety, depression and other mental health conditions and those who can actually get it, a new survey shows.

    In all, 42% of U.S. adults who needed care in the previous 12 months did not get it because of costs and other barriers, according to the online survey from the National Council for Mental Wellbeing. Nea...

    U.S. Spends More on Cancer Than Any Other Country. Why Are Survival Rates Low?

    The United States spends far more on cancer care than other wealthy nations, but it's not seeing a return on that investment in terms of lives saved, a new study shows.

    Compared with the average high-income country, researchers found the U.S. spends twice as much on cancer care -- more tha...

    Annual Health Care Costs Rise by $2,000 for Americans Who Vape

    Think vaping is cheap?

    A study from the University of California, San Francisco School of Nursing reports that annual health care costs for users of electronic cigarettes were $2,024 more per person than for those who use no tobacco products.

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