“There are millions of people in this country who can’t afford to go to the dentist. Millions.”
Is the U.S. ready for a discussion about paying for caregiving, an increasingly vexing and costly problem for a growing number of Americans? The answer may be “yes.” It has become obvious that long-term-care insurance is not the answer to paying for nursing homes and other kinds of care for...
Maybe – just maybe – Americans will get some relief from the relentlessly rising prices of pharmaceuticals. That of course depends on Congress pushing back against the drug companies’ formidable lobbying machine, their generous campaign contributions, and the industry’s historical coziness with members of Congress. But this year seems different. When...
There is clear evidence the pharmaceutical industry manipulates well-intentioned laws to increase prices and profits. We’ll use two laws as our case studies, the Orphan Drug Act of 1983 and the Hatch-Waxman Act of 1984 which jumpstarted the generic drug industry. The first was designed to give incentives to drug...
Department of Health and Human Services Secretary nominee Alex Azar would be the first former drug industry executive to lead the agency if he is confirmed by the Senate. A Tarbell review of past HHS secretaries – and before that leaders of its predecessor bureau, the Department of Health Education and Welfare...
If ever there were a weak link in hospital care, it's what happens when you or a loved one leaves the hospital. It's becoming clear that the process known as discharge planning is deficient, can be harmful, and sometimes results in a patient's decline. One in five patients across the...
Studies show life expectancy in the United States is going down while it continues to go up in other developed countries.
If ever there were an award for the best “buyer beware” story, a tale detailing the pitfalls of short-term health insurance would certainly rise to the top of the list of nominees. Short-term policies — not to be confused with association policies I’ve written about before — are hitting the...
You have no guarantee that the doctors and hospitals that the insurance company say are in your network will still be there in the future. And you, not the insurer, get stuck with a the big bill.
Dear Tarbell Readers, I wanted to give you a heads up on an exciting development regarding our recent story on the drug industry’s scheme with the Obama administration to discourage Americans’ use of international pharmacies. Many citizens depend on legitimate overseas drug stores to supply affordable medications. On June 11, Florida State Representative Danny...
Without the protections in the Affordable Care Act, many would find themselves back in the "bad old days."
Some states are once again offering insurance across trade organizations or business groups, but will the revamped program have the same old flaws?
America’s biggest corporations—prescription drug distributors in particular—are playing in our growing opioid epidemic.
Let us see if the Devos family has the heart to chip in on a woman's transplant.