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Health care costs were a main driver of inflation in September

Oct 27, 2023
Rising costs for prescriptions and hospital services were felt in latest PCE report, though health inflation has been mild in the past year.
By the end of the decade, health care is expected to account for about a fifth of the U.S. economy.
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Medicare may soon be able to negotiate prescription drug prices

Aug 8, 2022
The health policy reform is part of the Democrats' Inflation Reduction Act, which could aid 48 million Medicare recipients.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the Inflation Reduction Act will save Medicare $288 billion over the next decade.
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Costco and Instacart expand deliveries to include prescription drugs

Apr 20, 2020
It's an effort to compete with drugstore chains and pharmacy startups.
About 90% of prescriptions are filled in person. Will the pandemic change that?
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House to vote on Speaker Pelosi's prescription drug bill this week

Dec 9, 2019
The plan would empower the Department of Health and Human Services to negotiate lower prices.
"The cost of actually manufacturing most of these drugs is very small, so [pharmaceutical companies are] making a huge profit on each drug that they sell," says Gerard Anderson, a professor in the department of health policy and management Johns Hopkins University.
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Why do foreign countries pay less than the U.S. for prescription drugs?

Jul 9, 2019
The answer comes down to one key tactic: negotiation.
A pharmacy's green cross sign in Nantes, western France.
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Drug summit looks at ways to prevent overdose deaths

Apr 23, 2019
President Trump expected to address the summit Wednesday.
Oxycodone pills prescribed for a patient lie on display on March 23, 2016 in Norwich, CT. 
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Would requiring prices in pharmaceutical ads make drugs cheaper?

Apr 9, 2019
The idea is that transparency would lead to more competition and lower costs. One drug company is already on board.
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For public good, not for profit.

Drug shortages continue to affect common meds

Mar 6, 2019
Contaminated supply chains, natural disasters, and the bottom line are just some of the reasons why basic drugs are in constant shortage.
Contaminated supply chains, natural disasters, and the bottom line are just some of the reasons why basic drugs are in constant shortage. 
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The cost of preventing the spread of HIV? Upwards of $1,600 a month

Feb 5, 2019
President Trump is expected to call for an end to HIV transmission by 2030. The drug known as PrEP may be key.
AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) and AIDS patients march to protest budget cuts to AIDS services proposed by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on June 5, 2009 in Hollywood, California. 
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Kickbacks or a helpful service? Here's why pharma is under fire

Sep 21, 2018
Drug companies can get creative with doctor incentives, and that can be problematic.
A pharmacy technician counts out a prescription of antibiotic pills.
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