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What is a pharmacy benefit manager, anyway?

Dec 12, 2024
Pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, negotiate drug prices for insurers. But sometimes PBM parent companies also own the pharmacy they're negotiating with.

Demand for weight loss drugs is rising, though many insurers won't cover them

Dec 12, 2024
The drugs are expensive out of pocket. Even with insurance, high co-pays can also limit who has access to them.

The financial toll of a suicide attempt

Dec 6, 2024
Patients on the road to recovery routinely face bills in the tens or hundreds of thousands.

The perfect career for this art and science lover? A medical illustrator

Dec 6, 2024
Vinald Francis has a love of both art and science. Now, he works as a medical illustrator for textbooks and doctor's office posters.

Job gains solid in evergreen industries this year, sluggish in cyclical

Dec 5, 2024
"Secular" sectors like health care and education, which are less economically sensitive, have been responsible for a lot of hiring.
The Department of Labor will report on the job market Friday, revealing which sectors created the most jobs in November.
J. David Ake/Getty Images

Many doctors face another cut in Medicare reimbursements

Nov 25, 2024
That drop in payments has a ripple effect through the health care system. It's particularly hard on small, rural practices, some doctors say.

As maternity options in California dry up, midwife training programs are fading

Nov 22, 2024
One master's-level program remains in the state at a time when nurse-midwife advocates say there's a critical need for more practitioners.

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Ground rules for carbon markets

Nov 15, 2024
In this week's "Make Me Smart" newsletter, we explain the latest moves to establish a credible global market for carbon credits. Plus, we do the numbers on open enrollment and the rising cost of health care.
Carsten Koall/Getty Images

Nationwide IV fluid shortage following Helene leads to postponed surgeries

Oct 17, 2024
It was easier for companies to transition to making PPE at the height of the pandemic than it was to produce something as sterile and specific as IV fluid.

Generic drugs in the U.S. face new economic pressures 40 years on

The generic drug industry in the U.S. has saved people billions and billions of dollars. But it faces new economic pressure today.