When a brand-name drug to help prevent premature births was approved last year, its $1,500-a-dose-price alarmed state and private sector insurance officials. Many restricted use of the FDA-approved Makena in favor of $20- to $40-a-dose versions that had been made for years by pharmacies, saying that would give more women access to the treatment.
By Julie Appleby and Marilyn Werber Serafini This story was produced in collaboration with the Atlantic. Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan says his proposal to overhaul Medicare would use market competition to tame costs in the government health program relied on by almost 50 million people. As models, he often cites the
Consumer groups on Monday said state and federal regulators should move quickly to set rules to protect Americans from health insurance premium “rate shocks” and to prevent insurers from charging far higher rates in low income areas, when major provisions of the federal health law take effect in 2014. Dozens of recommendations for implementing a
The Supreme Court's decision to uphold or strike down the health law could bolster -- or undo -- the most far-reaching changes ever legislated affecting the insurance industry and its customers. Riding on the outcome are a host of popular consumer protections, many aimed at the estimated 18 million Americans who buy their own coverage and who
