Budget Battles
-
Border Battle Pushes Congress Toward a Shutdown
-
Biden to Congress: Pass the Foreign Aid Bill ASAP
-
Republicans Eye Frozen Russian Assets to Fund Ukraine
-
Shutdown Threat Rises Again as GOP Demands Border Changes
-
House Dems Try to Force a Vote on Ukraine Aid
-
Biden Proposes a $7.3 Trillion Budget for 2025
-
Senate Averts Midnight Shutdown, but Not Without Drama
-
Drugmakers Push Back Against Price Negotiations
By Michael RaineyMajor pharmaceutical firms are fighting a new federal program that empowers the government to negotiate lower prices for drugs that are widely prescribed in the Medicare system. The Washington Post’s...
-
Biden Proposes a $7.3 Trillion Budget for 2025
President Biden on Monday proposed a $7.3 trillion budget for fiscal year 2025 that seeks to lower the costs of prescription drugs, child care and housing while also cutting the deficit by $3...
-
UnitedHealth Faces New Justice Department Antitrust Probe: Reports
The Justice Department has reportedly launched an antitrust investigation into UnitedHealth, the nation’s largest health insurer and a top manager of pharmacy benefits and physician groups...
-
Americans’ Top Financial Worry: Healthcare
By Michael RaineyHealthcare issues claim the top spots in the list of things U.S. voters are “very” or “somewhat worried” about being able to afford, according to the latest tracking poll from the healthcare...
-
New Record for Obamacare Signups
By Michael RaineyA record 20 million people have signed up for health care through the marketplaces created by the Affordable Care Act, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced Wednesday. This marks...
-
As Drug Prices Rise, $35 Cap on Insulin Takes Effect
By Michael RaineyPharmaceutical companies rang in the New Year as they usually do: raising prices on hundreds of medications. According to research cited by Reuters , companies like Pfizer, Sanofi and Takeda will...
-
More Than Half of Children Losing Medicaid Coverage Live in Just 5 States
By Michael RaineyAs individual states continue to disenroll millions of people from Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) now that pandemic-era suspension of participation guidelines has come to...
-
Biden Admin Threatens to Seize Publicly Funded Drug Patents
By Michael RaineyThe Biden administration took steps Thursday that could clear the way for the federal government to seize the patents of high-priced pharmaceuticals that were developed using public funds. The move...
-
CVS Says It Will Overhaul How It Prices Prescription Drugs
Drugstore giant CVS Health announced Tuesday that it is dramatically changing the way its pharmacies are reimbursed for prescription medications, shifting to a model that it says is simpler and more...
-
Medicaid Expansion Opens Up Coverage for 600,000 in North Carolina
By Michael RaineyMore than 600,000 residents of North Carolina will gain access to health insurance starting today thanks to the expansion of the state’s Medicaid program. Since his election in 2016, Democratic Gov...
-
Family Health Insurance Costs Jump to $24,000 a Year
By Michael RaineyThe annual cost of employer-sponsored family health insurance plans rose 7% in 2023, pushing the average premium to $23,968 per year, according to the latest KFF Employer Health Benefits Survey ...
-
‘The Most Important Thing That Has Happened to the Federal Budget in the Last 20 Years’
Something strange has been happening with Medicare, The New York Times reports : “Instead of growing and growing, as it always had before, spending per Medicare beneficiary has nearly leveled off...
-
Biden Administration Picks First 10 Drugs for Medicare Price Negotiations
The Biden administration on Tuesday announced the first 10 prescription drugs it has selected for unprecedented federal price negotiations with drugmakers, a milestone in efforts to reduce U.S...
-
A Major Insurer Has a New Plan to Save Big Money on Drug Costs
The U.S. system of pricing and insurance coverage for prescription drugs has come under immense criticism for being overly complicated and costly. Now, a major health insurer — Blue Shield of...
-
Biden Celebrates His Signature Law, but Americans Aren’t Sure What It Is
President Joe Biden today marked the one-year anniversary of the landmark Inflation Reduction Act, calling it “one of the most significant laws” ever enacted. In an event at the White House, Biden...