Health Headlines for Friday, December 29

MS Awarded 10-Year Extension of 1115 State Medicaid Waiver

HealthPayer Intelligence

Mississippi will receive a ten-year extension for its 1115 CMS waiver to increase the number of people who qualify for family planning benefits.

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Oregon prepares for high-stakes vote on taxing insurance companies

Modern Healthcare

A tax on insurance companies and some hospitals to provide healthcare for low-income Oregonians goes before voters next month, even after it was approved by the Legislature and signed by the governor during the 2017 legislative session.

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Drug prices rise as pharma profit soars

Modern Healthcare

The amount of money people spend on prescription drugs has nearly doubled over the past three decades as pharmaceutical sales and profit margins have ballooned, according to a government report.

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Vermont lawmakers to explore state individual mandate

The State

Vermont lawmakers say they may require all residents to have health insurance if the elimination of the individual mandate causes a significant number to drop their coverage.

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New York Launches Pharmaceutical Take-Back Program

U.S. News

The first group of participants in New York’s $2 million medication take-back program have been announced.

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New York State Has Responsibility To Reduce Health Care Costs

Post Journal

The most expensive cost per month to most working New Yorkers isn’t their home or even their groceries — it’s ever-escalating health care premiums.

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‘Obamacare’ Sign-up Tally Dips Slightly to 8.7M

NBC New York

More than 8.7 million people signed up for coverage next year under the Obama-era health care law, the government reported Thursday, as the program that President Donald Trump has repeatedly pronounced “a disaster” exceeded expectations.

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