Health Headlines for Thursday, January 3

As Democrats take control in Albany, health care groups look to gain an edge

Crain’s New York Business

When the New York state Legislature reconvenes Jan. 9, health care lobbyists will be ready to push their priorities to returning legislators as well as a crop of more than 30 new faces who are poised to shift the body’s politics leftward.

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Drug companies greet 2019 with U.S. price hikes

Reuters

Drugmakers kicked off 2019 with price increases in the United States on more than 250 prescription drugs, including the world’s top-selling medicine, Humira, although the pace of price hikes was slower than last year.

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Surprise! Drugmakers Are Raising Prices Again

Bloomberg Opinion

The industry’s hurry to get back to business after a brief freeze only draws more attention to its unconstrained pricing power and lax self-regulation.

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Difficult to compare new hospital price lists

Daily Gazette

Capital Region hospitals have disclosed lists of tens of thousands of prices for procedures and drugs they provide, giving patients a glimpse of the cost differences between the various facilities.

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Google is quietly infiltrating medicine — but what rules will it play by?

STAT News

With nearly 80 percent of internet users searching online for health-related information, it’s no wonder the catchphrase “Dr. Google” has caught on, to the delight of many searchers and the dismay of many real doctors.

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