Health Headlines for Thursday, July 19

Health-Care Coverage Is Increasingly Determined by Where You Live

Wall Street Journal

Robert Kingsland will have to pay hundreds of dollars if he goes without insurance next year, even though Congress recently repealed the Affordable Care Act’s penalty for not having coverage. That is because his home state of New Jersey just imposed a fine of its own for letting insurance lapse.

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Trump promised them better, cheaper health care. It’s not happening.

Politico

President Donald Trump handed an influential business advocacy group what should have been a historic lobbying victory when he recently rolled out new rules encouraging small businesses to band together to offer health insurance.

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Investigation: Patients’ Drug Options Under Medicaid Heavily Influenced By Drugmakers

NPR

Eight months pregnant, the drug sales representative wore a wire for the FBI around her bulging belly as she recorded conversations with colleagues at a conference in Chicago. Her code name? Pampers.

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Half of Americans are struggling to afford health care this year

Axios

Nearly half of Americans find it harder to afford basic necessities than one year ago, and 49% say health care is their top cost concern this year, according to new polling from Navigator Research.

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Trump thanks Novartis, Pfizer for not raising drug prices

Reuters

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday thanked two major drug companies for not raising their prices and said his administration was working toward “substantially” cutting prescription-drug prices.

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GOP looks to blunt Dems’ attacks on rising premiums

The Hill

House Republicans are trying to blunt Democratic attacks over rising ObamaCare premiums, an issue that’s poised to play a key role in the November midterm elections.

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Medical Device Company Settles US Case Over False Claims

U.S. News

A New York-based medical device company will pay the U.S. government $12.5 million to resolve allegations that it had health care providers submit false claims to federal programs.

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