ProPublica

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SHUTTERSTOCK

What a $2 million per dose gene therapy reveals about drug pricing

Taxpayers and charities helped develop Zolgensma. Then it debuted at a record price, ushering in a new class of wildly expensive drugs. Its story upends the widely held conception that high prices reflect huge industry investments in innovation.

Feb 13

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LUND REPORT ILLUSTRATION/SHUTTERSTOCK/PIXABAY

Insurers Failed to Comply With Mental Health Coverage Law, Department of Labor Report Finds

Federal officials found widespread noncompliance and violations of federal law in how health plans and insurers cover mental health care

Jan 28

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When Emily Dwyer was 15 and in need of treatment for anorexia, her parents had to refinance the mortgage on their home to pay for it after United Healthcare denied coverage. | COURTESY IF ILANA PANICH-LINSMAN

Insurers continue to rely on doctors whose judgments have been criticized by courts

In dozens of cases ProPublica reviewed, judges found that some doctors working for these companies engaged in “selective readings” of medical evidence and “shut their eyes” to medical opinions opposing their conclusions.

Jan 9

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Protesters gather at the U.S. Supreme Court on May 3, 2022, after a report that the court will overturn Roe v. Wade, ending the constitutional right to abortion. | SHUTTERSTOCK

The CDC hasn’t asked states to track deaths linked to abortion bans

Despite an executive order issued by President Joe Biden, the CDC has issued no guidance to address the recent rollback of reproductive rights or to direct committees to consider how abortion bans factor into deaths

Dec 31, 2024

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Are abortion bans across America causing deaths? The states that passed them are doing little to find out.

The same political leaders who enacted abortion bans oversee the state committees that review maternal deaths. These committees haven’t tracked the laws’ impacts, and most haven’t finished examining cases from the year the bans went into effect.

Dec 19, 2024

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The FDA hasn’t inspected this drug factory after 7 recalls for the same flaw, 1 potentially deadly

Glenmark Pharmaceuticals issued seven recalls for pills that didn’t dissolve properly, records show. All were made at the same factory in India. But the FDA still hasn’t stopped the company from shipping other pills made there to the U.S.

Dec 12, 2024

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Bottles of formaldehyde in a laboratory. | SHUTTERSTOCK

Formaldehyde causes more cancer than any other toxic air pollutant. Little is being done to curb the risk.

The Environmental Protection Agency’s attempts to reckon with formaldehyde have been repeatedly thwarted by the companies that rely on it. If the past is any guide, even modest steps toward reform are all but guaranteed to hit a dead end under Trump.

Dec 3, 2024

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Some patients continued to use recalled Philips Respironics CPAP machines like this one while waiting for a replacement | COURTESY/LIZ MOUGHON OF PROPUBLICA

How Lincare cashed in on the disastrous recall of Philips breathing machines — at the expense of patients

Amid reports of thousands of injuries and hundreds of deaths, Lincare was supposed to supply the most ailing patients with new CPAP machines, but instead diverted the devices to new customers who would deliver greater profits for the company.

Nov 26, 2024

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How UnitedHealth’s playbook for limiting mental health coverage puts countless Americans’ treatment at risk

United used an algorithm system to identify patients who it determined were getting too much therapy and then limited coverage. It was deemed illegal in three states, but similar practices persist due to a patchwork of regulation.

Nov 19, 2024

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A doctor using a digital tablet. | SHUTTERSTOCK

State regulators know health insurance directories are full of wrong information. They’re doing little to fix it.

Oregon’s Department of Consumer and Business Services conducts spot checks of provider networks to see if listings are accurate, but does not track results. It hasn’t issued a fine for directory errors since 2019.

Nov 14, 2024