Tom Howell Jr.

Hundreds of Ohio Medicaid enrollees at risk of opioid overdose: HHS IG

Rogue prescribers and Medicaid "doctor shoppers" are using taxpayer-funded insurance to fuel the deadly opioid epidemic, according to a new audit Tuesday that found 1 in 6 people on Ohio's government-run health program for the poor were prescribed opioids and hundreds of them were at "serious risk" of overdosing.

July 10, 2018

VA, NIH strike deal to expand cancer care for veterans

Veterans with cancer will get a shot at receiving innovative treatments under a deal announced Tuesday that will bolster clinical trials at a dozen VA facilities across the country.

July 10, 2018

Donald Trump lashes out at drug company for price hikes

President Trump, who recently predicted "voluntary, massive drops" in drug costs, accused a leading pharmaceutical company Monday of jacking up prices "for no reason" and taking advantage of American consumers.

July 9, 2018

Robert Redfield, CDC director: Opioid epidemic worse than AIDS

The federal government's top disease fighter, who built his career battling the emergence of HIV/AIDS in the 1980s, says the opioid epidemic will be even worse.

July 8, 2018

Trump administration freezes Obamacare payments, citing court decision

The Trump administration says it has been forced to freeze critical Obamacare payments due to a federal court decision in New Mexico, potentially causing more instability in the program's fragile markets.

July 7, 2018

FDA eases blood-screening rules for Zika, citing drop in cases

The Food and Drug Administration said Friday it will no longer require U.S. blood banks to test individual donations for the Zika virus, citing a sharp decrease in reported cases.

July 6, 2018

In Nebraska, Medicaid expansion will be on ballot in 2018 midterm vote

A Nebraska coalition said Thursday it submitted more than enough signatures to get Medicaid expansion on the ballot in November, making it the latest Republican-led state to seek ways around governors and legislators who oppose the key plank of Obamacare.

July 5, 2018

Nebraska coalition submits Medicaid-expansion petitions

A Nebraska coalition said Thursday it submitted more than enough signatures to get Medicaid expansion on the ballot in November, making it the latest GOP-led state to seek a way around governors and legislators who oppose Obamacare.

July 5, 2018

Ebola outbreak in Congo ‘contained’ thanks to trial vaccines, lessons of 2014

The Ebola outbreak in Congo has "largely been contained," the World Health Organization says, leaving scientists optimistic that a mix of conventional disease-fighting tactics and trial vaccines was able to avert another global panic.

July 4, 2018

Pro-Obamacare groups: Supreme Court nominee may gut 2010 law

Democrats say Americans' access to Obamacare is at risk with the next Supreme Court justice, though some legal experts say they're exaggerating the issue to try to defeat President Trump's eventual nominee.

July 2, 2018

DOJ announces biggest health-fraud takedown ‘in history’

Federal agents carried out the biggest health care fraud takedown "in history" on Thursday, the Department of Justice said, charging more than 600 people across the country with bilking taxpayers for $2 billion through fake medical claims and prescriptions for unneeded opioids.

June 28, 2018

Susan Collins to Jeff Sessions: ‘Reconsider’ stance on Obamacare suit

Sen. Susan Collins implored Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Wednesday to reconsider his hands-off approach to a lawsuit that seeks to gut Obamacare, saying nearly half of her state suffers from a pre-existing medical condition and would be at risk if the challenge strikes protections within the 2010 law.

June 27, 2018

Senate panel: CMS must detail its Medicaid anti-fraud campaign

A Senate panel scrutinizing Medicaid overpayments says the administration's push to audit states more closely is good news but that it needs to hear more from Seema Verma, who oversees the program but did not testify alongside government watchdogs on Wednesday.

June 27, 2018

Democrats want to shift focus to health care, pre-existing conditions as midterms loom

Democrats are desperately trying to pivot the political conversation to health care, warning voters that the fate of their coverage -- and protections for pre-existing conditions -- depends on who wins control of Congress in this year's elections.

June 27, 2018

HHS IG: Medicare drug spending rose despite fewer prescriptions

Medicare recipients used fewer brand-name drugs but the program still saw its drug costs rise, according to a federal report Monday that says skyrocketing prices set by manufacturers are taking a toll on taxpayers and seniors.

June 26, 2018

FDA makes history, approves drug derived from marijuana

For the first time, the U.S. government Monday approved a drug with ingredients derived from marijuana, paving the way for research into similar products.

June 25, 2018

White House decries ‘alarming’ surge in cocaine production

It's not just opioids -- the White House on Monday said surging coca cultivation in Colombia is sending more cocaine across the border, fueling U.S. overdose deaths.

June 25, 2018

Ted Lieu plays tape of crying children from House floor

Rep. Ted Lieu of California violated House rules Friday by playing a recording of crying children who were separated from their parents at the border, ignoring a presiding officer who implored him to stop.

June 22, 2018

House passes sweeping opioids bill

The House passed a massive opioid bill Friday to expand treatment options, block the flow of deadly fentanyl into the U.S. and reduce the number of addictive pills in circulation -- an unusual display of bipartisanship in a bitter election year, even as Democrats grumbled that GOP leaders still aren't doing enough.

June 22, 2018

House Republicans cancel immigration votes

Staring at a certain defeat, House Republicans canceled votes on their immigration compromise Thursday -- an embarrassing setback for leaders who'd thought they'd finally been able to wrangle some unanimity on an issue that's bedeviled them for years.

June 21, 2018