Budget Battles
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Inflation Eases in April, Lifting Hopes for a Soft Landing
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Biden Jacks Up Tariffs on $18 Billion in Chinese Imports
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Trump Promises New Tax Cuts for Everyone
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Biden White House Lays Out Plan for Coming Tax Showdown
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Trump Tax Cut Extension Would Cost $4.6 Trillion: CBO
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House Kills Greene Motion to Oust Speaker Johnson
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Greene Backs Off Johnson Threat, but Issues Four Demands
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1 in 8 US Adults Has Taken Ozempic or Other GLP-1 Drug: Survey
About 12% of American adults say they have used one of the increasingly popular weight loss and diabetes drugs known as GLP-1s, and 6% say they are currently taking such a drug, according to a new...
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Drugmakers in Medicare Price Talks Spent Less on R&D Than on Shareholders, Marketing, Overhead: Report
Eight drug companies that make the 10 medications whose prices are currently being negotiated by Medicare spent billions more last year on stock buybacks, dividends, marketing and administrative...
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Social Security, Medicare Get Modest Boost From Strong Economy
By Michael RaineySolid economic growth in the wake of the pandemic has strengthened some of the nation’s leading social safety net programs, as robust employment increases the flow of payments into the Social...
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Nearly 1 in 4 of Those Removed From Medicaid Now Uninsured
By Michael RaineyMillions of Americans have been removed from state-level Medicaid programs over the last year, following the official end of the Covid-19 pandemic and the return to pre-pandemic rules governing...
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Biden Touts Healthcare Progress With Support From a Former Rival
President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders joined forced on Wednesday to promote the administration’s efforts to lower healthcare costs and prescription drug prices, an issue that the White House...
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Study Raises Questions About Ozempic Cost as Medicare Spending Soars
Some widely used diabetes and weight loss drugs could be profitably manufactured for far less than they currently cost, according to a new study. The analysis, published in JAMA Network Open by...
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Drugmakers Push Back Against Price Negotiations
By Michael RaineyMajor pharmaceutical firms are fighting a new federal program that empowers the government to negotiate lower prices for drugs that are widely prescribed in the Medicare system. The Washington Post’s...
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Biden Proposes a $7.3 Trillion Budget for 2025
President Biden on Monday proposed a $7.3 trillion budget for fiscal year 2025 that seeks to lower the costs of prescription drugs, child care and housing while also cutting the deficit by $3...
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UnitedHealth Faces New Justice Department Antitrust Probe: Reports
The Justice Department has reportedly launched an antitrust investigation into UnitedHealth, the nation’s largest health insurer and a top manager of pharmacy benefits and physician groups...
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Americans’ Top Financial Worry: Healthcare
By Michael RaineyHealthcare issues claim the top spots in the list of things U.S. voters are “very” or “somewhat worried” about being able to afford, according to the latest tracking poll from the healthcare...
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Healthcare Costs Making Americans Poorer and Sicker: Report
By Michael RaineyA new report by the nonpartisan Commonwealth Fund confirms what many of us already know: Paying for healthcare in the U.S. is often a struggle, even for those who have insurance. The Commonwealth...
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Family Health Insurance Costs Jump to $24,000 a Year
By Michael RaineyThe annual cost of employer-sponsored family health insurance plans rose 7% in 2023, pushing the average premium to $23,968 per year, according to the latest KFF Employer Health Benefits Survey ...
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‘The Most Important Thing That Has Happened to the Federal Budget in the Last 20 Years’
Something strange has been happening with Medicare, The New York Times reports : “Instead of growing and growing, as it always had before, spending per Medicare beneficiary has nearly leveled off...
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Biden Administration Picks First 10 Drugs for Medicare Price Negotiations
The Biden administration on Tuesday announced the first 10 prescription drugs it has selected for unprecedented federal price negotiations with drugmakers, a milestone in efforts to reduce U.S...
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A Major Insurer Has a New Plan to Save Big Money on Drug Costs
The U.S. system of pricing and insurance coverage for prescription drugs has come under immense criticism for being overly complicated and costly. Now, a major health insurer — Blue Shield of...