Hunger, food insecurity continue to vex Indiana residents
In Indiana, one million people face food insecurity, and in Indianapolis the number is approaching nearly 175,000—or more than 18 percent of the population.
Health Care Costs
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Hospitals hit with fines over patient readmissions
Indiana hospitals are racking up millions of dollars in penalties for having too many patients return for care within a month of discharge.
Opioid epidemic showing signs of turning corner, state drug czar says
Visits to emergency rooms in Indiana for drug overdoses are falling, and doctors are writing fewer prescriptions for opioid painkillers, Jim McClelland said Friday.
IndyGo’s daunting task: Turn drivers into health fanatics
Since starting a wellness program in 2010, IndyGo has seen employee participation climb from just a few, skeptical workers to 97 percent of the workforce.
Trump’s big promises on drug costs followed by modest steps
As a candidate, President Trump advocated Medicare negotiations and allowing consumers to import medicines from abroad. His current strategy recommends changes to policies that the administration believes unwittingly lead to higher prices, and suggests ways to speed drugs to market and increase competition.
House panel approves bill to raise state smoking age from 18 to 21
Lawmakers stripped a provision from the bill that would have boosted the cigarette tax from 99 cents a pack to $2.99.
With $20M infusion, health analytics software firm plans to hire 100 by 2020
Indianapolis-based Springbuk expects to grow by leaps and bounds after landing a big package of venture capital.
Trump health pick wary of government drug price negotiations
Alex Azar, a former Eli Lilly and Co. executive, acknowledged to the Senate Finance Committee that drug prices are too high and said he'd work to lower them if confirmed as secretary of Health and Human Services.
Food insecurity, hunger vex large swath of Indianapolis residents
Nearly 175,000 food-insecure people live in the city. About 47,000 of them are children, whose ability to learn and thrive can be hampered, according to panelists at a local hunger summit on Friday.
Employers, workers brace for another round of health premium increases
The National Business Group on Health is projecting the total cost of providing medical and pharmacy benefits to increase 5 percent for the fifth consecutive year in 2018.
Lilly insulin prices come under microscope
Over the past 20 years, while the price of a gallon of milk climbed 23 percent and the sticker on a Dodge Caravan minivan rose 21 percent, the list price of the insulin Humalog shot up 1,157 percent.
Flat-fee payment model bypasses traditional health insurance
Without dozens of insurance claims to file and follow up, physicians cut administrative overhead, reduce costs and keep their practices limited to a few hundred patients, rather than a few thousand.
Indiana restocking supplies of pricey drug to combat opioid overdoses
The state is asking vendors to submit bid packages by June 12 for a drug whose price has spiked in recent years.
Senate’s $32.1B budget eschews cigarette tax hike
An Indiana Senate panel on Thursday advanced a two-year state budget plan with significant differences in funding for roads, entrepreneurship and education from the House’s plan.
As pricing criticism mounts, Lilly, other drugmakers roll out pay for performance
In Lilly’s partnership with Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, the not-for-profit insurer gets additional rebates if fewer patients using Lilly's diabetes treatment Trulicity meet blood sugar goals than expected.
Get ready for a smoking-hot debate over cigarette taxes
Indiana now has one of the lowest cigarette taxes in the nation. It also has one of the highest smoking rates. Some groups want to decrease the latter in part by raising the former.
Pharma stocks slide after Trump’s vow to control drug costs
President-elect Donald Trump promised to drive down the cost of medicines, defying investors who saw a boon in his election last month and injecting himself again into a contentious economic debate.
Patients rush to surgery before insurance deductibles reset
For patients, the difference between getting an operation now or in January could amount to thousands of dollars out of pocket.
Americans getting fed up over high drug prices
A new poll shows that a growing number of people feel drug prices are unreasonable, and they favor a variety of government actions to keep prices down.
Analysis: Diabetes drug price war likely to claim more casualties
Pharma giant Novo Nordisk announced Thursday that it is cutting 1,000 jobs after slashing forecasts for 2016, citing lower prices for diabetes drugs. Novo and competitors such as Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly will likely have to keep tightening their belts as prices and profit margins fall, experts say.