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The jury attributed 88% of the fault to the University of Kansas Hospital Authority and 12% of the fault to LivaNova USA Inc., the medtech company that manufactured the device that was used in Stephen Nolte's heart surgery at KU Med. This is one of more than two dozen lawsuits filed against the University of Kansas Hospital Authority and LivaNova, the Kansas City Star reports.
But NBC News reports that hospital CEOs pushed back during the House hearing Tuesday, saying high costs were a product of factors including low reimbursement rates and their obligation to treat sicker and sometimes uninsured patients. Meanwhile, a Gallup poll finds a record 55% of Americans report that their financial situation is worsening.
The last step necessary to clear the way to a settlement was delivered via a criminal sentence Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo, resolving thousands of lawsuits, AP reports. As part of the deal, Purdue will cease to exist and will be replaced by a new company, Knoa Pharma, with the aim of combating the opioid crisis.
On May 1, the state will become the first to require people on the government health program to fulfill a work requirement or lose their coverage under a new rule that was a key part of congressional Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
At least three pharma firms — Novartis, Amgen, and Eli Lilly — say they're closer to unraveling the mystery of lipoprotein(a), which is a more dangerous cousin to LDL cholesterol. Diet and exercise don't influence lp(a) levels, CNBC reported, and there is currently no medication for it.
On Friday, Natrona County District Judge Dan Forgey granted a temporary restraining order against a new state law banning abortion after embryonic cardiac activity can be detected. Forgey claimed it was likely to be overturned on the grounds that it violates the state Constitution, which says competent adults have the right to make their own healthcare decisions, AP reported.
One outlier in the American Medical Association's analysis was California, Fierce Healthcare reports, where reported premiums were “significantly lower,” perhaps due to a state law capping noneconomic damages.
The federal government has paid to supply the test strips, which also check for other contaminants, to states since 2021, but the Trump administration now contends that harm-reduction measures encourage drug use, The New York Times reports. Experts assert that more information is better, and the distribution of test strips can stave off overdoses and encourage people who use drugs to exercise more caution.
A bug bite and an allergic reaction ultimately sent a North Carolina woman to the emergency room, where she had a couple of brief chats with a doctor and a dose of medicine. Now she questions why the charges were so high.
Experts are worried that the use of offshore reinsurance in countries that often benefit from looser regulations will create a more risky environment in the life insurance sector. Many retired Americans rely on life insurance to provide financial security through annuities, Bloomberg notes.
The medications being offered will include the diabetes drug metformin, and the blood thinner Xarelto, CBS News reports. Also in the news: Roundup lawsuits, weight loss pill Foundayo, gabapentin for traumatic brain injuries, and more.
Multiple scientists were dismissed Friday, effectively immediately. The board typically consists of 25 members from various scientific fields, appointed by the president for a six-year term. Critics say the scientists' dismissal, along with funding cuts, could have national consequences.
Florida’s KidCare expansion has been stuck in legal limbo since February 2024. Since then, the number of uninsured children in Florida has risen to 400,000 — one of the highest state tallies.
Active-duty and retired service members have been contending with delayed and unpaid claims since the rollout of new Tricare contracts more than a year ago.
A Senate-approved budget resolution to fund Homeland Security agencies does not include language to block funds from family planning clinics. Some lawmakers want the defunding provision included in the final bill. Congress must act before July.
To be eligible, certain breakthrough devices would have to be part of an Investigational Device Exemption study enrolling Medicare beneficiaries and assessing clinical outcomes agreed upon by the FDA and CMS, Modern Healthcare reported. Plus, President Donald Trump strikes a most-favored-nation deal with the final pharmaceutical holdout.
As part of her "How Would You Fix It?" series, podcast host Julie Rovner chats with health policy expert David Blumenthal about how politics can gum up health policy progress.
Although roughly 140,000 people filed claims against Purdue Pharma, ProPublica and The Philadelphia Inquirer report that fewer than half of them will get any compensation under the new settlement. Meanwhile, other news is on rules for transgender students in New York, a deadly chemical leak at a West Virginia plant, chronic wasting disease in Delaware, and more.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told lawmakers on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, “We have advised every child to get the MMR [vaccine]. That’s what we do.” It is a statement he personally has not made. Plus, The New York Times explains the tightrope Kennedy is walking.
Licensed medical marijuana will now be listed as a Schedule III drug, which doesn't carry the same tight restrictions as a Schedule I drug. The order does not legalize cannabis, but it does allow researchers to conduct studies without facing penalties for possessing the substance.
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