Marissa Plescia News Today

Merith Basey, executive director of Patients For Affordable Drugs, believes the Medicare price negotiation program is here to stay, no matter who is president and no matter how many Big Pharma players file lawsuits. Her reasoning? Every other high income nation has been negotiating prices with drugmakers for years, and the program is widely popular in the U.S. among pretty much everyone who isn’t a pharma company, she said during a session at Engage at HLTH.

The opening day of the HLTH 2023 event offered a surprising announcement from venture capital firm General Catalyst. Weight Watchers CEO called for a change in how we talk about obesity. ENGAGE at HLTH offered compelling discussions around retail health, prescription drug prices and investment trends.

MedCity News is launching a new podcast called MedCity FemFwd, which will discuss the breakthroughs and challenges in the women's health space. In the inaugural episode, Michelle Long of KFF examines whether Opill — the first daily oral contraceptive approved for nonprescription use in the U.S. — will be covered by insurance.

Here's a round-up of stories that give a birds-eye look at what community leaders are doing to educate, empower and keep people healthy.

A new study suggests Missouri remains one of the most unsafe states during the lingering COVID-19 pandemic.