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What We're Reading: Idaho AG Sues Purdue Pharma; Texas Tobacco Law; Healthcare for Undocumented Immigrants
Purdue Pharmaceuticals and the company’s owners have been sued by Idaho’s Attorney General for allegedly contributing to the opioid epidemic; the governor of Texas has signed a bill into law that will raise the state’s minimum age to purchase tobacco and tobacco-related products to 21; California law makers have agreed to a budget deal that will provide healthcare to young, low-income, undocumented immigrants.
Idaho Attorney General Sues Purdue Pharma, Sackler Family
Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden has filed a lawsuit accusing Purdue Pharmaceuticals and the company’s owners, the Sackler family, of profiting off the opioid crisis, according to The Hill. The lawsuit alleges the company misled physicians into prescribing opioids over competing treatments despite the dangers and risks of addiction associated with opioids. Purdue has denied the claims and plans to fight them in court.
Texas Governor Signs Bill to Raise Tobacco Purchasing Age to 21
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has signed a bill into law that will increase the state’s minimum age to purchase tobacco products to 21, CNN reported. The law covers cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and other tobacco-related products. Supporters of the legislation, which will become effective September 1, 2019, believe that increasing the age requirement will reduce the risk of addiction.
California Will Become First State to Offer Healthcare to Undocumented Immigrants
California law makers have agreed to a budget deal that will provide health insurance benefits, through the state’s Medicaid program, to low-income, undocumented immigrants between the ages of 19 to 25, The Hill reported. The program would cost approximately $98 million per year and cover about 90,000 individuals. The budget agreement must first be approved by the full state Legislature before it is officially enacted.
Urticaria Diagnosis Challenged by Overlapping Pruritic Skin Conditions
April 23rd 2025Urticaria is complicated to diagnose by its symptomatic overlap with other skin conditions and the frequent misclassification in literature of distinct pathologies like vasculitic urticaria and bullous pemphigus.
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New Research Challenges Assumptions About Hospital-Physician Integration, Medicare Patient Mix
April 22nd 2025On this episode of Managed Care Cast, Brady Post, PhD, lead author of a study published in the April 2025 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care®, challenges the claim that hospital-employed physicians serve a more complex patient mix.
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Personalized Care Key as Tirzepatide Use Expands Rapidly
April 15th 2025Using commercial insurance claims data and the US launch of tirzepatide as their dividing point, John Ostrominski, MD, Harvard Medical School, and his team studied trends in the use of both glucose-lowering and weight-lowering medications, comparing outcomes between adults with and without type 2 diabetes.
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ACOs’ Focus on Rooting Out Fraud Aligns With CMS Vision Under Oz
April 23rd 2025Accountable care organizations (ACOs) are increasingly playing the role of data sleuths as they identify and report trends of anomalous billing in hopes of salvaging their shared savings. This mission dovetails with that of CMS, which under the new administration plans to prioritize rooting out fraud, waste, and abuse.
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