The James Group Newsletter Vol. 4, Num. 15: Lawsuit Linking Baby Powder & Cancer, EpiPen Settlement Finalized, New UHC CEO, Bubonic Plague in AZ, Young People Dying of Colon Cancer, Shop Around for Health Costs, Anthem Exits CA, TN Promotes ACA Enrollment
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August 22, 2017 |
Volume 4, Number 15 |
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In This Issue
Lawsuit Linking Baby Powder to Cancer Young People Dying of Colon Cancer Contact Us The James Group, LLC This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Memphis: 901-273-8600 Atlanta: 770-709-7210
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The Associated Press: Record $417M Award In Lawsuit Linking Baby Powder To Cancer The verdict in the lawsuit brought by the California woman, Eva Echeverria, marks the largest sum awarded in a series of talcum powder lawsuit verdicts against Johnson & Johnson in courts around the U.S. Echeverria alleged Johnson & Johnson failed to adequately warn consumers about talcum powder’s potential cancer risks. She used the company’s baby powder on a daily basis beginning in the 1950s until 2016 and was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2007, according to court papers. (Balsamo, 8/21) Source: The Associated Press USA Today: Mylan $465M EpiPen Settlement Finalized Mylan and federal investigators Thursday finalized a $465 million settlement of charges the drugmaker overcharged the government for the injection allergy medication EpiPen. Resolving an issue that fueled nationwide debate over soaring drug costs, the agreement ends an investigation that found Mylan avoided paying state Medicaid programs higher EpiPen rebates by improperly classifying the brand name drug as a generic medication. (McCoy, 8/17) Source: USA Today The Associated Press: UnitedHealth CEO To Step Down After Run Of More Than Decade UnitedHealth Group has picked company President David Wichmann to replace CEO Stephen Hemsley in a long-planned transition that Wall Street greeted with polite applause.The nation’s largest health insurer says Wichmann, 54, will take over Sept. 1, and Hemsley will become executive chairman of the company’s board. Current Chairman Richard Burke will shift to lead independent director. (Murphy, 8/17) Source: The Associated Press USA Today: Bubonic Plague In Arizona: Fleas Found Carrying Infectious Disease Fleas tested positive for the the bubonic plague in two counties in Arizona, with public health officials warning the infectious disease that claimed millions in the Middle Ages may exist in other nearby locations, too. The plague's presence in Arizona follows three confirmed human cases in New Mexico earlier this year. (Hafner, 8/16) Source: USA Today The New York Times: More Young People Are Dying Of Colon Cancer When researchers reported earlier this year that colorectal cancer rates were rising in adults as young as their 20s and 30s, some scientists were skeptical. The spike in figures, they suggested, might not reflect a real increase in disease incidence but earlier detection, which can be a good thing. (Rabin, 8/22) Source: The New York Times Kaiser Health News: Too Few Patients Follow The Adage: You Better Shop Around Despite having more financial “skin in the game” than ever, many consumers don’t make any attempt to compare prices for health care services, a newly released study found. In a survey of nearly 3,000 adults younger than 65, about half of the roughly 1,900 who said they spent money on medical care in the previous year reported that they knew in advance what their costs would be. Of those who didn’t anticipate how much they would owe before receiving care, only 13 percent said they tried to predict their out-of-pocket expenses. (Andrews, 8/18) Source: Kaiser Health News California Healthline: Anthem’s Exit Leaves Thousands With No Choice Of Health Plans For about 60,000 Covered California customers, choosing a health plan next year will be easier, and possibly more painful, than ever: There will be only one insurer left in their communities after Anthem Blue Cross of California pulls out of much of the state’s individual market. That means they could lose doctors they trust, or pay higher premiums. (Ibarra, 8/18) Source: California Healthline The New York Times: In Tennessee, Promoting Enrollment In Tenuous Health Care Plans Sharon Barker isn’t used to recruiting new health insurance customers in deepest summer, long before the enrollment season for the Affordable Care Act. But this year, everything is different. Despite surviving Republican efforts to repeal it, the law known as Obamacare remains vulnerable. President Trump has repeatedly threatened to end billions of dollars in payments to insurance companies, but his administration decided this week to continue them for another month. (Goodnough, 8/20) Source: The New York Times
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