Life

Health, science, climate, and society-focused reporting.

Briefing: Federal vaccine adviser departs ACIP

Strategic angle: Robert Malone, an outspoken doctor and ally of RFK Jr., is stepping away from a panel of federal vaccine advisers after a federal judge blocked the panel’s work.

Editorial Staff Mar 24

Life

Briefing: The Status of Abortion-related State Ballot Initiatives Since Dobbs

Strategic angle: Since the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, voters in 17 states have weighed in on ballot measures regarding abortion.

Editorial Staff Mar 24

Life

Briefing: Opinion: We’re launching a new CMS pilot program to help children with complex conditions

Strategic angle: CMS aims to transform fragmented care into a cohesive system for children with complex health needs.

Editorial Staff Mar 24

Life

Briefing: FTC Strikes Proposed Deal with CVS Over Insulin Price Manipulation

Strategic angle: Settlement expected to save Americans up to $7 billion in out-of-pocket costs over the next decade.

Editorial Staff Mar 24

Life

Briefing: Drug company penalties for paying kickbacks to doctors failed to dent bottom lines, analysis finds

Strategic angle: An analysis reveals that drugmakers penalized for kickbacks paid only a small fraction of their U.S. revenue from the drugs involved.

Editorial Staff Mar 24

Life

Briefing: FDA slams Soon-Shiong and ImmunityBio for making ‘false and misleading’ claims about a drug

Strategic angle: Patrick Soon-Shiong, a controversial figure in the biotech industry, was accused by the FDA of making false and misleading claims about a cancer treatment.

Editorial Staff Mar 24

Life

Briefing: STAT+: How will Trump handle the CDC and ACIP?

Strategic angle: Trump's decisions serve as a test of how much sway RFK Jr.'s MAHA movement still has in the White House.

Editorial Staff Mar 24

Life

Briefing: Claims Denials and Appeals in ACA Marketplace Plans in 2024

Strategic angle: An analysis of claims denials and appeals reveals significant challenges for consumers in the ACA Marketplace.

Editorial Staff Mar 24

Life

Briefing: Can you spot a deepfake X-ray? Neither can your radiologist

Strategic angle: Deepfake images can mislead viewers, upend elections, and instigate violence. They can also, researchers say, disrupt medical care.

Editorial Staff Mar 24

Life

Briefing: Buzzy AI doctor startup raises funds, will meet FDA

Strategic angle: In this edition of STAT Health Tech: AI doctor startup raises fresh capital, and what Medicare chief Chris Klomp said at STAT Summit.

Editorial Staff Mar 24

Life

Briefing: What to Know About the BALANCE Model for GLP-1s in Medicare and Medicaid

Strategic angle: This brief describes current coverage of GLP-1s in Medicare and Medicaid, and CMS's efforts to expand access and lower costs through the BALANCE model.

Editorial Staff Mar 24

Life

Briefing: Gilead to acquire immunology biotech, offers lifeline to Galapagos

Strategic angle: In today's Readout newsletter: Gilead to acquire an immunology biotech and Merck partners with Flagship company on IBD targets.

Editorial Staff Mar 24

Life

Briefing: Pharmalittle: Trump Drug Pricing Flaw and Gilead Deal Insights

Strategic angle: Comments from a top Trump administration health official highlight significant issues in the president’s drug pricing plans.

Editorial Staff Mar 24

Life

Briefing: Opinion: Every pandemic is followed by amnesia. But Covid’s is very different

Strategic angle: In this excerpt from their new book “Whiplash,” David Blumenthal and James A. Morone describe how scientists became villains to MAGA.

Editorial Staff Mar 24

Life

Briefing: The potential loophole in Trump’s plan to get other countries to pay more for drugs

Strategic angle: Diverging messages on the main effort to address U.S. drug prices point to a loophole in Trump's plan.

Editorial Staff Mar 24

Life

Briefing: What growing up in an end-times church taught a science communicator about dispelling misinformation

Strategic angle: A passion for snakes opened a crack in the religious beliefs science communicator Paul Martin Jensen grew up with in a end-times Pentecostal church.

Editorial Staff Mar 24

Life

Briefing: This bill could make CVS choose between its stores and its pharmacy benefit manager

Strategic angle: A proposal in the Tennessee legislature could force CVS Health to sever a core piece of its business model or exit the state entirely.

Editorial Staff Mar 23

Life

Briefing: NIH Grant Terminations Disproportionately Impact Women Scientists

Strategic angle: A new study reveals that women, especially early-career researchers, face greater challenges due to NIH grant terminations.

Editorial Staff Mar 23

Life

Briefing: STAT+: The intersection of ‘Apprentice’ and the No Surprises Act

Strategic angle: A STAT investigation explores how a new company is profiting from the arbitration process in the No Surprises Act.

Editorial Staff Mar 23

Life

Briefing: 10 Things to Know About Medicaid Managed Care

Strategic angle: Our updated explainer provides an overview of comprehensive managed care, the most common way states deliver Medicaid services to enrollees.

Editorial Staff Mar 23