Health Care - Independent Voter News

Who is Right? Kennedy Challenges Pretty Much Every Conventional Medical Norm as Senate Explodes

Tensions boiled over when U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testified before the Senate Finance Committee Thursday in the wake of turmoil at the Center for Disease Control [CDC], including his firing of CDC Director Susan Monarez.

By Shawn Griffiths

September 4, 2025

Who is Right? Kennedy Challenges Pretty Much Every Conventional Medical Norm as Senate Explodes

Everyone Agrees There’s Medicare Waste to Cut — Here’s Why It Hasn’t Happened

As the Senate takes up the House-passed One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), some lawmakers are considering a slate of Medicare reforms aimed at reducing waste, fraud, and abuse within the program, which analysts say can be achieved through specific reforms that are not tied to partisan agendas.

By Shawn Griffiths

June 10, 2025

Everyone Agrees There’s Medicare Waste to Cut — Here’s Why It Hasn’t Happened

Three Reps Put Party Labels Aside to Strengthen U.S. Role in Global Fight Against Alzheimer’s

Two California members of Congress, Ami Bera, M.D. (D-CA-06) and Young Kim (R-CA-40), introduced a bill Wednesday with Republican Pennsylvania Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick aimed at bolstering the US's global role in the battle against Alzheimer’s disease.

By Shawn Griffiths

June 4, 2025

Three Reps Put Party Labels Aside to Strengthen U.S. Role in Global Fight Against Alzheimer’s

Independent Voters Reject Medicaid Cuts as Senate GOP Struggles to Unite on Budget Bill

As the Senate begins debate Monday on President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” polling underscores a widening gap between congressional Republicans and the independent voters they will need to win future elections. At the center of the conflict is Medicaid.

By Cara Brown McCormick

June 2, 2025

Independent Voters Reject Medicaid Cuts as Senate GOP Struggles to Unite on Budget Bill

FDA Ban on GLP-1 Compounds for Weight-Loss Goes into Full Effect

A new federal enforcement deadline is set to reshape access to some of the country’s most in-demand weight-loss drugs. Starting May 22, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will prohibit most pharmacies and providers from producing or distributing compounded versions of GLP-1 medications sema

By Cara Brown McCormick

May 21, 2025

FDA Ban on GLP-1 Compounds for Weight-Loss Goes into Full Effect

More Than a Uniform: Remembering Annie Covarrubias and the Crisis Facing Correctional Officers

Last week, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) officials announced the sudden passing of Annie Covarrubias, a correctional officer at the Correctional Training Facility (CTF) in Soledad. She was 35 years old. In the words of her colleagues, Annie was a “dependable, profess

By Chad Peace

May 20, 2025

More Than a Uniform: Remembering Annie Covarrubias and the Crisis Facing Correctional Officers

AB 955 Revisited: How to Expand Cross-Border Care Without Sacrificing Patient Protections

IVN recently examined AB 955, by Assemblymember David Alvarez. The bill seeks to expand a healthcare service program I created in 1998 as the author of SB1658.

By Steve Peace

May 14, 2025

AB 955 Revisited: How to Expand Cross-Border Care Without Sacrificing Patient Protections

Gov. Newsom Targets Prescription Drug Middlemen in New Reform Proposal

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is reviving efforts to regulate the powerful and often opaque intermediaries at the center of the prescription drug supply chain. In a proposal unveiled as part of his revised May budget, Newsom calls for stringent oversight of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), companies

By Tori Stevens

May 14, 2025

Gov. Newsom Targets Prescription Drug Middlemen in New Reform Proposal

Pharmacy Benefit Managers and Trump’s Executive Order Attack on Drug Pricing Middlemen

In less than a month, President Donald Trump has signed two major executive orders to overhaul the nation’s prescription drug pricing system. These orders have placed Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) at the center of the president’s ire and revived a controversial “Most Favored Nation” pricing polic

By Cara Brown McCormick

May 12, 2025

Pharmacy Benefit Managers and Trump’s Executive Order Attack on Drug Pricing Middlemen

Cross-Border Healthcare: A Complex Problem Meets a Bipartisan Solution

While healthcare in California has seen massive investments in coverage and access, these gains often mean little to border residents who split time, family, or even residency across two countries

By Chad Peace

April 30, 2025

Cross-Border Healthcare: A Complex Problem Meets a Bipartisan Solution

Landmark Legislation Introduced to Address Mental Health Crisis Among Correctional Officers

On the second anniversary of Federal Correctional Officer Blake Schwarz’s death by suicide, an Iowa congresswoman has reintroduced a significant bill aimed at combating the ongoing mental health crisis among correctional officers.

By Cara Brown McCormick

March 26, 2025

Landmark Legislation Introduced to Address Mental Health Crisis Among Correctional Officers

Pressure Mounts for PBM Reform Amid Rising Drug Costs

Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) have long operated in the shadows of the U.S. healthcare system, wielding significant influence over drug pricing and access. Recent developments, including federal investigations, state lawsuits, and bipartisan legislative efforts, have intensified scrutiny on these

By Cara Brown McCormick

January 29, 2025

Pressure Mounts for PBM Reform Amid Rising Drug Costs