15 drugs named in Medicare price negotiations | Healthcare at center of record-breaking $6.8B fraud year | Outspoken nurses

The third round of the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program includes treatments for HIV and diabetes, among other conditions. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services also released a list of the top 50 medications it deems strong candidates for future negotiations based on current prices and patient utilization.

Of the $6.8 billion in judgments and settlements the U.S. Department of Justice reclaimed under the False Claims Act, $5.7 billion came from healthcare cases. The agency said fraud involving Medicare reimbursements, unnecessary patient care and managed care scams remains a key focus.

How politically heated is the present moment? Enough to elicit verbal violence from trusted nurses. 

Those who closely follow news and views on AI risk missing out on nine other technology categories that are changing our world just as fast. Or, as Stanford Prof. Condoleezza Rice puts it, “History will judge not only what we invented but also how and why we chose to do so.”

Aultman Health System notified its patients of the data breach in December 2025. However, the breach occurred some 11 months earlier. The organization said the delay was due to an ongoing investigation. The lawsuit against Aultman is seeking class action status.

National Nurses United plans demonstrations in 12 states and Washington, D.C. for Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse at Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Health Care System. The list of demands includes the defunding of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The Children’s Health Defense, a vaccine-skeptic lobby once chaired by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., filed a complaint in federal court against the American Academy of Pediatrics, alleging it engaged in systemic corruption. The same day, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said his state would be investigating the financial ties between vaccine developers, insurers and pediatricians.

The latest federal jobs report brings good news to healthcare and social assistance, bad news to most other sectors.  

During a recent segment on Fox Business, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Martin Makary, MD, clarified new guidance on AI, meant to provide companies with the flexibility to gather and provide data without the agency's approval. However, medical devices that provide "clinical-grade" data will still need to be cleared.

Over 45 physicians, scientists and public health leaders believe a “fundamental shift” is needed to address how USPSTF develops and implements recommendations. 

Researchers see potential for this technology to make cardiac screening much easier for physicians who are not trained cardiologists.