Here Are All the Reasons We’re Getting Scammed on Health Care

Health insurance, PBMs, Big Pharma, food conglomerates — you name it, we covered it.

Americans are furious at our broken health care system — from the billions people owe in medical debt, to paying astronomically high drug costs, to the rapid corporate takeover of medical practices, and finally the opaque and immovable bureaucracy of health insurers.

We’ll be continuing to cover all of these topics and more in the coming year, particularly as the second Trump administration’s agenda takes shape around programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and the Biden administration’s program to negotiate drug costs.

In the meantime, you can catch up on all the issues we covered this year on health care. Thanks for supporting us in 2024, and we hope you continue to do so next year. If you want to help fund our non-profit journalism, you can contribute here, or consider subscribing to our Substack.

The $1 Trillion Private Health Insurance Scam

Private health insurance corporations are trying to trick seniors across America into signing up for Medicare Advantage. Is it less expensive? No. Is it better coverage? Also no. It’s just another way for corporations to skim more money off the ill.

On this Substack, we also covered how companies like CVS Caremark made big bets on Medicare Advantage, but failed to meet lofty earnings expectations after the Biden administration started aggressively pursuing fraud in the system. Must be a coincidence.

Why CVS Sucks Now...And Is Getting Worse

There's a crime wave at CVS, but you're being lied to about who's behind it. The company is understaffing stores, underpaying workers, and forcing pharmacists to chase money at the expense of patient safety. “I’m afraid I’m going to kill someone,” one pharmacist told us.

And while CVS is the second biggest health care company on Earth, many of its pharmacy workers are on public assistance. CVS made $8 billion last year and owns Aetna, yet it doesn't provide workers with affordable health care. So workers are going in sick — to a pharmacy.

The Surprising Reason Hospitals Are Running Out of IV Fluids

Following Hurricane Helene, hospitals across the country faced an IV fluid shortage.

That’s because there’s a monopoly in the IV fluid industry. One company, Baxter International, produces 60% of our supply — and Hurricane Helene wiped out their largest facility, forcing doctors and nurses to ration care.

What the Maker of Ozempic Doesn't Want You to Know: It's Bankrupting America

One miracle drug could create a fiscal crisis in America. Ozempic could end obesity...bankrupt Medicare, blow up state budgets, and increase premiums for everyone. It’s because Big Pharma is ripping us off. The drug costs $936 in the US—but roughly one-tenth that everywhere else.

What Big Sugar Doesn't Want You To Know

Your sweet tooth is the result of a 50-year media and lobbying campaign by the Sugar Association. They paid off scientists to publish articles pinning the blame for heart disease on fat and cholesterol. Now they’re fighting rules that would make school lunches healthier.

Researchers Found Lead in Lunchables. Kraft is Serving Them in Schools.

Lunchables could be poisoning kids, but as of earlier this year, they were still getting served in schools across the country, making Kraft rich. We dug into what's going on and how Kraft is getting away with it — and after we published our report and worked with Consumer Reports to deliver nearly 50,000 petition signatures, Kraft removed Lunchables from the National School Lunch Program.

McKinsey: The Group Secretly Running Every Company (And Government?)

There’s a secret, parasitic consulting firm at the heart of nearly every industry in America — including Big Pharma.

They’re responsible for the worst corporate “best practices” — lay-offs, safety cuts, price-gouging.

We uncovered how McKinsey is waging a secret war on the working class.

Private Equity's Latest Target: Your Emergency Room

Private equity is swallowing up America's emergency rooms. 1 in 4 ERs are now staffed by private equity-based firms. The waits are longer, the bills are higher, and ER doctors are being replaced by lower-paid contractors.

Corrupt Middlemen Are The Real Reason Drug Prices Keep Increasing

There is a massive, totally legal bribery scheme driving up drug prices in America. And pharmacy benefit managers—shady middlemen you’ve probably never heard of—are right at the center.

This Single Abortion Clinic Serves Most Of The South

Abortion clinics are some of the most difficult and dangerous small businesses to run in America. The problem goes beyond Roe v. Wade being overturned. Abortion providers have been closing for decades. We looked into the hidden costs of running a clinic and how we can build more now.

Taxpayers Funded a Life-Saving Drug. Now It's Unaffordable.

Merck is charging $200,000 for the life-saving cancer drug Keytruda. They’re making a fortune off it. But it was developed using tax-payer dollars. That means the federal government has the little-known power to lower the price by taking Merck’s patent and giving it away.