Trending News Today: Americans Support Legislation to Restrict Drug Cost Increases

A recent poll found that a majority of Americans support placing legal restrictions on drug prices. Approximately 82% of individuals said they support Medicare negotiating drug prices with manufacturers, and 78% wanted to limit how much manufacturers can charge for medications, according to Kaiser Health News. A majority of respondents were also in favor of importing drugs from other countries, such as Canada.

Spending on specialty drugs increased by 30% last year for the California Public Employees’ Retirement System, according to California Healthline. The program accumulated $2.1 billion in pharmacy spending, with $587 million specifically spent on specialty drugs. Drugs for conditions such as hepatitis C virus, cancer, and multiple sclerosis were large drivers of the increased costs.

A new report from the Government Accountability Office says that more than 113 million electronic health records were breached last year. This number increased from only 12.5 million in 2014, according to The Washington Post. These hackers can obtain personal information about patients such as social security numbers and medical conditions.