Trending News Today: Generic Drug Pricing Lawsuit Expands

While lower-income Americans may be unaffected by rising premiums, middle class Americans may soon feel the effects of growing Affordable Care Act (ACA) plan costs, according to Bloomberg. A recent analysis from the Department of Health and Human Services found that 80% of individuals will be able to receive low cost plans due to tax credits. However, those who earn too much to qualify for financial assistance face significant cost increases, according to the article. “You’re looking at eye-popping rates, almost across the board really,” Nick Gerhart, a former Iowa insurance regulator, told Bloomberg. “You’re going to have a lot of rate shock.”

Forty-six attorney generals are expanding a lawsuit that alleges generic medication price fixing against 18 manufacturers and 15 drugs, according to CNBC. The suit claims that certain manufacturers are dividing the market in an effort to increase the cost of generic drugs, which are perceived to be the lowest cost option available. The attorneys are also targeting 2 executives from manufacturers that are alleged to have participated in illegal activities, according to the article.

A new study suggests that long-term proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use could be increasing the risk of stomach cancer among patients with a previous Helicobacter pylori stomach infection, according to The New York Times. The authors noted that patients who used PPIs were twice as likely to develop stomach cancer compared with those who used H2 receptors, another heartburn drug. These results were observed even after H. pylori was eradicated from the stomach through antibiotic treatment, according to the Times.