Trending News Today: Opioid Overdoses Surge Among Native Americans, Alaska Natives

Michigan has settled a class-action lawsuit against a policy that restricts access to hepatitis C virus (HCV) drugs for Medicaid beneficiaries, The New York Times. The lawsuit alleged that the state restricted access to HCV antivirals for Medicaid-insured patients who had serious liver damage. Although there is no national standard stating who can receive the treatment, lawyers argued that Medicaid patients are receiving second-class health coverage due to their lack of finances, according to the article.

Opioid-related overdoses among Native Americans grew between 1999 and 2015, and federal officials are searching for ways to stop this trend, according to the Associated Press. During this time period, there was a fivefold increase in overdose deaths among Native Americans and Alaska Natives, which was higher than any other group. Additionally, these statistics may be as much as 35% lower due to individuals often being listed as another race on their death certificates, according to the article.

Elizabeth Holmes has forfeited control of Theranos, a blood testing company, and will pay $500,000 in damages to settle a fraud lawsuit, according to NBC New York. The lawsuit was filed 2 years ago after the SEC started looking into Theranos due to a Wall Street Journal article in which former employees said the blood tests may be a sham, according to the article. The concern was that patients may be at risk of receiving an improper diagnosis or not receiving one at all.