The $25 billion coronavirus testing problem — no one wants to cover the cost
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The US has a $25 billion coronavirus testing problem
Nursing homes have been the source of deadly coronavirus outbreaks throughout the course of the pandemic, leading to nearly 32,000 deaths in the US.
Getting on top of coronavirus outbreaks in nursing homes requires frequent testing. The big question is, who's going to pay for it?
As Kimberly Leonard and Blake Dodge found out through their reporting, nobody wants to cover the cost of all the testing needed.
The question of who will pay for testing isn't unique to nursing homes either — as industries look to reopen and return to the office, if testing is a component, the cost, estimated at $25 billion, will likely be a big hurdle.
You can read the full story here:
Nursing homes reveal a $25 billion conundrum: No one wants to pay for the millions of coronavirus tests required to reopen the country.
The FDA just revoked an emergency OK for the malaria pill hydroxychloroquine in coronavirus patients, as clinical evidence piles up against the drug
- US health regulators will no longer allow the emergency use of chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19.
- The Food and Drug Administration said Monday it has revoked the emergency use authorization issued for the antimalarial medications.
- The FDA had previously allowed the drugs to be used in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Clinical trials testing hydroxychloroquine will not be affected by the change.
- FDA reviewers concluded that chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine "are unlikely to be effective in treating COVID-19 for the authorized uses in the EUA."
- The decision also acknowledged "serious" heart-related side effects that the pills can cause.
Supreme Court rules that the federal law that bars sex discrimination in employment also applies to LGBTQ individuals
- The Supreme Court decided in a landmark ruling on Monday that existing antidiscrimination employment protections apply to individuals who are gay, lesbian, and transgender.
- In a 6-3 decision, conservative Justices John Roberts and Neil Gorsuch sided with the court's four liberal voices.
- The decision is a blow to the Trump administration, which argued that existing protections did not apply to people based on their identification in the LGBTQ community.
More stories we're reading:
- The FDA just gave a green light to video game for kids with ADHD (Stat News)
- Telemedicine startups have raised billions as the coronavirus puts them to the test. Meet the 12 startups forging a new path for healthcare amid the pandemic. (Business Insider)
- Walmart just bought the prescription management tech of pharmacy startup CareZone (CNBC)
- Meet the 26 healthcare startups that top VCs say are poised to take off amid the coronavirus pandemic (Business Insider)