Alison Kodjak

The CEOs of seven U.S. drug makers testified before the Senate Finance Committee on their pricing practices.

Senators called pharmaceutical industry leaders to account for the high costs of medicine during Senate testimony. The executives deflected blame to insurance companies and middlemen.

With almost 10,000 stores across the country, CVS says it is already where consumers are. The company is transforming some of its stores and their retail clinics into hubs for a wider range of care.

The idea, they say, would be to eliminate the health insurance industry and replace it with government-run health insurance. The industry is already gearing up to oppose any moves in that direction.

Congressional Democrats want to protect health coverage and protections of the Affordable Care Act. With the Senate in Republican hands, House Democrats will hold hearings and may turn to the courts.

A recent study shows the cost of brand-name drugs is rising — not because of expensive new therapies entering the market but because manufacturers are raising prices on existing drugs.

A federal judge in Texas issued a ruling Friday declaring the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional, apparently setting the stage for another hearing on the health care law by the U.S. Supreme Court.

A Texas judge on Friday said that the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional — a ruling likely to be appealed and to make its way up to the Supreme Court.

The pace of enrollment in Affordable Care Act plans is slower than in past years. That could mean fewer people will have health coverage — or that more people are getting insurance via their work.

To protect a developing fetus from experimental drugs or treatments that might cause birth defects, pregnant women aren’t included in many clinical trials. But that limits the safety evidence, too.