Public health insurance programs are covering an increasing number of heart transplant surgeries in the U.S., recent research suggests, meaning the outcomes of such procedures could hinge on decisions made by the federal government.

Survivors of heart attack, stroke and cardiac arrest are not only less likely to maintain a job following those events, but their earnings might take a significant hit even if they stay employed, researchers reported Jan. 7 in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

Medical marketing in the United States reached $29.9 billion in 2016, up from $17.7 billion in 1997, according to a new analysis published in JAMA.

Readmissions and postacute care were the primary drivers of differences in payments to hospitals for 90-day episodes of percutaneous coronary intervention, suggests a study of more than 40,000 PCI procedures from 33 Michigan hospitals.

Unpredictable drops in income in a person’s early 20s through mid-30s have been associated with a nearly twofold increased risk of all-cause death or CVD events, including heart attack, stroke and heart failure.

The recent price cuts of the PCSK9 inhibitor alirocumab (Praluent) aren’t enough to make the cholesterol-lowering drug cost-effective compared to ezetimibe, according to an analysis published in the Jan. 1 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

A Wall Street Journal investigation detailed how private health insurers have regularly overestimated the cost of covering prescription drug benefits for Medicare enrollees, allowing the insurers to keep $9.1 billion more from 2006 to 2015 than if their projections had been accurate.

Another study has linked the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP) to increased mortality among patients hospitalized for heart failure, prompting at least one cardiologist to urge policymakers to revise the policy.