What We're Reading: Clinton Leans Further Left on Healthcare

Hillary Clinton is leaning even further to the left when it comes to healthcare. The frontrunner for the Democratic party may have attacked rival Senator Bernie Sanders for his single-payer, government-run healthcare plan, but she is now floating a similar idea, reported The Wall Street Journal. Clinton has mentioned the idea of allowing more people to buy into Medicare. Instead of limiting the plan to people age 65 years and older, she is considered letting people as young as 50 years to purchase Medicare coverage.

The FDA may be looking to speed up the approval process to get more drugs to market, but the public is not on board. According to STAT, there is strong public opposition to the federal government changing safety and effectiveness standards to allow for faster drug approvals. Only 38% were in favor of a quicker approval process, the poll from STAT and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found. Poll respondents didn’t seem to buy the argument that reducing the time it takes for a drug to get to the market would reduce drug prices.

Walgreens Boots Alliance is expanding customer options for mental health services and treatment. Forbes reported that Walgreens will offer access to 1000 therapists and psychiatrists through telemedicine in an effort to manage mental health treatment and improve medication adherence. Walgreens is also partnering with Mental Health America to provide free screenings for conditions like depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorders.