Lower out-of-pocket prescription drugs costs spread more manageably across the calendar year. That’s what patients and policymakers alike hope to get from the Inflation Reduction Act. 

Finding the right medication for a heart condition can be tricky and time consuming. So what happens when the insurance company then compels patients to switch?

Despite the range of existing treatment options, hypertension bears a growing burden on Americans and requires innovative solutions. A new policy paper from the Partnership to Advance Cardiovascular Health, “Pressure’s Mounting,” hears cardiologists, nurses and patient advocates describe the widespread disease’s impact and the importance of individualized treatment. 

The Partnership to Advance Cardiovascular Health brought together patient advocates, health care providers and policy experts to discuss solutions to overcome the hurdles that keep cardiovascular patients from accessing the most appropriate care.

“A few of my patients are kids. Others are over age 90. But nearly all are overweight or obese.”

The pandemic pushed the nation’s health care system to the brink. Hospitals even turned patients away during surges. It’s a terrible scenario. And it should be a wake-up call.

Every new COVID-19 variant reignites fears of untimely deaths. Yet heart disease continues to kill more people than the coronavirus every single year.

As a cardiologist, I see health care as more than a political issue. It’s been central to my life for three decades.

What if we – as a health care community – focused on cardiovascular disease prevention with the same level of intensity as we do treatment?

One day, when my son Dean was just seven weeks old, his grandma was over for a visit. She held him as we chatted, but I had a hard time following the conversation. I was noticing that Dean’s head was bobbing unnaturally, and I heard an unusual grunting sound as he labored to breathe.

A new treatment approach may allow patients to manage AFib more effectively.