Healthcare Access

Los Angeles – October 01, 2026 -- Three pharmacy benefit managers—CVS Caremark, Optum Rx, and Express Scripts—processed roughly 80% of U.S. prescription claims last year, a concentration that AlignRx says is squeezing independent pharmacies out of the market. The nation's largest independently owned Pharmacy Services Administrative Organization (PSAO) is the subject of a forthcoming feature on the public television series All Access with Andy Garcia, which examines the reimbursement pressures facing community pharmacies nationwide.

Vertically integrated PBMs leave pharmacies reimbursed below drug cost

The feature details how market consolidation among the three dominant PBMs has created a vertically integrated system in which patients face higher out-of-pocket costs and reduced choice. Community pharmacies, AlignRx says, are often reimbursed less than the cost of the medication they dispense, straining their ability to stay open.

Miami – September 29, 2026 -- eMed, a digital healthcare company, and The Female Quotient, a global media and experiences firm reaching over 8 million leaders across 30 industries, have announced a strategic partnership targeting a $1 trillion annual opportunity in the global economy by 2040 tied to closing the women's health gap.

Partnership launches at New York summit on October 14

The collaboration will officially debut at the FQ Health Summit in New York City, where executives will discuss innovation to address disparities in women's healthcare access. Chloe Ferro and Olivia Ferro, founders of sheMed, will join the discussion to share perspectives on personalized care.

Mississauga, ON – September 29, 2026 -- Kye Pharmaceuticals ranked No. 105 on Report on Business magazine's 2026 list of Canada's Top Growing Companies, posting three-year revenue growth of 264%.

Kye secures second consecutive year on the Globe and Mail growth ranking

The Mississauga, Ontario-based specialty pharmaceutical company previously appeared on the 2025 edition of the list, marking its second straight year of recognition. The 2026 ranking included 376 companies in total, each qualifying through a voluntary application process and targeted revenue thresholds based on three-year growth performance.

Rosemont, Ill. – September 28, 2026 -- More than 75 million people in the United States live in a county without a vascular surgeon, according to new county-level data released by the American College of Surgeons (ACS), exposing a care gap as the population most vulnerable to vascular disease grows sharply toward 2030, when all baby boomers will be at least 65.

New mapping tool counts just 4,685 vascular surgeons across 3,144 U.S. counties

The ACS Surgical Workforce Mapping Tool, built with the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS), found an average of 1.4 vascular surgeons per 100,000 people nationwide. While 290 hospital referral regions contain at least one vascular surgeon, 2,320 counties within those same regions have none, showing that regional averages mask local access failures.

Indianapolis – September 28, 2026 -- Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) launched the Lilly Change the Course Commitment on Sept. 28, targeting treatment parity for diabetes and obesity patients between high-income countries and resource-limited settings by 2040. Today, for every four patients in high-income countries who access Lilly's diabetes and obesity medicines, only one patient in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) can reach them.

Lilly targets registration of GLP-1 medicines across Africa, Latin America and Asia

The initiative rests on three pillars: adapting clinical development for resource-limited settings, accelerating registration of innovative medicines including GLP-1s in more LMICs, and strengthening primary health systems through training and digital tools. Lilly said it will prioritize regulatory filings and access pathways in Africa, Latin America and Asia, working with regulators, NGOs and global health organizations.

Washington – September 28, 2026 -- More than 15 million Americans live in one of 1,180 US counties with no general surgeon, according to a national analysis unveiled at the ACS Clinical Congress 2026 and published simultaneously in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.

Study maps 12 surgical specialties across all 3,144 US counties for the first time

The American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill identified 201,394 surgeons practicing nationwide as of April 2025, equal to 59.2 surgeons per 100,000 people. Of the country's 3,144 counties, 951 (30%) had no identified surgeon in any of the 12 specialties, affecting 9.6 million people, while 1,180 counties (38%) had no general surgeon, affecting 15.1 million.

New York – September 28, 2026 -- Women trying to conceive spend a median of $543 and track three hormone cycles out of pocket before fertility insurance coverage typically begins, according to a real-world analysis released by Oova and Flora Fertility.

Analysis tracks 49 users who conceived using at-home hormone monitoring

The study examined data from 49 Oova users spanning 2021 to 2026 who subsequently reported a pregnancy. Users tracked a median of four hormone cycles overall, with some spending more than $2,000 across multiple years before conceiving.

Median conception journey runs three cycles, with 73% succeeding within six

Among the group, the median time to conception was three tracked cycles, and 73% conceived within six cycles. The average monitoring spend of roughly $543 compares with a published average of $1,000 for a fertility diagnostic workup and $38,000 for a single IVF cycle.

Kansas City, Mo. – September 26, 2026 -- Sun Life U.S. and the Kansas City Royals Foundation have completed the first "Every Single Smile" campaign, raising $50,000 to expand dental care access for underserved youth in Kansas City through nonprofit TeamSmile.

Every Royals single triggered a donation toward the season-long fundraising goal

The campaign converted a core baseball statistic into a philanthropic mechanism, with each single hit by the Royals generating a contribution from Sun Life and the Kansas City Royals Foundation over the course of the season.

Funds will finance a new December dental clinic and expand preventive care access

The $50,000 will support an additional TeamSmile dental clinic in Kansas City this December and strengthen the Dental Home Project, which links underserved youth with local dentists for ongoing preventive care relationships.

Camarillo, Calif. – September 26, 2026 -- Gold Coast Health Plan (GCHP) has awarded $2,087,811 in one-year grants to seven providers and community organizations in Ventura County to help Medi-Cal members retain coverage ahead of new federal eligibility rules taking effect in 2027.

GCHP's RISE program brings cumulative community investment past $13 million

The 2026 round is the second year of GCHP's Resilience, Innovation, Sustainability & Equity (RISE) Grant Program, following $11.3 million distributed across 16 grants in 2025. The program has now invested more than $13 million into local providers and community groups since launch.

Boca Raton, Fla. – September 25, 2026 -- AnswersMD has opened a concierge medicine office in Boca Raton, marking the membership-based primary care practice's first location on Florida's east coast and its third statewide.

New office joins existing Tampa and St. Petersburg locations

The Boca Raton office, branded Royal Palm Concierge Medicine, is located at 1801 S Federal Hwy adjacent to Royal Palm Yacht Club and began accepting members on its opening day. It joins AnswersMD's flagship Tampa office at Bayshore and its St. Petersburg office on the St. Anthony's Hospital campus.