We got our best picture yet of Dollar General’s healthcare plans

Hello,

Welcome to Insider Healthcare. I'm Lydia Ramsey Pflanzer, and today in healthcare news:

• We got a better picture of Dollar General's healthcare ambitions;
• These are the states with the most biotech companies;
• Why you aren't allowed to know which variant gave you COVID-19.

If you're new to this newsletter, sign up here. Comments, tips? Email me at [email protected] or tweet @lydiaramsey125. Let's get to it…

Dollar General's CEO just unveiled more details about the discount chain's plans to take on the $3.8 trillion healthcare industry

• Dollar General wants a piece of the $3.8 trillion healthcare industry.
• CEO Todd Vasos on Thursday said the chain could offer eye care, telemedicine, or drug delivery.
• Vasos also said the healthcare push could be a "big deal" for the company's top and bottom lines.

Here's what he said>>

See the states that have the most biotech firms and the financial incentives they offer

• The biotech industry grew rapidly in 2020.
• California and Massachusetts are home to the most biotech firms in the country.
• The top 10 states for biotech firms offer a variety of tax and funding incentives.

Check out the full map>>

You aren't legally allowed to know which variant gave you COVID-19 in the US, even if it's Delta

• Most people with COVID-19 in the US are legally prevented from knowing which variant infected them.
• That's because sequencing tests have to be federally approved for results to be disclosed to doctors or patients, and most are not yet.
• Lab scientists say the process of validating the tests for approval is too costly and time-consuming.

Find out more>>

More stories we're reading:

• As Elizabeth Holmes heads to trial on fraud charges, former Theranos employees share new tales about her alleged paranoia, a 'tone deaf' Christmas gift and demands for utter devotion (Insider)
• Alzheimer's patients who can't afford Aduhelm if their insurers refuse to pay are being put on waiting lists (The Wall Street Journal)
• New Zealand has extended its strict lockdown again as it tackles a Delta outbreak causing 70 new cases a day (Insider)
• The governors of Florida and Texas are shunning preventive measures like masks and vaccines in favor of antibody treatments (Kaiser Health News)
• People taking dangerous doses of ivermectin for COVID-19 say they're pooping out worms, but it's probably vegetables (Insider)

- Lydia