In a paper published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, medical oncologists have delineated their recommendations to improve cancer care and provide better access to quality care for those patients with financial issues and on Medicaid.
In a paper published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, medical oncologists have delineated their recommendations to improve cancer care and provide better access to quality care for those patients with financial issues and on Medicaid. Based on the principles that Medicaid patients should have equal access to high-quality cancer care delivered by cancer specialists, as do patients on private insurance, the committee formulated several policy recommendations. Some key points include:
Medicaid reform has been a topic of debate for a long time, and the authors think that post-ACA, the disparities in cancer care will worsen. The authors emphasize that while Medicaid is fraught with a million faults, and healthcare providers and their financial administrators do not favor Medicaid’s low reimbursement rates compared to Medicare, we have to accept that Medicaid is the lifeline for patients. The only option, therefore, is for all stakeholders to contribute their voice to the discussion—provide their thoughts and recommendations, as did ASCO, to help reform care delivery so it’s a win-win for both the patient and the oncology care provider.
The Supreme Court seems likely to reject a challenge to the abortion pill mifepristone; the FDA is inspecting far fewer pharmaceutical companies conducting clinical research; AstraZeneca has sued to block an Arkansas law that it said would unlawfully expand the 340B program to include for profit-pharmacy chains.
Read More
Exploring Medicare Advantage Prior Authorization Variations
March 26th 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with the authors of a study published in the March 2024 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® about their findings on variations in prior authorization use across Medicare Advantage plans.
Listen
Covered Preventive Services at Risk: V-BID Summit Breaks Down the Braidwood v Becerra Case
March 20th 2024For more than a decade, certain high-value preventive care services have been covered at no cost to patients under the Affordable Care Act, but a current legal challenge has the coverage at risk.
Read More
Navigating Health Literacy, Social Determinants, and Discrimination in National Health Plans
February 13th 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with the authors of a study published in the February 2024 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® about their findings on how health plans can screen for health literacy, social determinants of health, and perceived health care discrimination.
Listen
FDA Approves Tislelizumab for Advanced or Metastatic ESCC After Chemotherapy
March 15th 2024The FDA has approved tislelizumab-jsgr (Tevimbra) for single-agent use in adult patients with unresectable or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma following prior systemic chemotherapy that did not include a PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor.
Read More
Fragmented Payer System, Vulnerable Supply Chain Among Threats to Accessing Essential Medicines
March 13th 2024During a session of the 2024 V-BID Summit, panelists Stacie Dusetzina, PhD, and Inma Hernandez, PharmD, PhD, discussed how access to essential medications is curtailed not just by the longstanding complexities of insurance design but also by emerging threats such as supply chain weaknesses and cyberattacks.
Read More