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What We're Reading: ACA Enrollment Stable; Funding Boost for NIH; No Deal for ACA Stabilization
Affordable Care Act (ACA) enrollment was stable in most places despite turmoil; National Institutes of Health research, opioid, and mental health funding see gains in budget deal, but ACA stabilization plan is missing.
ACA Marketplaces Stable Despite Turmoil
Affordable Care Act (ACA) plan enrollment declined slightly, but states running their own marketplaces saw slight gains and did better than those relying on the federal exchange. About 11.8 million Americans enrolled in 2018 coverage, down 3.7% from last year’s total, according to the National Academy for State Health Policy, Kaiser Health News reported. The enrollment period was marked by a shorter time frame, a sharply reduced federal budget for outreach, and confusion during months of repeal-and-replace debate.
NIH, Opioid, Mental Health Funding See Gains in Budget Deal
Funding for research at the National Institutes of Health would rise by $2 billion and spending to address opioid and mental health issues would rise by $6 billion over the next 2 years under a bipartisan budget agreement announced by Senate leaders, STAT reported. The White House endorsed the agreement and the House is also likely to pass it.
ACA Stabilization Plan Missing From Budget Package
Last December, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, promised Senator Susan Collins, R-Maine, a vote on shoring up the ACA’s individual health insurance marketplaces in exchange for her vote for the GOP tax bill. So far, that vote has not materialized and is not included in the bipartisan budget agreement reached late Wednesday, Kaiser Health News reported. The deal does include most of the Democrats' other health priorities.
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.
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Drs Raymond Thertulien, Joseph Mikhael on Racial Disparities in Multiple Myeloma Care Access
December 28th 2023In the wake of the 2023 American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition, Raymond Thertulien, MD, PhD, of Novant Health, and Joseph Mikhael, MD, MEd, FRCPC, FACP, chief medical officer of the International Myeloma Foundation, discussed health equity research highlights from the meeting and drivers of racial disparities in multiple myeloma outcomes.
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Standard Criteria for Loss of Ambulation Needed in DMD
April 19th 2024A recent study suggests the differences between ambulation definitions for patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) can impact the identification of ambulant vs nonambulant individuals, and standard criteria across settings are needed.
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