What we're reading, September 14, 2016: CMS denies Ohio's proposal to charge Medicaid fees; steep costs of healthcare continue to push Americans into poverty; and Canada approves prescription heroin to treat severe addiction.
CMS has denied Ohio’s proposal to charge new Medicaid fees and impose penalties on those who miss payments. According to The Columbus Dispatch, the federal government estimated that Ohio’s proposed policies would result in more than 125,000 people losing coverage each year. In addition, the state was looking to exclude people from coverage until they pay all arrears, which is something CMS has not approved in any state. Governor John Kasich’s administration projected that taxpayers would save nearly $1 billion under the proposed changes.
There has been some recent good news for Americans: household income is up, while the number of people living in poverty and without health insurance both continue fell. However, CBS News reported that steep costs of healthcare continue to push Americans into poverty. Under a new measure being reported by the Census Bureau, medical expenses have increased the number of people living in poverty by 11.2 million, or 3.5%. Since the Census Bureau started reporting this measure in 2010, it hasn’t changed much even with more and more Americans gaining health coverage.
As America grapples with its opioid epidemic, with heroin-related deaths more than tripling between 2010 and 2014, Canada has taken a unique step to help treat addicts. The Canadian government has approved prescription heroin so doctors can treat severe addicts who have not responded to conventional approaches, reported The Washington Post. A clinic is Vancouver is currently the only program in Canada and the United States to provide this approach, but 8 European countries are already doing something similar.
Examining Low-Value Cancer Care Trends Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic
April 25th 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with the authors of a study published in the April 2024 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® about their findings on the rates of low-value cancer care services throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Listen
Dr Dalia Rotstein: Physicians Must Be Aware MS Affects People of All Backgrounds
April 24th 2024Dalia Rotstein, MD, MPH, emphazises the importance of awareness that multiple sclerosis (MS) impacts patients from various backgrounds as clinicians think through ways to improve access to care and research efforts in MS.
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
What We’re Reading: Abortion Privacy Rules; Alzheimer Drug Hurdles; Nursing Home Staffing Overhaul
April 23rd 2024New health privacy rules aim to protect patients and providers in an evolving abortion landscape; some physicians express concerns about efficacy, risks, and entrenched beliefs in treating Alzheimer disease; CMS addresses longstanding staffing deficits in nursing homes.
Read More
Award-Winning Poster Presentations From AMCP 2024
April 23rd 2024At the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) 2024 annual meeting, multiple poster presentations concerned with health equity, data collection, glucagon-like peptide-1 agonists, and more were acknowledged for their originality, relevance, clarity, bias, and quality.
Read More