Republican Senators Hear Reactions to Health Bill During Parades
At Independence Day parades and celebrations across the country, constituents made their voices heard to their Republican senators, either to support or oppose the proposed Senate healthcare bill, reported the Washington Post. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said she heard encouragement for her stance against the bill, but residents asked Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nevada) to vote for a revised bill, even though he opposed the first draft. Other Senators, like Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), said their constituents simply implored them to put the interests of their state first.
Insurers Seek Enrollment Caps on Exchange Plans
A Houston-based insurer, Community Health Choice, is considering asking CMS to let it cap its exchange enrollment in 2018, citing unsustainable financial burdens from an influx of enrollees, according to Modern Healthcare. It is not the first insurer to seek this solution, as plans in Minnesota and Kansas have already instituted enrollment caps. Generally, the plans that would benefit from caps tend to serve smaller regions where other insurers have exited the market, leading to a sudden spike in members and costs.
Scientists May Provide Inaccurate Predictions of Clinical Trial Results
A new study finds that scientists are often too optimistic in their assessment of whether clinical studies will yield significant results, according to NPR’s summary of the findings. When investigators asked 200 professors, postdocs, and graduate students to predict the results from 6 cancer trials being replicated from prior studies, they mostly overestimated the likelihood of the trials having significant effects. The study authors say these findings point to the need to be sufficiently skeptical of trial design instead of relying on intuition.
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.
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Empowering Community Health Through Wellness and Faith
April 23rd 2024To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are bringing you a special month-long podcast series with our Strategic Alliance Partner, UPMC Health Plan. In the third episode, Camille Clarke-Smith, EdD, MS, CHES, CPT, discusses approaching community health holistically through spiritual and community engagement.
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What We’re Reading: FDA Approves UTI Antibiotic; Ozempic, Wegovy Price Investigation; US Births Fall
April 25th 2024The FDA recently approved an antibiotic for the treatment of urinary tract infections (UTIs) in women; a Senate committee recently launched an investigation into the prices of Novo Nordisk’s diabetes and weight loss drugs; US births fell last year, resuming a national slide after a previous increase during the pandemic.
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HOPE-CAT Can Identify Maternal Cardiovascular Risk 2 Months Earlier Than Doctors, Study Says
April 25th 2024In a retrospective study, the machine learning tool was able to screen for potential risks of cardiovascular disease nearly 60 days before the patient's medical record showed any signs of a related condition or before they were officially diagnosed or treated for it.
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