Ohio Fills Gaps in ACA Coverage
Counties in Ohio that had been at risk of having no insurers selling Affordable Care Act plans in 2018 will now have options. According to The Washington Post, Ohio’s insurance director has worked with 5 companies so that all but 1 county in the state will have options on the insurance exchanges next year. This brings the number of counties across the country that will have no insurers selling exchange plans down to 19, accounting for roughly 12,000 people, or just 0.1% of enrollees. However, many counties have just 1 insurance option.
Opioid Commission Recommends Declaring National Emergency
A commission created by President Donald Trump to handle the opioid crisis is asking him to declare the situation a national emergency. The commission also proposed expanding access to medication that help treat opioid addiction and doing away with a federal rule that limits the number of Medicaid beneficiaries who receive residential addiction treatment, The New York Times reported. The purpose of declaring a national emergency is to make Americans view the epidemic more urgently and draw more attention to it.
Few Countries Ready for Global Pandemic
Just 6 countries in the entire world have evaluated their readiness for dealing with a global pandemic. The United States is one of just 3 wealthy nations to have gone through 2 external evaluations; the other 2 are Finland and Saudi Arabia. In addition, 3 poor countries—Eritrea, Pakistan, and Tanzania—have undergone evaluations and outlined how they would find money to rectify their weaknesses. A recent report highlighted the economic consequences of epidemics: in the United States, a major flue pandemic would cost $248 per citizen, and even though the SARS epidemic only killed 774 people, it shrank China’s gross domestic product by 0.5%.
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
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.
Listen
The Pivotal Role of Payers in Improving Health Equity, Maternal Health Care in the US
March 26th 2024A presentation at the Greater Philadelphia Business Coalition on Health's 2024 Women’s Health Summit discussed how payers, including employers and public entities, can strategically influence health care purchasing to prioritize maternal health and equity.
Read More
What We’re Reading: HHS' Funding Flat; Mifepristone Safety; Insulin Shortage
March 25th 2024Flat funding for Health and Human Services (HHS) leaves critical health initiatives stagnant; Supreme Court weighs tightening regulations on abortion pill; manufacturing delay sparks access concerns for insulin medication.
Read More