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What We're Reading: GOP Eyes Big Spending Cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid
What we're reading, January 26, 2016: Republicans will use Congressional Budget Office report to justify steep spending cuts; Centene has misplaced 950,000 files of personal health information; and the US is facing a troublesome shortage of geriatricians.
In 2016, federal healthcare costs are expected to top $930 billion. Paired with a dip in revenue from tax cuts, the government is looking at a $544 billion budget deficit this year, according to a report from the Congressional Budget Officer. Republicans will be using this information to justify deep spending cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, reported The Washington Post. The fiscal 2017 budget proposal will be released next month.
Centene has misplaced more than 950,000 files of personal health information. The company announced that 6 hard drives, which include name, address, date of birth, social security number, member ID number, and health information, are unaccounted for. Although Centene does not believe that the information is being used inappropriately, it is notifying the affected individuals, and will offer them free credit and healthcare monitoring.
Despite the fact that America’s population is aging, geriatrics remains one of the few medical specialties that is not growing. The New York Times reported that the field is becoming less popular among physicians in training, but medical schools need to train an additional 6250 geriatricians by 2030 (450 a year) to meet the expected demand. Part of the problem is that Medicare’s low reimbursement rates make sustaining a geriatric practice difficult.
Prices for care at hospital trauma centers vary across hospitals; drug shortages reached a record high during the first quarter of 2024; although 3 of the biggest makers of asthma inhalers pledged to cap out-of-pocket costs for some US patients at $35, these do not apply to daily inhalers used by the youngest kids with asthma.
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Navigating Health Policy in an Election Year: Insights From Dr Dennis Scanlon
April 2nd 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with Dennis Scanlon, PhD, the editor in chief of The American Journal of Accountable Care®, about prior authorization, price transparency, the impact of health policy on the upcoming election, and more.
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Beyond Insulin: The Impact of Next-Generation Diabetes Technology
April 17th 2024Experts explain how new diabetes technologies like continuous glucose monitors are transforming care beyond intensive insulin therapy, offering personalized insights and improving outcomes for patients of all treatment levels.
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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.
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Need for Pharmacogenomic Testing in Mental Health Care Explored at AMCP 2024
April 17th 2024Presenters from Mayo Clinic discussed the benefits of implementing pharmacogenomic testing in mental health care for the betterment of patient outcomes, reducing medical costs, and more at the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) 2024 annual meeting.
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