Kaiser Permanente Could Be Fined Over Mental Health Access
A routine survey by the state of California has found that Kaiser Permanente is failing to provide members with timely access to mental health care, according to California Healthline. The state requires patients with an urgent problem have access within 48 hours and patients with nonurgent issues within 10 business days. This is not the first time Kaiser has been cited for inadequate access to mental health care—in 2013 it paid a $4 million fine and in 2015 the state still found patients were waiting weeks or even months for an appointment.
Fifth GOP Senator Opposes Health Bill
Senator Dean Heller (R-Arizona) has become the fifth Republican senator to publicly oppose the Senate’s health bill, which was released on Thursday. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) now has just a few days to negotiate with the 5 senators to ensure at least 3 vote for the bill if he wants to pass the bill before the July 4 recess, reported The Washington Post. Heller faces a difficult reelection in 2018 and his state’s governor is a staunch supporter of Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act. Meanwhile, Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) has not taken a formal stance on how she will vote, but has said she has reservations and is concerned about the deep cuts to Medicaid.
California’s Single-Payer Bill Gets Shelved
A single-payer bill that passed the California Senate is unlikely to come to the floor for a vote in the state Assembly. The New York Times reported that the leader of the state Assembly said the bill is “woefully incomplete.” The bill currently doesn’t outline a way to pay for a government-run health system in California, but it has an estimated price tag of $400 billion per year. The single-payer bill would guarantee healthcare for California residents and eliminate out-of-pocket costs. Although the bill will not come to the floor for a vote, the state Assembly leader doesn’t think it is dead—he encouraged the Senate to draft a new version.
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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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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An Overview of Health Care and Pharmaceutical Trends, 2023-2024
April 19th 2024Douglas M. Long, BA, MBA, was featured as the keynote speaker on the closing day of The Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy 2024 annual meeting, with a session dedicated to surveying the health care and pharmaceutical trends of the last year.
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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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Real-World Study Reveals Key Insights Into DLBCL Treatment Patterns, Outcomes
April 18th 2024A recent study offers valuable insights into the characteristics, treatment patterns, and outcomes of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) in patients across different lines of therapy, providing a look into the landscape of DLBCL management.
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