Four Republicans Don’t Support Senate Bill
Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Rand Paul (R-Kentucky), Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin), and Mike Lee (R-Utah) came out almost immediately against the Senate healthcare bill when it was released on Thursday. According to The Washington Post, the 4 senators said they cannot support the current bill. Cruz, Paul, and Lee want the bill to go further to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), while Johnson wants more time before voting on the bill—currently, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) wants to vote on the bill next week, before senators go home for the Fourth of July recess.
Opioid Funding in Senate Healthcare Bill
The Senate healthcare bill does not just rollback pieces of the ACA and reform Medicaid, it also includes funding for opioid addiction treatment. While some Republican senators had been looking to get $45 billion in funding over 10 years, the bill only includes $2 billion for 1 year, reported The Wall Street Journal. Reactions were mixed with Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tennessee) approving of the funding while Senators Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-West Virginia) likely to push for more funding during negotiations.
Humana Is Done With Individual Market
Humana’s CEO said that the insurer is done with the individual insurance market. Regardless of whether Republicans reshape the market through a bill repealing the ACA or if Obamacare stays the law of the land and stabilizes, Humana has no plans to reenter the individual market, according to Reuters. In February, the insurer announced it was leaving the market in 11 states—instead it will focus on Medicare Advantage, according to its CEO.
Risk for Second Primary Melanoma Increases After Primary Melanoma Diagnosis as Men Age
March 28th 2024A population-based cohort study out of Norway has found that older men have a higher risk of developing second primary invasive melanoma following an initial primary melanoma, suggesting the benefits of increased surveillance in these patients.
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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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Poor Well-Being Scores Linked to Early Treatment Stoppage in Multiple Myeloma
March 27th 2024Investigators used the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General General Physical Wellbeing Scale to collect data on patient-reported treatment-related adverse effects, to provide clinicians guidance on predicting risk of early treatment discontinuation among ECOG-ACRIN E1A11 trial participants.
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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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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.
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