A record low of 7.7% of Americans had no health insurance at the start of 2023; the American Academy of Pediatrics renewed its backing of gender care for children while requesting a research review; 2 lots of an oral contraceptive were recalled for possible reduction in effectiveness.
Uninsured Rate Reach Historic Low
A historic low of just 7.7% of Americans had no health insurance in the first 3 months of 2023, according to the CDC. Because of pandemic allowances, Medicaid enrollment expanded more than 30% and covered over 90 million people, reported The Hill. However, Congress recently ended those protections, and states have been able to remove people since April. Almost 3.8 million Americans have been kicked off Medicaid rolls as of Tuesday with the most cited reason being “procedure reasons,” like missing or incorrect paperwork, though they still may be eligible.
Medical Group Supports Gender Treatments; Calls for Research
The American Academy of Pediatrics supported gender-related treatments for children, reasserting its position from 2018 on a medical method that has since been prohibited in 19 states, according to The New York Times. The prominent group of doctors went the extra mile of commissioning a systematic review of medical research on the treatments. Treatments are new, and few studies have evaluated their long-term effects.
Birth Control Pills Recalled
The FDA cautioned that 2 lots of an oral contraceptive that were recalled last week by its maker may have reduced effectiveness and could bring about unexpected pregnancies, reported The Washington Post. The FDA’s announcement Tuesday followed drugmaker Lupin Pharmaceuticals' announcement that it was voluntarily recalling 2 lots of drospirenone/ethinyl estradiol/levomefolate calcium (Tydemy) due to concerns that the product didn’t contain enough ascorbic acid, or vitamin C, which could impact the drug’s effectiveness and possibly result in an unexpected pregnancy. Almost 4200 boxes of the drug were involved in the recall.
Specialty Pharmacists at the Forefront: Elevating Care for Rare Diseases
May 1st 2024In the US, a disease is considered rare when it affects fewer than 200,000 persons, or 1 in every 1500 individuals, with an estimated total of 25 to 30 million Americans overall living with a rare disease at any given time.
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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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BRCA-Like Classification May Be a Useful Biomarker for Olaparib Response in Ovarian Cancer
May 1st 2024Adding olaparib to maintenance therapy with bevacizumab was associated with significantly longer survival for patients with ovarian cancer whose tumors have a BRCA-like genomic profile, but not among those with non-BRCA-like tumors, a study found.
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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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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued letters to 10 companies to warn them that certain drug patents were improperly listed; the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) will begin testing ground beef for bird flu particles; rural Americans are more likely to die early from 1 of the 5 leading causes of death than those who live in urban areas.
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