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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Commonwealth Fund Report Details Pervasive Racial and Ethnic Disparities in US Health Care, Outcomes
April 18th 2024Using 25 health system performance indicators, the Commonwealth Fund 2024 State Health Disparities Report evaluated racial and ethnic disparities in health care and health outcomes both within and across US states and highlighted the urgent need for equitable health care policies and practices in the US.
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The Biden administration recently launched the Global Health Security Strategy, a new effort to combat the spread of infectious diseases; lawmakers zeroed in on the risks of massive consolidation in health care during the first congressional hearing on the Change Healthcare hack; the FDA recently announced the recall of a pair of heart devices linked to numerous deaths and injuries.
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Antismoking groups sued the US government over the long-awaited menthol cigarette ban; the fill rate for Adderall and Vyvanse dropped more than 10% in 2 years despite soaring demand; the Biden administration has responded to offers from the manufacturers of drugs selected for Medicare pricing negotiations.
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CMS released a final rule to help patients obtain Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage and issued a proposed rule to update Medicare payment policies and rates for inpatient rehabilitation facilities; debate over if gift card incentives are acceptable in health care marketing.
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The Supreme Court seems likely to reject a challenge to the abortion pill mifepristone; the FDA is inspecting far fewer pharmaceutical companies conducting clinical research; AstraZeneca has sued to block an Arkansas law that it said would unlawfully expand the 340B program to include for profit-pharmacy chains.
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A global AIDS program that was in limbo for months got temporary relief after congressional negotiators agreed to a 1-year renewal in the next government funding package; the outcome of the November presidential election could determine the state of fetal tissue research in the US; federal officials and industry executives failed to make improvements that stop hacking attacks.
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Covered Preventive Services at Risk: V-BID Summit Breaks Down the Braidwood v Becerra Case
March 20th 2024For more than a decade, certain high-value preventive care services have been covered at no cost to patients under the Affordable Care Act, but a current legal challenge has the coverage at risk.
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Fragmented Payer System, Vulnerable Supply Chain Among Threats to Accessing Essential Medicines
March 13th 2024During a session of the 2024 V-BID Summit, panelists Stacie Dusetzina, PhD, and Inma Hernandez, PharmD, PhD, discussed how access to essential medications is curtailed not just by the longstanding complexities of insurance design but also by emerging threats such as supply chain weaknesses and cyberattacks.
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Most private health insurers have yet to publish criteria for when they will cover postpartum depression drug, zuranolone; state lawmakers are increasingly opposing health care mergers that they believe do not serve the public interest; Medicaid extensions made in 2021 led to a 40% decline in postpartum lack of insurance.
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President Biden will preview his plan to more than double the size of Medicare’s new drug price negotiation program in the upcoming State of the Union address; Mexicans and Central Americans were most affected by the pandemic in terms of all-cause mortality; two Alabama fertility clinics said they expect to resume in vitro fertilization (IVF) services after a bill was passed to protect doctors.
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Insurer Costs of COVID-19 by Disease Severity and Duration
Payer costs for COVID-19 ranged from a mean of $505 for asymptomatic cases to $126,094 for severe cases with post–COVID-19 condition.
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The House Democratic Women’s Caucus wrote a letter urging insurers to comply with both contraceptive coverage requirements and recent Biden administration guidance; several pharmacy chains are experiencing disruptions following a hack at Change Healthcare, UnitedHealth’s technology unit; the FDA said it is not planning to take a tougher stance against clinical trial reporting requirement noncompliance.
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The amount of in-network care claims jumped significantly after surprise billing protections took effect; experts say the US is in the midst of the “fourth wave” of the opioid epidemic; the prevalence of long COVID symptoms 30 and 90 days post infection was 43% to 58% lower among adults who were fully vaccinated before infection.
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Part of the recent Medicare reimbursement cuts could be addressed in a spending package next month; Medicaid/Medicare dual eligibles are expected to generate big profits for health insurers; FDA sent warning letters to online vendors selling unapproved and misbranded versions of semaglutide and tirzepatide.
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Potential Inequities in Access to In-Person SHIP Counseling Services
The federal State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) provides counseling and education on Medicare coverage options. This article highlights potential inequities in in-person SHIP service access.
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Dr David Eagle: CMS Reimbursement Cuts Encourage Trend of Independent Physician Exodus
February 12th 2024Over the past 20 years, Medicare physician pay has plummeted by 26% when adjusted for inflation, while hospital reimbursement has surged by 70%, prompting over 100,000 doctors to abandon independent practice for hospital or corporate employment since 2019.
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