What We're Reading: Medicare Will Become Insolvent 2 Years Sooner Than Expected
June 23rd 2016What we're reading, June 23, 2016: Medicare's fund will be insolvent 2 years earlier than estimated last year; nearly 1 in 3 Medicare beneficiaries received an opioid prescription in 2015; House Republicans' health plan calls for greater use of value-based insurance design; and the Democrats urge the Department of Justice to block Anthem-Cigna and Aetna-Humana mergers.
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What We're Reading: HHS Targets Young Adults for ACA Coverage
June 22nd 2016What we're reading, June 22, 2016: Obama administration targets young individuals for Affordable Care Act enrollment; Boeing is directly contracting with a major California health system to provide employee benefits; growing interest in the use of value-based insurance design.
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What We're Reading: Zika Vaccine Ready for Human Trial
June 21st 2016What we're reading, June 21, 2016: potential Zika virus vaccine to be tested in humans; California regulator approved the potential merger between Aetna and Humana; and 5 states will be the testing ground for a new Medicare initiative to reduce fraud.
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What We're Reading: Employers Cut Back on Wellness Programs
June 20th 2016What we're reading, June 20, 2016: employers are cutting back on wellness benefits; new apps and websites provide birth control prescriptions to women; and Novartis pledges to triple the number of biosimilar drugs on the market by 2020.
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What We're Reading: California Insurance Commissioner Opposes Anthem-Cigna Merger
June 17th 2016What we're reading, June 17, 2016: California's insurance commissioner comes out in opposition of the merger between Anthem and Cigna; local governments push for drug makers to pay for drug take-back programs; and the CDC releases numbers of Zika-related birth defects in the United States.
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What We're Reading: Government Promotes Use of Long-Acting Contraceptives
June 16th 2016What we're reading, June 16, 2016: the federal government is encouraging state Medicaid programs to promote long-acting contraceptives; Congress introduces a bill the prevent drug makers from thwarting generic competition; and new recommendation that people can choose the type of colon cancer screening they receive.
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What We're Reading: Opioids Cause More Fatalities Than Overdose Deaths
June 15th 2016What we're reading, June 15, 2016: opioids also linked to heart-related deaths and fatalities other than overdoses; judge overrules Federal Trade Commission's efforts to block merger of Advocate Health Care and NorthShore University HealthSystem in Illinois; and using social media to monitor patients outside of the healthcare setting.
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What We're Reading: CMS May Require Medicare Hospitals Follow New Antibiotic Controls
June 14th 2016What we're reading, June 14, 2016: CMS has proposed requiring Medicare hospitals follow new antibiotic controls; New York poised to expand access to breast cancer screening; and clinical trials are seeing more success.
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What We're Reading: WHO Recommends Delaying Pregnancy in Zika-Infected Areas
June 13th 2016What we're reading, June 13, 2016: the World Health Organization is recommending women in Zika-infected areas delay pregnancy; one FDA regulator feels too many drug makers are chasing the same treatments in cancer care; and risky behaviors among American teenagers are down.
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What We're Reading: Carolinas HealthCare System Faces Antitrust Allegations
June 10th 2016What we're reading, June 10, 2016: Carolinas HealthCare System faces antitrust lawsuit; Alaska looks to bail out its Obamacare marketplace; and Pfizer increases drug prices in the US for the second time this year.
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What We're Reading: Opioid Restrictions Hurt Those Who Need the Drugs Most
June 7th 2016What we're reading, June 7, 2016: opioid restrictions disproportionately affect older patients with chronic pain; Genentech and OSI Pharmaceuticals settle Tarceva lawsuit; and trouble raising Zika virus funds.
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What We're Reading: Biden Will Announce Launch of Open-Access Cancer Database
June 6th 2016What we're reading, June 6, 2016: Vice President Joe Biden will announce the launch of an open-access cancer research database, and a new bill in Congress would allow companies to repurpose existing drugs for rare diseases.
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What We're Reading: Florida Cracks Down on Opioids, Reduces Prescriptions
June 3rd 2016What we're reading, June 3, 2016: Florida's crackdown on opioid prescriptions is working; some California physicians are uneasy about prescribing lethal doses to terminally ill patients; and Ashish Jha, MD, MPH, shines a spotlight on the real culprit of preventable medical errors.
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What We're Reading: Medicaid Can Pay for Mosquito Repellent to Fight Zika Spread
June 2nd 2016What we're reading, June 2, 2016: Medicaid can cover mosquito repellent to prevent the spread of the Zika virus; Karen DeSalvo, MD, MPH, MSc, discusses New Orleans post-Katrina, life expectancy, and more; and teen births hit an all-time low.
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What We're Reading: Death Rate in the US Increases
June 1st 2016What we're reading, June 1, 2016: for the first time in a decade, the death rate in the United States has risen; UnitedHealth confirms it will leave the California insurance exchange in 2017; and just 6% of Americans do the 5 things they need to prevent disease.
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What We're Reading: Washington Medicaid Program Must Lift HCV Restrictions
May 31st 2016What we're reading, May 31, 2016: a federal judge ordered the Washington state Medicaid program to remove restrictions on hepatitis C virus medications; the trouble when drug prices are too low; and the World Health Organization will not consider postponing the Summer Olympics due to the Zika virus.
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What We're Reading: The Dangers of Not Testing Drugs on Expectant Mothers
May 27th 2016What we're reading, May 27, 2016: treatment for pregnant women is often based on guesswork since few drugs are ever tested on them; a new superbug in the US is resistant to even the antibiotic of last resort; and how small physician practices can adapt to new payment models.
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What We're Reading: South Carolina Passes 20-Week Abortion Ban
May 26th 2016What we're reading, May 26, 2016: South Carolina passes a 20-week abortion ban, while Georgia's own law faces a new challenge; the FDA delays its decision on a controversial drug for Duchenne muscular dystrophy; and report highlights how Cover Oregon was mishandled.
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What We're Reading: Senior Citizens Getting Sicker and More Costly
May 25th 2016What we're reading, May 25, 2016: Senior citizens are expected to be sicker and more costly than the previous generation; men with early-stage cancer are increasingly choosing to avoid treatment; and the FDA is looking at an implantable treatment for opioid addiction.
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What We're Reading: Oklahoma Governor Vetoes Bill Banning Abortion
May 23rd 2016What we're reading, May 23, 2016: Oklahoma governor vetoes bill banning abortion; the FDA approved a new nutrition label highlighting sugar added; and 7 years after death panels, conversations on end-of-life planning are becoming more common.
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What We're Reading: Generic Drug Labeling Rule Delayed a Third Time
May 20th 2016What we're reading, May 20, 2016: For the third time the FDA delayed a rule about generic drug labeling; 10 years ago a government report warned of a prison health crisis, but was blocked from publication; and Oklahoma lawmakers pass a bill making it a felony to perform an abortion.
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