What We're Reading: Fight Brewing Over Future of Kentucky Exchange
February 12th 2016What we're reading, February 12, 2016: the former Kentucky governor is looking to block the current governor's plans to dismantle Kynect; Senator Orrin Hatch speaks out against Medicare negotiation of drug prices; and the link between Zika and microcephaly is growing stronger.
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What We're Reading: Changing How Medicine Is Bought
February 10th 2016What we're reading, February 10, 2016: 2 companies change how consumers purchase medicines online; CMS memo reveals the government is mulling changes to Medicare reimbursement; and Johns Hopkins will transplant HIV-positive organs to HIV-positive recipients.
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What We're Reading: Aetna, Cigna Sign Performance-Based Deals With Novartis
February 9th 2016What we're reading, February 9, 2016: Novartis signs 2 performance-based deals for its new heart drug; 8 states significantly reduced uninsured rates; and the Obama administration will ask for $1.8 billion to prepare to fight the Zika virus.
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What We're Reading: 12.7M Sign Up Under ACA, But 30M Remain Uninsured
February 8th 2016What we're reading, February 8, 2016: 12.7 million people signed up for Affordable Care Act coverage, but 30 million remain uninsured; HHS plans to continue to encourage Medicaid expansion; and report analyzes the effect of patient-centered medical homes on cost and quality.
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What We're Reading: Expanding Use of Telemedicine Under Medicare
February 5th 2016What we're reading, February 5, 2016: new legislation could expand the use of telehealth under Medicare; Massachusetts finds its physicians only screen for depression half the time; and Martin Shkreli pleads the Fifth during most of his testimony before Congress.
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What We're Reading: President Obama Gives in on Cadillac Tax
February 4th 2016What we're reading, February 4, 2016: President Obama is proposing changes to the widely disliked Cadillac tax; Florida declares a health emergency in 4 counties over Zika virus; and drug makers are pouring money into efforts to improve medication adherence.
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What We're Reading: Obama Seeks $1B to Fight Opioid Abuse
February 3rd 2016What we're reading, February 3, 2016: President Obama is asking Congress for $1.1 billion to combat the opioid abuse epidemic; 7 blockbuster drugs with the potential for more than $1 billion in sales each are expected in 2016; and less than half of infants are vaccinated against the flu.
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What We're Reading: Aetna Casts Doubt on Sustainability of ACA Exchanges
February 2nd 2016What we're reading, February 2, 2016: Aetna joins other major insurers raising concerns over the Affordable Care Act's insurance exchanges; Sanofi announces plans to develop a Zika vaccine; and Martin Shkreli expected to testify despite dismissing the subpoena.
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What We're Reading: Cancer Moonshot Creates Hard Feelings With Some Researchers
February 1st 2016What we're reading, February 1, 2016: some medical researchers disagree with sharing raw data used in their research; the medical community is torn on whether or not the annual checkup is worthwhile; and Donald Trump vows to extend healthcare coverage to the lower class.
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Comparing Tbo-Filgrastim With Filgrastim During Neutrophil Engraftment
January 30th 2016A study comparing the efficacy of tbo-filgrastim with filgrastim when used to mobilize peripheral blood stem cells or to accelerate engraftment after autologous stem cell transplantation found no clinically meaningful differences, plus tbo-filgrastim saved money.
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What We're Reading: Merck's New HCV Drug Increases Competition
January 29th 2016What we're reading, January 29, 2016: newly approved hepatitis C cure will increase competition; California will vote on a proposition to control the cost of prescription drugs; and a special report details drug shortages and rationing decisions.
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What We're Reading: Can a State Sue Gilead Over the High Price of Its HCV Drugs?
January 28th 2016What we're reading, January 28, 2016: Massachusetts' attorney general is threatening to sue Gilead Sciences over the high prices of its hepatitis C drugs; Anthem reports losses on Obamacare health plans; and consumers are satisfied with health coverage and limited networks.
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What We're Reading: Trump Also Calls for Medicare to Negotiate Drug Prices
January 27th 2016What we're reading, January 27, 2016: Donald Trump joins Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders in calling for Medicare being given the ability to negotiate drug prices; $70 million approved for new patient-centered research projects; and the Zika virus likely to spread to the United States.
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What We're Reading: GOP Eyes Big Spending Cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid
January 26th 2016What we're reading, January 26, 2016: Republicans will use Congressional Budget Office report to justify steep spending cuts; Centene has misplaced 950,000 files of personal health information; and the US is facing a troublesome shortage of geriatricians.
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What We're Reading: Government Halts Cigna's Medicare Advantage Enrollment
January 25th 2016What we're reading, January 25, 2016: Cigna faces sanctions from CMS; a Massachusetts senator blocks the nomination of Robert Califf, MD, for FDA commissioner; and hospitals and health systems are mostly unprepared for precision medicine.
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What We're Reading: ACA Premiums Rose 9%
January 22nd 2016What we're reading, January 22, 2016: the average premium under the Affordable Care Act rose to $408 before tax credits; seniors will face higher Medicare Advantage premiums with a merge between Aetna and Humana; and Hawaii could be the first state to offer long-term care benefits.
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What We're Reading: UnitedHealth Losses on ACA Plans Steepen
January 20th 2016What we're reading, January 20, 2016: UnitedHealth losses on Obamacare health plans steepen; more "skin in the game" doesn't necessarily result in savvier shoppers; and despite recommendations few high school students are tested for HIV.
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What We're Reading: Improving Patient Access to Medical Records
January 19th 2016What we're reading, January 19, 2016: the Obama administration is looking to make it easier for patients to access their medical records; a clinical trial has left 1 brain dead and 4 hospitalized; and hospitals are experimenting with mobile technologies to track patient health at home.
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What We're Reading: Pharma May Bow to Political Pressure
January 18th 2016What we're reading, January 18, 2016: even if there is no drug price control legislation, pharmaceutical companies may bow to political pressure; study finds physician-led hospitals perform better; and Twitter can be used to obtain the patient perspective on medical errors.
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What We're Reading: FDA Does a Poor Job Tracking Drugs on the Market
January 15th 2016What we're reading, January 15, 2016: new report finds flaws in how the FDA tracks drugs after they reach the market; rate of uninsured Hispanic children hits historic low; and CVS and New York State make medication that reverses opioid overdose available without prescription.
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What We're Reading: Extending Funding for Medicaid Expansion
January 14th 2016What we're reading, January 14, 2016: President Obama proposes extending financial assistance for new states expanding Medicaid eligibility; Hillary Clinton goes hard after Bernie Sanders on single-payer healthcare; and health information exchanges reduce repeated imaging procedures.
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What We're Reading: Pharma Executives Brush Off Drug Price Anger
January 13th 2016What we're reading, January 13, 2016: at a recent healthcare investor conference pharmaceutical company executives showed no concern over public outrage of rising drug prices; the American Hospital Association urges MedPAC withdraw 340B payment proposal; and California lawmaker reintroduces "right-to-try" bill.
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What We're Reading: 43,000 People Lose ACA Tax Credits
January 12th 2016What we're reading, January 12, 2016: 43,000 people will lose their Affordable Care Act tax credits for failing to file a 2014 tax return; Kentucky's new governor will dismantle the state's health insurance exchange; and deciding whether to get that medical test.
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What We're Reading: Drug Shortages Rise Sharply in EDs
January 11th 2016What we're reading, January 11, 2016: drug shortages in the emergency departments have quadrupled since 2008; the government has done little to verify people enrolling after Obamacare deadline under special enrollment categories; and Pfizer increased the prices of 100 drugs.
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