AJMC Staff

A healthcare tracking poll finds unhappiness aimed at the drug industry for high drug prices while more Americans are warming up to the idea of a national health plan; a study says opioid overdose deaths are undercounted by as much as 35%; whole-genome sequencing may not drive up downstream medical costs, but questions about its use remain.

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Congress reached an agreement on a $1.3 trillion spending bill that includes a provision allowing gun violence research, but does not include 2 drug pricing measures or a provision to stabilize the Affordable Care Act markets; and FDA has released 2 draft guidances on postmarketing safety reporting requirements.

The National Institutes of Health is investigating whether there were any improprieties committed with the recently begun study into health effects of moderate alcohol consumption; concerns over HIV research from 20 years ago brought up against CDC director pick; new Idaho law requires women seeking abortions be told they can halt the drug-induced procedure halfway.

Negotiations over reinsurance, cost sharing for insurers stall in Hyde Amendment dispute; drug policy experts say more money is needed if leaders want to combat opioids for real; Supreme Court hears free speech case on abortion clinics.

ACA insurers posted good results for 2017 after hiking premiums 25%; Virginia inches closer to approving Medicaid expansion as budget talks near; an AIDS researcher is said to be the top candidate to lead the CDC.

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Idaho is still seeking a way to get its state's health insurance plans approved by CMS; a new poll finds that support for action on drug pricing dips when potential ramifications are weighed; senators seek information on hospitals' use of 340B drug discounts.

Rep. Frank Pallone Jr, D-New Jersey, the ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, wants its chairman to hold a hearing on the growing number of healthcare mergers to discuss what impact they may have on patients, providers, and other aspects of the healthcare system.

An updated cost sharing reduction (CSR) subsidy bill would cut premiums while making programmatic changes to insurance; hospitals are facing shortages of opioids for patients; there's low usage of HIV prevention medicine among minorities, according to new data.

America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) said Wednesday that its board of directors has chosen Matt Eyles, its current senior executive vice president and chief operating officer, to succeed Marilyn Tavenner, as its new president and chief executive officer.

FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD discussed the agency's role in tackling drug prices in an interview; President Trump is considering firing the head of the VA; measuring the extent of the opioid crisis with available data is more difficult than it seems.

A new working paper wonders if increased access to the overdose-reversal drug naloxone is actually doing more harm than good; medical students are not only learning clinical skills but also how to deliver emotionally fraught information; lawmakers in Connecticut and Minnesota are introducing bills to impose work requirements in Medicaid.

Judge allows class-action lawsuit against Walgreen over generic drug prices to go forward; the United States may implement medical deliveries by drone; House introduces its right-to-try legislation.

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Use of an HIV-prevention pill is increasing across the country, but has lagged among blacks and Latinos; Wyoming House fails to pass Medicaid work requirement bill that sailed through the state Senate; Los Angeles County is overhauling the healthcare in its jails in order to better equip inmates to manage their health.

Proprietary technology helps overcome the problem of long travel distances for those taking part in clinical trials.

CMS Administrator Seema Verma announces a new health data initiative; Pennsylvania and Oklahoma consider implementing Medicaid work requirements; New Jersey moves forward with a state individual health insurance mandate.

HHS Secretary Alex Azar said the administration will announce actions to lower healthcare costs, as well as a move to give patients control of their data; doctors and patients with chronic pain oppose proposed prescribing limits sought by CMS for opioids; doctor groups are disagreeing about blood sugar targets for patients with diabetes.

Policy experts look at curbing healthcare spending by encouraging comparison shopping in exchange for cash back; the home healthcare industry worries about immigration policy changes; the promise of a universal flu vaccine is still elusive.

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An investigation into same-day surgery centers uncovered deadly risks for patients; Uber is launching a medical ride sharing service; the immortality market is attracting cash as well as plenty of skeptics.

Thousands of people in 5 states are not paying monthly premiums towards their Medicaid benefits; the House GOP is considering a complicated, multistep budget maneuver regarding Affordable Care Act cost-sharing reductions; a report says it's time to reimagine what healthcare could look like in rural America.

Pediatricians call for universal depression screening of teenagers; CDC reports on tobacco use during pregnancy and the wide disparity among states and ethnic groups; the divergence between red and blue states on health policy is widening.

A lawsuit filed Monday by 20 red states argues that the Affordable Care Act (ACA)’s individual mandate—and the law itself—is invalid; President Donald Trump brought up the issue of mental hospitals in a meeting with governors, and the administration said it is "actively exploring" ways to help states expand inpatient mental health treatment using Medicaid funds; an EPA center that distributes grants and fellowships to test the effects of chemical exposure on adults and children will be dissolved and consolidated within the agency.

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A study by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that some states are slow to complete evaluation reports of Medicaid Section 1115 waivers; Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) is proposing a $200 million reinsurance program to cover high-cost patients; the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee will hold a hearing on bills containing enforcement-related measures aimed at the opioid crisis.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted 12-2 to return the injectable nasal spray flu vaccine FluMist to the CDC list of recommended vaccines; HHS Secretary Alex Azar suggested that action on drug prices could happen without Congress; drug overdose deaths fell in 14 states.

Research analyzes the cost of processing healthcare bills; supermarket operator Albertsons will buy drugstore chain Rite Aid; a review of phase 1 clinical trials finds just 1 in 10 children with cancer see improvements.

Anthem says that most cataract surgeries can be conducted without an anesthesiologist or nurse anesthetist involved; the GOP-controlled House of Delegates in Virginia will support the expansion of Medicaid, but their plan will also include work requirements; the federal government has released an interim final rule for the Common Rule that governs the processes of conducting medical research, including protection for human subjects involved in research.