Allison Inserro

A working group of osteoporosis experts established recommendations for the design and conduct of economic evaluations in osteoporosis, as well as guidance for reporting these evaluations. The group also created a set of minimum criteria for evaluations and an osteoporosis-specific checklist of items to incorporate in economic reports.

A federal judge in Texas ruled that the Affordable Care Act's individual coverage mandate is unconstitutional and that the rest of the law must also fall, likely setting up a fight in the Supreme Court and throwing into question the idea that consumers should have protection against discrimination by insurers for having pre-existing health conditions.

Current screening for women between ages 50 and 64 for osteoporosis needs improvement, according to a recent comparison of treatment and screening strategies from different organizations in the United States and Canada.

The CDC reported the number of drug overdose deaths per year increased 54% from 2011 to 2016, with the synthetic drug fentanyl involved in most overdoses in 2016, although actual numbers of all overdose deaths may be underreported. The report also showed how multiple drugs are typically involved in overdose deaths.

A Pennsylvania report examining the role of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) in the state called for more transparency in how they do business managing Medicaid prescriptions.

Days before open enrollment for health insurance in the individual market for 2019 sold through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) exchanges comes to a close, a new report found health insurance coverage gained between 2013 and 2017 under the ACA is slipping.

A large coalition of medical associations, patient advocacy groups, drug companies, and others sent a letter to Congress Monday asking that they intervene on a CMS plan to use an index based on drug prices in other countries to determine reimbursement for Part B therapies, saying it would have a negative effect on the elderly and people with disabilities.

Nine organizations representing health insurance companies, consumers, and businesses announced Monday that they support the concept of federal legislation to protect patients from receiving surprise medical bills.

Can virtual reality help prevent falls in elderly patients? A small study suggests that it can.

CMS said Friday that it issued a final rule about insurer risk-adjustment payments for 2018, saying it wanted to provide consistency while the outcome of a court case about the issue is still in play.

CMS actuaries reported Thursday that overall national healthcare spending growth slowed for the second year in a row, due to slower spending growth in every area: hospital care, physician and clinical services, and retail prescription drugs. The slower pace also stemmed from the expanded coverage effects of the Affordable Care Act taking root in 2014 and 2015 and then falling off, as well as the decrease in usage of hepatitis C prescription drugs.

Propeller Health, a digital health company that makes sensors to track patient use of respiratory inhalers used for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma, is being snapped up by ResMed, which makes connected devices for respiratory care.

Citing a 2016 case where Mylan, the maker of the branded epinephrine autoinjector EpiPen, paid the government hundreds of millions of dollars to settle the company’s failure to adequately pay Medicaid rebates, 2 senators introduced a bipartisan bill that attempts to prevent similar issues.

A new Gallup poll finds a split in beliefs in how Americans think about healthcare. The majority of respondents think the federal government should be responsible for ensuring that all Americans have health insurance, but at the same time, a majority is opposed to the notion of a “government-run” healthcare system.

At the inaugural convening of the healthcare advocacy group United States of Care, Mandy Cohen, MD, MPH, the North Carolina health secretary, and Adam Boehler, the head of CMS's Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, discussed strategies for lowering costs while improving healthcare quality.

In a multicenter study, only 1 in 5 women at increased risk of breast cancer reported a strong need for tamoxifen preventive therapy, according to a report published Monday.

While a full repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in Congress failed last year, the Trump administration, in the courts and through regulation, has managed to get closer and closer to its goal as a matter of practicality. As health policy watchers wait for an impending decision to drop in Texas v Azar, the case about the constitutionality of the ACA, here is a look back at the healthcare actions taken during the first 2 years of the Trump administration.

Despite the fact that osteoporosis is a growing public health problem in the United States and worldwide, there is poor adherence to medications to treat the problem. A recent study published in Osteoporosis International identified the factors that influence patient adherence to therapy, many of which are modifiable.

With health policy increasingly transferring to the state level, what’s the most effective way for states to cover the majority of their population through affordable health insurance leveraging public funds? On a day when the Trump administration unveiled 4 ways states can request Section 1332 waivers, some of which are aimed at avoiding key parts of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), an advocacy organization released its own proposal to cover more of the uninsured and lower health insurance costs.

CMS Administrator Seema Verma announced consumers buying health insurance through the exchanges set up by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) would be allowed to have heath savings accounts, and the agency will allow states to set their own subsidies and decide what type of health plan is eligible for subsidies. In addition, waivers would be evaluated against the Hyde amendment.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States, and for COPD Awareness Month this November, The American Journal of Managed Care® conducted a Q&A with Jamie Sullivan, MPH, vice president of public policy and outcomes for The COPD Foundation, as well as Chief Medical Officer Byron M. Thomashow, MD. The COPD Foundation is a not-for-profit organization that works to improve the lives of patients with COPD.

CMS said Monday it is easing restrictions on how Medicare Part D manages the 6 protected drug classes that must be included in those plans, is taking action on pharmacy rebates, and is allowing step therapy in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans, all in an effort to force lower drug prices.

Fibroblasts play a role in the spread of cancer, and a recent study showed that breast tumors can boost their growth by recruiting bone marrow–derived mesenchymal stromal cells to primary breast tumors

Recent research indicates that there are age-associated gender differences seen in the disease burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), with younger women more severely affected.

A population-based study in Taiwan examined whether or not vitamin D or bisphosphonates affect the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis.

With the possible release of 2 therapies for peanut allergies on the horizon, the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) is opening up a review looking at the effectiveness and value of these potential treatments and oral immunotherapy (OIT) regimens.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) said this week that care for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is expected to cost the United States $49 billion by 2020, as it recapped its research portfolio to mark World COPD Day 2018.

A pharmaceutical company proactively reached out to the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) of HHS to find out if giving a costly drug for a rare condition—free of charge, in the hope of eventually getting the drug covered by payors—to hospitals would violate federal kickback law, and was told it probably would.

The Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania will become the 28th member institution to join the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), it was announced Tuesday.