Spending Patterns Among Commercially Insured Individuals During the COVID-19 Pandemic
In this analysis of more than 97 million commercially insured individuals, investigators found that the COVID-19 pandemic induced a spending shock in 2020 and that health care spending did not recover to baseline until mid-2021.
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What We’re Reading: Updated COVID-19 Vaccines; National Blood Shortages; Lack of Doctor Diversity
September 12th 2023FDA approves updated COVID-19 booster vaccines; low donor turnout and climate disasters result in a national blood shortage; minority patients discouraged by lack of doctor diversity.
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Patients and physicians are publicly shaming insurance companies on social media for the troublesome prior authorization process; HHS has awarded $1.4 billion in grants for the creation of new technologies and tools to prevent COVID-19 infection; Novo Nordisk has increased lobbying efforts to allow Medicare coverage of weight loss drugs.
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Patients with a specific gene are more likely to develop long COVID; senators send letters to the Internal Revenue Service, urging them to investigate the practices of nonpartisan hospitals; pregnant workers and workers with newborns could potentially gain job accommodations through a new proposal.
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Nirmatrelvir-Ritonavir Reduces Risk of COVID-19 Hospitalization, Death, Study Finds
August 4th 2023The body of research on nirmatrelvir-ritonavir demonstrates a plethora of benefits in the treatment of COVID-19, and authors of a recent study identified more advantages to administering the treatment to patients with COVID-19.
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After the COVID-19 vaccine was released, disparities in COVID-19 incidence shrunk. However, although efforts were made to increase access to the COVID-19 vaccine in low-income areas, discrepancies in overall vaccination coverage persisted between higher- and lower-income communities.
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Intraparty disagreements over mifepristone cause pause in spending bill agreement until August recess ends; Officials urge the FDA to regulate cannabidiol as a dietary supplement; State medical boards tasked with protecting Americans frequently failed to stop doctors for COVID-19 misinformation.
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Analysis Shows 100 Million Non–COVID-19 Adult Vaccines Potentially Missed
July 25th 2023The COVID-19 pandemic had a particularly negative impact on the uptake of non–COVID-19 vaccines for adults in some countries. Even countries with great progress in adult vaccination prior to the pandemic saw a decline after the pandemic.
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Insurers supervising the health care of Medicaid patients repeatedly reject providers’ approval of care; individuals are more likely to develop dementia if they live in disadvantaged neighborhoods; a type of an immunity gene is found in people who test positive for COVID-19 but don’t develop symptoms.
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What We’re Reading: New CMS Proposals; WHO's Aspartame Warning; Reasonable COVID-19 Vaccine Prices
July 14th 2023CMS releases its 2024 Physician Fee Schedule, including a conversion factor cut, and proposes behavioral health efforts; a World Health Organization (WHO) agency says that aspartame may cause cancer, but another one maintains that it remains generally safe; HHS calls for COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers to ensure reasonable pricing for their upcoming fall shots.
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This article examines how primary hospitals in Chengdu, China, responded to the relaxation of COVID-19 prevention and control measures in December 2022.
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COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy and Health Literacy in US Southern States
COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy is not associated with health literacy. Personal perception of threat was associated with reduced vaccine hesitancy.
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Population Health Strategies to Advance Health Equity: A Q&A With Dr Paul G. Alexander
February 15th 2023Paul G. Alexander, MD, MPH, executive vice president and chief health equity and transformation officer, RWJBarnabas Health, speaks on strategies his organization implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic to address continuity of care and communication challenges in underserved communities and further efforts to improve health equity.
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