What we're reading, November 11, 2015: annual flu shots may reduce the effectiveness of the vaccine; Democrats call for changes to the so-called Cadillac tax; and Millennium Health files for chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Annual Flu Shots Can Reduce Effectiveness of Vaccine
Getting a flu shot every year may not be beneficial. STAT is reporting that evidence suggests getting the flu shot repeatedly can gradually reduce the effectiveness of the vaccine. Scientists reported that children vaccinated annually over a number of years were more likely to contract the virus than those only vaccinated during the year they were studied. However, it is still better for people to be vaccinated than not vaccinated, the researchers say.
Increasingly Unpopular Cadillac Tax May See Some Changes
Democrats are open to discussing changes to the so-called Cadillac tax, which levies a tax on high-cost employer-based health plans and was passed as part of the Affordable Care Act. The excise tax has become increasingly unpopular with presidential candidate hopeful Hillary Clinton called for a repeal of the tax, reported the New York Times. The White House continues to defend the tax, which gives employers an incentive to make plans more efficient, but the Obama administration has not ruled out changes.
Millennium Health Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy After Federal Settlement
After Millennium Health LLC agreed to pay $256 million to settle allegations it billed the federal government for unnecessary taxes, the drug-testing laboratory has filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy, reports the Wall Street Journal. The federal government alleged that Millennium had billed Medicare, Medicaid, and other federal healthcare programs for medically unnecessary tests and encouraged doctors to order a broad range of tests instead of tailoring tests to the individual. The largest debt listed as part of Millennium’s chapter 11 petition was $206 million owed to the Department of Justice.
Navigating Health Literacy, Social Determinants, and Discrimination in National Health Plans
February 13th 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with the authors of a study published in the February 2024 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® about their findings on how health plans can screen for health literacy, social determinants of health, and perceived health care discrimination.
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Drs Raymond Thertulien, Joseph Mikhael on Racial Disparities in Multiple Myeloma Care Access
December 28th 2023In the wake of the 2023 American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition, Raymond Thertulien, MD, PhD, of Novant Health, and Joseph Mikhael, MD, MEd, FRCPC, FACP, chief medical officer of the International Myeloma Foundation, discussed health equity research highlights from the meeting and drivers of racial disparities in multiple myeloma outcomes.
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The Supreme Court seems likely to reject a challenge to the abortion pill mifepristone; the FDA is inspecting far fewer pharmaceutical companies conducting clinical research; AstraZeneca has sued to block an Arkansas law that it said would unlawfully expand the 340B program to include for profit-pharmacy chains.
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Poor Well-Being Scores Linked to Early Treatment Stoppage in Multiple Myeloma
March 27th 2024Investigators used the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General General Physical Wellbeing Scale to collect data on patient-reported treatment-related adverse effects, to provide clinicians guidance on predicting risk of early treatment discontinuation among ECOG-ACRIN E1A11 trial participants.
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