Deal Extends Funding for CHIP
The Senate Finance Committee has reached a deal to extend funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which was slated to run out of funds at the end of this month. According to The New York Times, the deal provides additional funding for 5 years and increases state flexibility in how the program is administered. Nearly 9 million children receive their health insurance through CHIP, which the federal government spends $14 billion on each year.
US Uninsured Rate Falls to Record Low
In 2016, 28.1 million Americans, or 8.8% of the population, were still without health insurance 3 years after the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The number of uninsured and the percentage are both record lows. Kaiser Health News reported that the uninsured rate was nearly 17% (50 million) when President Barack Obama took office in 2009. While the ACA has played a role, the improving economy, which had been in a recession in 2009, has also played a large role in the decline of uninsured. More than half of Americans still get their health insurance through their jobs.
Kaiser Names Dean of New Medical School
The Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine, set to open in 2019, has named its founding dean. Mark Schuster, MD, a health policy expert and pediatrician, has a history of creativity and innovation in patient care, which led Kaiser Permanente to appoint him, according to California Healthline. The school will not be affiliated with a university and will provide students with immediate hands-on clinical training that emphasizes teamwork. Schuster begins work in October, taking over from Christine Cassel, MD, who has been the planning dean of the medical school.
Empowering Community Health Through Wellness and Faith
April 23rd 2024To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are bringing you a special month-long podcast series with our Strategic Alliance Partner, UPMC Health Plan. In the third episode, Camille Clarke-Smith, EdD, MS, CHES, CPT, discusses approaching community health holistically through spiritual and community engagement.
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What We’re Reading: Abortion Privacy Rules; Alzheimer Drug Hurdles; Nursing Home Staffing Overhaul
April 23rd 2024New health privacy rules aim to protect patients and providers in an evolving abortion landscape; some physicians express concerns about efficacy, risks, and entrenched beliefs in treating Alzheimer disease; CMS addresses longstanding staffing deficits in nursing homes.
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Overcoming Employment Barriers for Lasting Social Impact: Freedom House 2.0 and Pathways to Work
April 16th 2024To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are bringing you a special month-long podcast series with our Strategic Alliance Partner, UPMC Health Plan. Welcome to our second episode, in which we learn all about Freedom House 2.0 and the Pathways to Work program.
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Survey Results Reveal Potential Factors Slowing the Decline in Cardiovascular Mortality Rate
April 23rd 2024Research indicated that worsened glycemic, blood pressure, and obesity control, as well as increased alcohol consumption, leveled lipid control, and persistent socioeconomic disparities may have contributed to the decelerated cardiovascular mortality decline in recent years.
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Award-Winning Poster Presentations From AMCP 2024
April 23rd 2024At the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) 2024 annual meeting, multiple poster presentations concerned with health equity, data collection, glucagon-like peptide-1 agonists, and more were acknowledged for their originality, relevance, clarity, bias, and quality.
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