States Sue Insys Over Opioid Marketing
Massachusetts reaching a settlement with Insys Therapeutics over the company’s marketing of its opioid, Subsys, may have opened the door to more lawsuits. According to The Wall Street Journal, New Jersey has now filed a lawsuit against Insys claiming that the company marketed its painkiller for widespread use when it was approved to treat serious cancer pain. New Jersey is claiming that the company is responsible for a woman who died after being prescribed Subsys for fibromyalgia.
Rolling Back the Birth Control Mandate
The requirement that employers cover birth control in health insurance plans is being rolled back. The Trump administration announced it would allow for more exemptions for those who cite moral or religious objections to providing coverage of birth control, reported The New York Times. The Trump administration, in writing the new rules, notes that the Affordable Care Act actually does not explicitly require that birth control is covered. Getting rid of the requirement could cause hundreds of thousands of women to lose access to free birth control.
Virginians Eligible for Medicaid Staying Uninsured
Approximately 90,000 Virginians are eligible for healthcare assistance programs, but have remained uninsured. A new report has found that of those eligible, 60,000 are children who can be signed up for Medicaid or the state’s program for children. In 2015, there were a total of 747,000 uninsured people in Virginia. The state has not expanded the Medicaid program, which would make even more people eligible for coverage.
Exploring Medicare Advantage Prior Authorization Variations
March 26th 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with the authors of a study published in the March 2024 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® about their findings on variations in prior authorization use across Medicare Advantage plans.
Listen
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.
Listen
Homelessness Compounds Hospital Stay Challenges: Study Reveals Prolonged Discharge Struggles
March 28th 2024In this investigation, outcomes of interest were morbidity rate and length of hospital stay or a traumatic injury among a homeless population, and whether age and/or injury severity had an influence on that relationship—with implications for improving the discharge process for these patients.
Read More
FDA Approves Vadadustat for Anemia in Patients With CKD Undergoing Dialysis
March 28th 2024The FDA approved vadadustat (Vafseo), an oral medication, to treat anemia in adult patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) on dialysis for at least 3 months. This fills a need for a new treatment option as anemia is common in these patients and can significantly impact their quality of life.
Read More