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What We're Reading: Maine's Medicaid Expansion; ACA Navigators; Advertising ACA to Latinos
Maine’s Medicaid Expansion Referendum Vote
The Republican governor of Maine, Paul LePage, has vetoed expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on 5 separate occasions, so voters are taking the issue into their own hands. According to The New York Times, the state will be the first in the nation to vote on Medicaid expansion by referendum. However, the issue will be on the ballot during an off year—there are no races to bring people to the polls. An additional 80,000 residents would become eligible for Medicaid if the program was expanded.
Money for ACA Navigators
Steep cuts by the federal government to the navigator program are not equal across the country. The navigator program, which helps sign people up for ACA coverage, in South Carolina was cut by two-thirds, while North Carolina’s funding was cut by just 10%, reported Kaiser Health News. As a result, two-thirds of the counties in South Carolina will have no navigators based on the population and level of enrollment in 2017. In North Carolina, every county will have a navigator available.
California Spends Money to Sign Up Latinos on ACA Plans
A report from NPR took a look at California’s advertising strategy to get Latinos to sign up for ACA health coverage. In total, the state is spending $111 million on advertising for Covered California, and 30% of that money is focused on Latinos. The problem is that it isn’t clear the strategy will pay off. The state is struggling against messaging from the Trump administration that the ACA is going away, making it harder to sign up people who have so far been uninsured.
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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Commonwealth Fund Report Details Pervasive Racial and Ethnic Disparities in US Health Care, Outcomes
April 18th 2024Using 25 health system performance indicators, the Commonwealth Fund 2024 State Health Disparities Report evaluated racial and ethnic disparities in health care and health outcomes both within and across US states and highlighted the urgent need for equitable health care policies and practices in the US.
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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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Study Links COVID-19 Pandemic to Rise in Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Ovarian Cancer in US
April 17th 2024There was greater use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy among US patients with ovarian cancer (OC) during the COVID-19 pandemic to reduce potential COVID-19 exposure and cancer treatment-related complications.
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Need for Pharmacogenomic Testing in Mental Health Care Explored at AMCP 2024
April 17th 2024Presenters from Mayo Clinic discussed the benefits of implementing pharmacogenomic testing in mental health care for the betterment of patient outcomes, reducing medical costs, and more at the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) 2024 annual meeting.
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