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What We're Reading: The ACA Fails the Working Poor
What we're reading, January 5, 2016: A special report highlights how the working poor slip through the cracks of the Affordable Care Act; the FDA approved 51 drugs in 2015 with nearly half being first-in-class; and the Senate is expected to vote on President Obama's nomination for FDA commissioner next Tuesday.
Millions of Americans, the working poor, remain uninsured, especially if they live in one of the 20 states that hasn’t expanded Medicaid. A special report from USA Today examined how the Affordable Care Act affects these individuals and found that companies are getting around paying for insurance for workers by hiring contract workers. In addition, up to 20% of businesses have cut or plan to cut workers’ hours in order to avoid paying for their health benefits.
In 2015, the FDA approved 51 new drugs, which is the largest number since 1950. Notably, among those drugs approved were 20 first-in-class drugs. However, Forbes points out that this number from the FDA may be conservative, as 4 other drugs should merit first-in-class recognition. Including those drugs—Farydak, Unituxin, Kybella, and Natpara—would mean 47% of the drugs the FDA approved in 2015 were first-in-class.
On Tuesday, January 12, the Senate health committee will vote on President Obama’s nominee, Robert Califf, MD, to be the commissioner of the FDA. During hearings, some voiced concerns about his connections with drug companies. In particular, Democratic presidential hopeful Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt) said he would oppose the nomination. However, for the most part, Dr Califf’s nomination is expected to easily be approved, reported The Hill.
Examining Low-Value Cancer Care Trends Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic
April 25th 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with the authors of a study published in the April 2024 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® about their findings on the rates of low-value cancer care services throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
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AA Unlikely to Cause Anxiety, Depression but May Be Affected by Mental Illness
May 7th 2024A Mendelian randomization study using genetic analysis found that alopecia areata (AA) increases the risk of anxiety and depression, but not the other way around, providing unique evidence for a causal link while adding to existing evidence.
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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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AUA Session Highlights the General Urologist’s Role in Gender-Affirming Care
May 7th 2024During her session, Polina Reyblat, MD, Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center, highlighted best practices urologists should incorporate to make transgender and gender-diverse patients comfortable during physical exams and avoid retraumatization.
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