Health Care Delivery

This week, the top managed care stories included Republicans releasing an outline for replacing the Affordable Care Act, pharmacy benefit managers and pharmaceutical companies pointing fingers over drug costs, and findings on engagement for patients with chronic conditions.

While many questions on the outlook of healthcare “re-reform” remain afloat, many important insights into President Donald Trump’s potential path forward are now identified.

Over 65,000 ineligible providers have been culled from the Medicaid program due to a component of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that requires periodic recertification of eligibility.

At the 5th annual Patient-Centered Oncology Care® meeting, hosted by The American Journal of Managed Care®, experts discussed the contradiction presented by immuno-oncology agents in the world of precision medicine.

Bruce A. Feinberg, DO, moderated a panel at the 5th annual Patient-Centered Oncology Care® meeting that brought stakeholders together to share their cancer care predictions for the upcoming year.

Every week, The American Journal of Managed Care® recaps the top managed care news of the week, and you can now listen to it on our podcast, Managed Care Cast.

The policy brief outlines House GOP thinking on a universal, refundable, and portable tax credit, state-based high-risk pools, and how to repeal Medicaid expansion. But many specifics, including what it would cost a typical family, are unclear.

A look at Seema Verma’s approach to reforming healthcare policy, and what it could mean for Medicare and Medicaid if she is confirmed as CMS administrator.

An e-mail, from Mark Merritt, president and CEO of the trade group Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, to the organization’s board, lays out a plan to develop an aggressive campaign to convince the new administration that the fault rests with pharmaceutical manufacturers.

This week, the top managed care stories included the end of 2 insurance megamergers, a proposed rule to tighten restrictions for the Affordable Care Act, and new legislation in New Jersey provides the nation's strictest mandates for treating addiction.

As Republicans debate how to move forward with repealing and replacing or reforming the Affordable Care Act, the Trump administration released a proposed rule to help stabilize the market in 2018. The rule includes a shorter open enrollment period.

The Senate Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies held a hearing today to discuss mental health treatments and services, as witnesses discussed the progress they had seen and further steps needed to solve the crisis.

An update on immunotherapies and the potential impact of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells on oncology care.

Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act may have helped reduce the rates of an unromantic phenomenon: medical divorce.

Patient navigation is immensely helpful in relieving some of the burden placed on cancer patients, and there are some particularly unique aspects of navigation as it pertains to immuno-oncology.

Aetna's CEO said it made no sense to proceed in the "current environment." Federal judges have blocked both the Aetna-Humana merger and a separate deal involving Anthem and Cigna.

Lawmakers from both parties have expressed their dislike for an entity that could take away their spending authority. But a leading Democrat also raised the fact that the new HHS Secretary, Tom Price, MD, would be harsh on the most vulnerable.

MD Anderson Cancer Center, which first established its oncology-focused ECHO program in 2014 has now adopted a much bigger role, of a “superhub.”

Early in the morning on Friday, the Senate voted along party lines (52-47) to confirm US Rep. Tom Price, R-Georgia, as secretary of HHS. President Donald Trump nominated Price with the expectation that he will lead the charge to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.

This week, the top managed care stories included final enrollment numbers for the Affordable Care Act for 2017, a report that revealed low rates of lung cancer screening, and a study found that a population-based weight management strategies can prevent diabetes.