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As part of Republicans’ fast and furious push to repeal the Affordable Care Act, there is a vote scheduled today in the House of Representatives on the American Health Care Act. However, there have been serious doubts in the days leading up to the Thursday vote that there were enough votes in the House to pass the bill.

The Republican healthcare law repeals several provisions in former President Barack Obama’s health law; however, while the GOP's American Health Care Act does provide financial assistance, similar to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Americans will find that those dollars don’t go as far as they did under the ACA.

The increased emphasis that the Affordable Care Act and Medicare accountable care organizations (ACOs) placed on prevention is important in reducing the high cost of older patients, especially as the baby boomer generation reached retirement age, explained Mariétou Ouayogodé, PhD, post-doctoral fellow at The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth.

Difficulty in making pricing and reimbursement decisions for rare diseases has prevented patients from having universal access to new medicines despite increased investment in their research and development. In Europe, a group has proposed 9 principles to guide value assessment, pricing, and funding.

Up to 24 million people would lose health coverage under the American Health Care Act, the Republican plan to replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA), according to a report released today by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). That would include up to 14 million in the first year alone, or two-thirds of the 21 million who have gained coverage under the ACA.

This week, the top managed care news included a bill from House Republicans to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, a new program at Walgreens to train pharmacists on an advanced cancer-care curriculum, and findings that health coaching helps the neediest patients most.

During a speech at America’s Health Insurance Plans’ National Health Policy Conference, held March 8-9 in Washington, DC, Newt Gingrich, former House speaker, ran through the hurdles Republicans will face in order to get the American Health Care Act passed.

Protecting coverage gains that were made under the Affordable Care Act was one of the top concerns of experts representing insurers, physicians, and hospitals during a panel discussion at America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP)’s National Health Policy Conference, held March 8-9 in Washington, DC.