April 29th 2025
Early actions by the new administration signal major changes in health policy, taxes, and pharmaceutical pricing.
Medicare Advantage Plans Provide No Substantial Cost Savings Over Traditional Medicare
June 24th 2024Beneficiaries who switched from traditional Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan experienced no additional protection from medical costs compared with those who stayed in a traditional Medicare plan.
Read More
A federal appeals court has ruled a key part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) unconstitutional, which allows a health task force to require insurers to cover preventive health measures without out-of-pocket costs; the FDA’s recent decision to authorize 4 menthol vaping products drew harsh criticism from pediatricians and antitobacco groups; rising health care prices are lowering American wages and causing job losses.
Read More
The US Preventive Services Task Force recommends that kids 6 years and older with a high body mass index receive intensive behavioral interventions; Amazon’s pharmacy unit is expanding eligibility for RxPass to patients enrolled in Medicare insurance plans; Sen Bernie Sanders (I, Vermont) is trying to lower the prices of popular antiobesity drugs.
Read More
The rate of uninsured Americans will rise to 8.9% over the next decade; Senator Bernie Sanders (I, Vermont) wants a government watchdog to investigate why women are still being charged for contraception considered free under federal law, and proposed Medicare Advantage Star Ratings target top performers.
Read More
Age, Insurance Play Major Roles in CGM Use, Says Dr Chase Hendrickson
June 18th 2024Patients with diabetes who have private insurance are more likely to be prescribed a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) compared with those with government insurance, says Chase Hendrickson, MD, MPH, Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Read More
Ali Khawar on Addressing the Mental Health Crisis Through Parity Law
June 13th 2024Ali Khawar, principal deputy assistant secretary with the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), US Department of Labor, explains how the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) aims to address the mental health crisis in the US.
Read More
Innovation, Affordability, Access: Alzheimer Disease Drugs and the Inflation Reduction Act
June 13th 2024The authors explore the economic impact and accessibility challenges of new Alzheimer disease drugs under the Inflation Reduction Act, with emphasis on Medicare, pricing, and health care equity.
Read More
People Experiencing Homelessness in Miami: Insurance Enrollment Rates, Hypertension Trends
People experiencing homelessness face significant barriers to health care access, leading to higher rates of hypertension even among those with health insurance.
Read More
CMS Innovation Center's Latest Moves: Embedding Equity Into Value-Based Care
June 12th 2024During the CMS Health Equity Conference, health care leaders shared groundbreaking strategies to integrate health equity into value-based care models, aiming to enhance patient outcomes and reduce costs.
Read More
Dr Jeff Levin-Scherz Addresses Gaps in Obesity Care and Funding Challenges
June 11th 2024Jeff Levin-Scherz, MD, MBA, population health leader at WTW, explains that obesity care in the US is inconsistent and costly, with significant gaps across Medicare, Medicaid, and employer-based insurance.
Read More
Deductible Double Jeopardy: Patients May Pay More Out of Pocket When Pregnancy Crosses 2 Years
June 11th 2024This cross-sectional analysis of commercially insured delivering mothers suggests that greater out-of-pocket spending is incurred when pregnancy spans 2 years, causing them to face out-of-pocket limits twice.
Read More
Uninsured rates among minority groups plummeted between 2010 and 2022; Democrat lawmakers are challenging drug patents that they believe are deliberate attempts to eliminate low-cost, generic competitors; the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is piloting a nationwide network for primary care research.
Read More
Experts Share Health Equity Advances in Value-Based Care at CMS Conference
June 7th 2024During the CMS Health Equity conference, the “Implementing Health Equity Through Value-Based Care for People in Medicare” session featured a series of expert speakers who shared insights on pioneering strategies designed to advance health equity.
Read More
The Bundled Payments for Care Improvement program was associated with improved quality of skilled nursing facilities in hospital referral networks for patients undergoing surgery for joint replacement.
Read More
FDA advisers have voted against the use of MDMA as a post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatment; House members have expressed support for the 340B drug discount program but disagreed on whether it needs tighter regulation; a federal judge sided with SCAN Health Plan over CMS about incorrect 2024 Star Rating calculations.
Read More
Health Equity and Access Weekly Roundup: June 1, 2024
June 1st 2024This week, the Center on Health Equity and Access covers news related to AI integration, disparities in pediatric hospitalizations, new advancements presented at the 2024 CMS Health Equity Conference, and an expert discussion on the cardiovascular field.
Read More
There has been a lack of visible progress from RECOVER, the $1.6 billion initiative launched by the National Institutes of Health to research long COVID; the CDC has detected a third human case of bird flu linked to sick dairy cows; small businesses and their workers are struggling to receive weight-loss drug insurance coverage.
Read More
Health Equity and Access Weekly Roundup: May 18, 2024
May 18th 2024The US Senate hosted a panel addressing physician and health care shortages and efforts to increase minority representation in the medical field. An expert discussed initiatives to prevent senior homelessness. Advocates called for the repeal of the Comstock Act. Regulatory reforms are called for to improve rural cancer patients' access to pharmacies. Research reveals the impact of denials on patient access to immunology treatments.
Read More
Covering antiobesity medications like semaglutide could save Medicare around $500 million annually; preliminary CDC data showed a 3% decline in the number of US overdose deaths last year; the Biden administration recently announced the first national maternal mental health strategy.
Read More