- Center on Health Equity and Access
- Clinical
- Health Care Cost
- Health Care Delivery
- Insurance
- Policy
- Technology
- Value-Based Care
What We’re Reading: SF, NY Declare Monkeypox a Public Health Emergency; COVID-19 Boosters Shelved; Insuring Birth Control
New York state and San Francisco declare monkeypox public health emergencies; COVID-19 boosters set for the summer have been scrapped in favor of fall boosters; HHS announces that insurers must cover birth control.
Monkeypox Declared Public Health Emergency in San Francisco, New York State
San Francisco and New York state have declared that monkeypox is a public health emergency, as its numbers continue to rise. These declarations come soon after the World Health Organization declared a global emergency. New York and California are home to more than 40% of the nation’s 4907 confirmed cases of monkeypox. Politicians in California said that this emergency declaration will make it easier to expand testing, mobilize resources, accelerate emergency planning, and expand access to vaccines. Currently, vaccines are believed to be effective before and after exposure to the disease.
Summer Boosters Shelved for People Under 50
The FDA is halting plans for a second COVID-19 booster that would be available this summer, instead deciding to focus on fall boosters that would provide immunization to the BA.5 variant. The decision to focus on this new generation of boosters was met with debate, as the FDA tried to balance keeping people in the summer safe while protecting people for next winter, when cases are expected to go up. The FDA believed that 2 boosters so close together may have prevented some from getting both boosters due to vaccine fatigue. Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech are currently working with the FDA to have the fall boosters ready for October or November.
Biden Administration to Insurers: Cover Birth Control
The Biden administration warned businesses and health insurance providers in the United States that withholding coverage of contraceptives was against federal law. The HHS clarified by saying that the Affordable Care Act requires all insurance plans to provide free birth control and family-planning counseling to all insured individuals, including states that have banned or limited access to abortion. The warning comes as complaints of women not receiving coverage for their birth control have become more frequent across the country.
HOPE-CAT Can Identify Maternal Cardiovascular Risk 2 Months Earlier Than Doctors, Study Says
April 25th 2024In a retrospective study, the machine learning tool was able to screen for potential risks of cardiovascular disease nearly 60 days before the patient's medical record showed any signs of a related condition or before they were officially diagnosed or treated for it.
Read More
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.
Listen
Empowering Community Health Through Wellness and Faith
April 23rd 2024To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are bringing you a special month-long podcast series with our Strategic Alliance Partner, UPMC Health Plan. In the third episode, Camille Clarke-Smith, EdD, MS, CHES, CPT, discusses approaching community health holistically through spiritual and community engagement.
Listen
Data Back Neoadjuvant Combo vs Chemo Alone for Early-Stage NSCLC
April 24th 2024For patients with early-stage non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), combining neoadjuvant immune checkpoint inhibitors and platinum-based chemotherapy improves 2-year outcomes over chemotherapy alone, suggest findings of an extensive literature review and meta-analysis.
Read More
