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What We’re Reading: North Carolina Medicaid Expansion; FDA Drug Approvals; Walgreens Won’t Carry Abortion Pills in Several States
Medicaid expansion deal proposed in North Carolina; FDA gains new leverage over quick drug approvals; Walgreens announces it will not dispense abortion pills in several states where it’s legal.
North Carolina to Expand Medicaid
On Thursday, North Carolina legislators announced a deal that would expand Medicaid to potentially 600,000 low-income adults through the Affordable Care Act (ACA), according to The Associated Press. This is a big milestone for North Carolina, one of 11 states that has not approved Medicaid expansion. The deal, which is most likely to be voted on until later this month at the earliest, would likely go into effect starting in January 2024.
FDA Has New Power Over Accelerated Drug Approvals
A new law last December gives the FDA more power to approve certain drugs faster with preliminary data, on the basis that the drugmakers would continue to do more research to make sure the drugs were effective, according to NPR. This law gives the FDA more authority to hold drug companies accountable for providing further data in exchange for accelerated approval. It remains to be seen if the FDA will exercise its authority, NPR said, but noted that flaws and controversies surrounding accelerated approval calls for better transparency and clarity by everyone at the FDA.
Walgreens Won’t Carry Abortion Pills in Several States
Walgreens announced it will not dispense abortion pills in several states, even where their use remains legal, according to POLITICO. This response came after nearly two dozen Republican state attorneys general threatened to take legal action with Walgreens if the pharmacy began distributing these pills. A list of states that Walgreens says it will not offer abortion pills include Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, and Montana.
Dr Dalia Rotstein: Physicians Must Be Aware MS Affects People of All Backgrounds
April 24th 2024Dalia Rotstein, MD, MPH, emphazises the importance of awareness that multiple sclerosis (MS) impacts patients from various backgrounds as clinicians think through ways to improve access to care and research efforts in MS.
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Navigating Health Policy in an Election Year: Insights From Dr Dennis Scanlon
April 2nd 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with Dennis Scanlon, PhD, the editor in chief of The American Journal of Accountable Care®, about prior authorization, price transparency, the impact of health policy on the upcoming election, and more.
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The Federal Trade Commission's (FTC's) vote to ban most employers from issuing and enforcing noncompete clauses could have varying impacts on the health care workforce; federal regulators vastly under-enforced antitrust laws in the hospital sector during the last 2 decades, resulting in increased health costs; the FDA recently found genetic evidence of the H5N1 bird flu virus in pasteurized commercially purchased milk.
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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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What We’re Reading: Abortion Privacy Rules; Alzheimer Drug Hurdles; Nursing Home Staffing Overhaul
April 23rd 2024New health privacy rules aim to protect patients and providers in an evolving abortion landscape; some physicians express concerns about efficacy, risks, and entrenched beliefs in treating Alzheimer disease; CMS addresses longstanding staffing deficits in nursing homes.
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