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What We’re Reading: Surprise Ambulance Bills Persist; Mental Health Crisis in Teens; Medicaid and Food as Medicine
Congress has no solution for out-of-network ambulance rides; teenagers going to an emergency department in a mental health crisis don't receive necessary follow-up care; Medicaid explores nutritional benefits of food as medicine spending in some states.
Insured Americans Are Getting Hit With Out-of-network Ambulance Bills
Most insured individuals who take an emergency ambulance ride will not be covered for that expense, according to STAT. In 2022, ambulance rides, which can cost hundreds of dollars, were excluded from the federal law that banned most types of surprise medical bills. Despite nearly 85% of all emergency ambulance rides being out-of-network, no progress has been made by Congress to resolve the issue.
Many Teenagers Not Receiving Care After Going to the ED for Mental Health Crisis
Receiving follow-up care for mental health crisis has been known to reduce suicide risk, yet nearly half of all adolescents who go to the emergency department (ED) for a mental health crisis do not get follow-up care. A study published in Pediatrics, reported by CNN, said that 31.2% saw a mental health provider within 7 days of the ED visit and 55.8% had one within 30 days. The lack of care was most prevalent among Black children in comparison with White children.
US Allowing More Medicaid Funds to Go Towards Healthy Nutrition in Some States
The Biden administration has begun approving state requests to allow Medicaid funds to pay for healthy meals and nutritional counseling, according to The Wall Street Journal. Growing research has supported better nutrition as a way to improve health and reduce medical costs, especially among low-income individuals. Allowing Medicaid to include the idea of food as medicine aims to improve health for low-income individuals, by emphasizing the importance of eating nutritious, and oftentimes pricey, foods.
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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