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What We’re Reading: UnitedHealth to Buy LHC; Second COVID-19 Booster Approved; Pediatric Asthma Disparities
UnitedHealth Group will buy LHC Group for $5.4 billion as part of its home health care expansion plan; the FDA approved a second COVID-19 booster dose for adults aged 50 and older; a study found differing patterns of clinic and emergency department acute-care use between White, Black, and Latino or Hispanic children with asthma.
UnitedHealth Announces Plan to Purchase LHC Group for $5.4 Billion
UnitedHealth Group will buy LHC Group for about $5.4 billion as part of its home health care expansion plan. As reported by Reuters, this purchase will combine LHC’s at-home services that primarily provide health care for older adults with chronic conditions and injuries with UnitedHealth’s Optum unit, which offers health care data analytics services and manages drug benefits. News of this deal come a month after the US Justice Department sued to block UnitedHealth from purchasing Change Healthcare for $8 billion for access to competitors’ billing data.
FDA Approves Second COVID-19 Booster for Adults Aged 50 and Older
The FDA approved a second COVID-19 booster dose for adults aged 50 and older in the United States, STAT News reported. According to the FDA, eligible adults can receive either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna mRNA vaccine 4 months after their last dose. The CDC added that individuals who received the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) single dose primary series as well as a J&J booster at least 4 months ago can also receive a second mRNA booster, but a third J&J dose has not been approved.
Study Finds Racial, Ethnic Disparities in Pediatric Acute Asthma Care
A National Institutes of Health study found differing patterns of community health center (CHC) and emergency department (ED) visits among White, Black, and Latino or Hispanic children with asthma. Black children with asthma were less likely to visit CHCs, but had higher odds and rates of asthma-related ED visits, compared with White children. Additionally, Latino children who spoke either English or Spanish were more likely to visit CHCs for acute, chronic, and preventive care, compared with White children. The researchers said economic gaps play a role in health disparities, but they also said factors such as structural racism may have also impacted the findings.
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.
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A new federal rule will enable thousands of immigrants in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program to obtain health care through the Affordable Care Act; a forthcoming CMS rule is expected to lower home-based care wait times and raise caregiver wages; the HHS Office for Civil Rights has finalized 2 rules that strengthen the ACA’s health care discrimination ban.
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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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Initiating BP Medication Linked to Higher Fall, Fracture Risks in Nursing Home Residents
May 2nd 2024Among over 60,000 nursing home residents who initiated antihypertensive medication, rates of excess fractures due to falls per 100 person-years were as high as 5 among certain patient groups, such as those with dementia and high blood pressure (BP).
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