Trump Administration Makes ACA Payments to Insurers
Shortly after the Senate was unable to vote on its bill to repeal and replace parts of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the Trump administration paid insurers key subsidies under the law. According to The Hill, the cost-sharing reduction payments were made just before the deadline for the month of July. However, despite paying this month, the administration has not committed to continuing to pay subsidies in future months. The payments help insurers keep premiums down in the individual market.
Potency and Safety of Drugs Past Expiration
When prescription drugs go past their expiration date, they are typically tossed in the garbage, but they may still be useful. The expiration date on medications is simply a date at which the FDA no longer guarantees the effectiveness of the drugs, but that doesn’t mean the drugs become ineffective or unsafe. Research at the University of California, San Diego, is attempting to ascertain if drugs can be safely used after the expiration date. If they can, it could help reduce waste in the US health system and bring down the cost of care.
CBO Scores ACA Repeal Bill
With the Senate’s Better Care Reconciliation Act off the table now that 4 Republican senators have voiced opposition, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) is reviving the idea of a straight repeal of the ACA. The CBO recently scored such a proposal and found that under the legislation, which is an update to a 2015 bill passed by Republicans and vetoed by President Barack Obama, 17 million Americans would lose their insurance within the first year, reported Politico. The repeal bill would end Medicaid expansion and most of the ACA's taxes, but premiums would increase by 25% during the first year.
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.
Read More
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.
Listen
Drs Raymond Thertulien, Joseph Mikhael on Racial Disparities in Multiple Myeloma Care Access
December 28th 2023In the wake of the 2023 American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition, Raymond Thertulien, MD, PhD, of Novant Health, and Joseph Mikhael, MD, MEd, FRCPC, FACP, chief medical officer of the International Myeloma Foundation, discussed health equity research highlights from the meeting and drivers of racial disparities in multiple myeloma outcomes.
Listen