Trump Makes ACA Payments to Insurers
The Trump administration has made the long-awaited cost-sharing reduction payments to insurers under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for the month of June. According to The Wall Street Journal, the uncertainty around the payments had made it difficult for insurers to make decisions about ACA coverage options in 2018. While the administration has made these payments every month, the president has openly stated that he might stop them. There is speculation that the Senate’s healthcare bill could include $10 billion a year in 2018 and 2019 for these payments.
Opioid Hospitalizations Doubled in Last Decade
Emergency department visits related to opioid problems have doubled over the last decade and inpatient stays are growing by 64%, according to a new report. The Los Angeles Times reported that the rate of hospital admissions from 2004 to 2014 increased 55% for men and 75% for women. Adults between the ages of 25 and 44 were most likely to be admitted to the hospital for opioid-related problems, followed closely by adults ages 45 to 64. However, the rate of members of the older group being admitted grew faster compared with the younger group over the last decade.
Global Drug Sales Projected to Decline
Pricing pressures in the United States are expected to contribute to the first decline in global drug sales in a decade. Drug sales are expected to hit $1.06 trillion in 2022, which is down from the $1.12 trillion predicted last year, according to Reuters. In addition to political and public scrutiny of drug pricing, some new drugs—such as the PCSK9 inhibitors Praluent and Repatha—have had disappointing sales, which contributed to the lower forecast.
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
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.
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
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
Award-Winning Poster Presentations From AMCP 2024
April 23rd 2024At the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) 2024 annual meeting, multiple poster presentations concerned with health equity, data collection, glucagon-like peptide-1 agonists, and more were acknowledged for their originality, relevance, clarity, bias, and quality.
Read More