A roundup of top healthcare news stories: January 26, 2017.
GOP Plans to Repeal and Replace Obamacare by April
As part of the legislative agenda for 2017, House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, explained that Republicans would repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA) by April, reported POLITICO. Ryan is looking to fast-track the ACA’s repeal, but replacing it will need support from Democrats. The agenda also plans to fund the wall along the Mexican border and approve a tax reform package all before August.
Massachusetts Businesses With Employees on Medicaid Could Face Penalties
In a bid to combat escalating Medicaid enrollment, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker has proposed penalizing businesses with workers that enroll in Medicaid. According to The Wall Street Journal, the penalty would be $2000 per worker that enrolls in Medicaid and is supposed to incentivize businesses to shoulder more of health insurance costs. Employers with more than 10 full-time workers who cover less than 80% of the workforce would be penalized. Employers opposed the proposal, claiming they will be punished for an issue they did not cause.
Reduction in Sugary Drink Intake Stalls
For nearly 2 decades, the number of calories consumed through sugary beverages has dropped steadily, but the number has not made much more progress since 2009. STAT reported that children are drinking about 143 calories per day (down from 220 in 2003) and adults are drinking 145 calories per day (down from 188), but it’s probably still too much. Currently, adults get 6.5% of their total daily calories from sodas, fruit juices with added sugars, sport drinks, energy drinks, and other sugar-sweetened beverages.
Brodalumab Is Effective, Safe in Patients With Moderate to Severe Psoriasis
March 18th 2024Posters presented at the American Academy of Dermatology Annual Meeting demonstrated both short- and long-term efficacy and safety profiles of brodalumab in patients with moderate to severe psoriasis.
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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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AstraZeneca joins efforts to address high drug prices by capping out-of-pocket costs for its inhalers; Opill, the first OTC birth control pill, is now accessible through online sales; expansion prompts questions on the effectiveness and regulation of remote monitoring technology.
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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.
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Health Equity and Access Weekly Roundup: March 16, 2024
March 16th 2024This week, the Center on Health Equity and Access highlighted expert opinions on a mental health paradigm shift in the workplace, the impact health care algorithms can have on patient outcomes, and social factors linked with hidradenitis suppurativa severity, in addition to addressing the health needs of justice-involved populations.
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