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What We're Reading: Aetna Exits ACA in Iowa; $15B Fund for Health Bill; Cigna Cuts Opioid Use
Aetna Will Leave Iowa’s ACA Exchanges
This week, Aetna announced it will not offer plans on Iowa’s Affordable Care Act (ACA) exchange in 2018. According to The Washington Post, the company cited financial risk, as well as uncertainty surrounding the future of the marketplace, as reasons for its decision. The announcement follows a decision earlier in the week from Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield to also stop selling on the Iowa marketplace next year. As a result, the majority of the state’s counties will only have 1 insurer.
Cigna Reports Drop in Opioid Use
In the last 12 months, Cigna has cut prescription opioid use among customers by nearly 12%. The company has pledged to cut prescriptions of opioids by 25% by 2019, reported Reuters. Cigna is keeping physicians informed of opioid prescriptions in order to detect potential misuse by individuals and inform physicians of their own prescribing patterns. Another way Cigna has sought to combat the opioid epidemic is by removing a policy that required doctors to seek authorization in order to treat addicts.
A $15B Addition to GOP Health Bill
The Republican healthcare bill may not be completely dead. GOP leaders have been working with the House Freedom Caucus and the White House to try to revive the bill with changes, according to The New York Times. House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin) has negotiated the addition of a $15 billion fund to create a risk-sharing program to help insurers pay for their sickest customers and lower premiums. The proposal would prevent patients with high-cost diseases from being placed into a separate high-risk insurance pool.
New Data Update Myasthenia Gravis Outcomes for Patients in Australia
December 3rd 2023Patients living with myasthenia gravis in Australia were surveyed their demographic information, clinical features of the autoimmune disease, adverse effects from treatment, and quality of life. Outcomes were compared against 2011 data from Australia and 2019 data from the United States.
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Health Equity and Access Weekly Roundup: December 2, 2023
December 2nd 2023The Center on Health Equity and Access highlights the most recent updates in the realm of health equity, including news, research findings, and initiatives focused on mitigating health care disparities and enhancing overall access to quality care.
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Oncology Onward: A Conversation With Thyme Care CEO and Cofounder Robin Shah
October 2nd 2023Robin Shah, CEO of Thyme Care, which he founded in 2020 with Bobby Green, MD, president and chief medical officer, joins hosts Emeline Aviki, MD, MBA, and Stephen Schleicher, MD, MBA, to discuss his evolution as an entrepreneur in oncology care innovation and his goal of positively changing how patients experience the cancer system.
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Consumers should not eat precut cantaloupe if they do not know the source, as the number of illnesses and recalls tied to a deadly salmonella outbreak grows; the White House and the Department of Education urged schools to take proactive steps to prevent youth drug use; a study published this week found a high prevalence of arrhythmia in patients with long COVID.
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