Tom Price Considering Ending Birth Control Mandate
As Republicans move to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA), HHS Secretary Tom Price, MD, may be eyeing the ACA’s birth control mandate, reported The Hill. As a congressman, Price opposed the mandate, which requires insurance companies cover free contraception. Reversing the mandate could be as easy as HHS excluding birth control from the list of women’s preventive health services that must be provided with no cost sharing.
Harvard Pilgrim Signs 2 New Pay-for-Performance Contracts
In Massachusetts, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care has signed 2 value-based contracts to pay for expensive drugs. Boston Globe reported that the deals are for Enbrel, a rheumatoid arthritis drug that costs about $45,000 a year, and Forteo, an osteoporosis drug that costs about $29,000 a year. The Enbrel contract is for 2 years and includes 6 criteria, while the Forteo contract allows Harvard Pilgrim to pay less for the drug over time if patients take it for 2 years.
Texas Cannot Cut Medicaid Funding to Planned Parenthood
Texas has become the latest state where an attempt to cut Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood has been blocked. According to The New York Times, a federal judge temporarily blocked the state’s efforts because of a lack of evidence that Planned Parenthood providers violated medical or ethical standards. The state’s attorney general said Texas will appeal the injunction.
Dr Kathy Zackowski Discusses the Importance of Rehabilitation Research and Trials in MS
April 26th 2024Kathy Zackowski, PhD, National MS Society, expresses the inherent value of quality rehabilitation trials for broadening clinical understandings of multiple sclerosis (MS) and bettering patient outcomes.
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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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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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