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What We're Reading: Death Rate in the US Increases
What we're reading, June 1, 2016: for the first time in a decade, the death rate in the United States has risen; UnitedHealth confirms it will leave the California insurance exchange in 2017; and just 6% of Americans do the 5 things they need to prevent disease.
For the first time in a decade, the death rate in the United States has risen. According to The New York Times, the increase was driven by drug overdoses, suicide, and Alzheimer’s disease, plus the death rate from heart disease also edged up slightly. Improvements in health, disease management, and medical technology had led to a decline in death rates, and the current rise was a surprise to experts. The uptick drags the United States further beyond European countries, which are seeing declines in mortality.
UnitedHealth has now confirmed that it will also be leaving California’s insurance exchange, which it just joined this year. The insurer had announced that it would be leaving most exchanges in 2017, and it is now expected that it will only over plans through employers and the California Public Employees’ Retirement System, reported Kaiser Health News. So far, UnitedHealth is confirmed to participate in the individual markets in New York, Nevada, and Virginia in 2017.
Just 6% of American adults do the 5 things they need to prevent disease as best as possible. TODAY.com reported that most people manage just 2 or 3 of the 5 best ways (not smoking, exercising regularly, drinking in moderation or not at all, keeping a healthy weight, and getting at least 7 hours of sleep a night) to prevent heart disease, cancer, and other chronic diseases. The CDC found that weight is the most difficult aspect for people with more than two-thirds of American adults either overweight or obese. Meanwhile, not smoking was the most commonly met goal with 81.6% of American current nonsmokers.
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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The Joint Commission is launching the Rural Health Clinic Accreditation Program to standardize staff training and patient care practices at rural health clinics nationwide; the American Cancer Society recently launched the largest-ever study of cancer risk and outcomes in Black women; the HHS COVID-19 vaccination campaign saved $732 billion by preventing illness and related costs.
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Budesonide-Based Triple Therapy Shows Best Benefit Over Dual Therapy for COPD
May 8th 2024The triple therapy of budesonide, glycopyrrolate, and formoterol fumarate showed the greatest incremental net benefit among a series of triple therapy medications that were evaluated against dual therapy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to an analysis presented at ISPOR.
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