Employers Newly Committed to Offering Insurance
Just 3 years ago, large employers were considering no longer offering insurance and instead shifting their employees to the Affordable Care Act (ACA)’s marketplaces. However, employers have since changed direction, with companies newly committed to maintaining insurance coverage, reported Kaiser Health News. This year, 92% of employers in a survey said they were very confident they would be offering health plans in 5 years, compared with just 25% back in 2014. The uncertainty of the ACA isn’t the only reason for the change of heart—the strong economy means employers are offering insurance as a way to get the best workers.
CVS Sued Over Drug Costs
A California woman is accusing CVS of charging customers paying through insurance more money for prescription drugs than the medicines actually cost. According to Bloomberg, the plaintiff said she once paid $166 for a generic drug that would have only cost $92 if she had paid in cash. CVS denies any wrongdoing and explained that the copays are determined by pharmacy benefit managers. There are at least 16 other lawsuits targeting drugstores for these copay “clawback” practices, or situations when patients pay a copay that exceeds the actual cash value of the drug.
Declaring a State of Emergency
The president’s opioid panel recommended declaring the opioid epidemic a state of emergency, but President Donald Trump has declined to do so. STAT explains that it was unclear what declaring a state of emergency for the country might have meant. There are examples in the states, however, where the move has allowed officials to expand use of naloxone or implement new prescription monitoring guidelines. A declaration of a national emergency might mean little more than “stirring officials to act with authorities they already have.”
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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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.
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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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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.
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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.
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